Javed Jabbar’s book discussed in House of Lords

Pakistan News & Features Services

Lord Nazir Ahmed of Rotherham and Lord Khalid Hameed jointly hosted a lively discussion on Javed Jabbar’s book ‘Pakistan-Unique Origins; Unique Destiny’ in the House of Lords in London recently. 

Prominent British Pakistanis, Indians and Bangladeshis, along with bureaucrats, journalists, scholars, social activists were in attendance during the event. 

Javed Jabbar, while presenting the theme of the book, said that the core concern was the extraordinary evolution of Pakistani nationalism after the birth of Pakistan in 1947. 

“Pakistan is an ailing state, not a failing state. Despite Pakistan’s enormous problems, people were demonstrating an exceptional capacity to survive,” the former Federal Information Minister stated, adding that the identity of Pakistaniyat was emerging towards a singular, broad persona, containing within itself multiple other identities. 

He identified sustained democracy, a rational, knowledge-based application of Islam and improved relations with India as potent factors likely to determine a dynamic future for Pakistan.

Ziauddin Sardar, co-editor of the quarterly journal ‘Critical Muslim’, and author of several books, remarked that major reforms were needed to make Pakistan’s destiny match the uniqueness of its origins. 

Some probing questions were hurled during the interactive session but Javed Jabbar responded diplomatically to each query and reiterated his conviction that the polity and society of Pakistan possessed vitality to strengthen the state and ensure its future progress. 

Concluding the discussion, Lord Nazir Ahmed thanked all attendees for their keen interest and participation and hoped that the book will soon be available for readers in the UK and Europe.