Ishtiaq Ahmed (political scientist)

For other people named Ishtiaq Ahmad, see Ishtiaq Ahmad (disambiguation).

Ishtiaq Ahmed
Ishtiaq Ahmed
Born
Ishtiaq Ahmed

(1947-02-24) 24 February 1947 (age 77)
Lahore, Punjab, British India
(now in Punjab, Pakistan)
CitizenshipSwedish
Alma materUniversity of Stockholm
University of the Punjab
Forman Christian College
St. Anthony's High School
Scientific career
FieldsPolitical Science
InstitutionsVisiting Professor, Government College University Lahore, Pakistan

Ishtiaq Ahmed (Punjabi, Urdu: اشتیاق احمد; born 24 February 1947) is a Pakistani-Swedish political scientist and author.

He holds a PhD in Political Science from Stockholm University. He is Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Stockholm University.[1][2][3]

Ahmed’s work provides a comprehensive and critical examination of the political history of South Asia, particularly focusing on the partition of India and the role of key figures like Jinnah. His writings offer valuable insights into the complex dynamics of religion, language, and politics in the region.[4][5]

Early life

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Ishtiaq Ahmed was born on 24 February, 1947 in Lahore, within the Punjab Province of British India (now in Punjab, Pakistan) into the Arain community of Punjabi Muslims.[6][7]

Fond of Hindi film music from the 1940s to the 1960s, during his college days he won several awards as a singer in youth festivals.[8]

Career

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Ahmed has rendered significant services in the field of political science. He gave lectures in various institutions including the University of Central Punjab (UCP), where he discussed politics, the Kashmir issue and the economy of Pakistan.[9]

Dr. Ahmad has written in great detail on the partition of India and Jinnah's role in this historical event.[10]

Views and opinions

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State of Punjabi language in Pakistan

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In his article Punjabis themselves are oppressing their own language about the persecution of Punjabi language in Pakistan, he argues that the Punjabi bureaucracy and politicians are responsible for oppressing the Punjabi language, and imposing Urdu as the national language.[11]

Two Nation Theory

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In the article Misreading the Two Nation Theory? , Dr. Ahmad critically examines the two-nation theory, arguing that it never says that Hindus and Muslims can never coexist. Instead, he states that the theory suggests that Hindus and Muslims are two nations that can coexist.[12]

Military meddling in Pakistan's politics

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Dr. Ahmed has also written about military spending in Pakistan. In his article Garrison state: Academic urges government to cut back on military spending, he urges the Pakistani government to reduce military spending.[13]

Jinnah

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In his article Many Promises of Jinnah, Dr. Ahmed discusses various promises and pledges of Jinnah. He criticizes Jinnah's tendency to focus on one speech, ignoring his consistent assertion from 1940 to 1947 that Hindus and Muslims could never be one nation.[14]

Partition of Punjab

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In his article Hindu, Sikh pressure led to the partition of Punjab, Dr. Ahmed argued that the pressure of Hindus and Sikhs led to the partition of Punjab. He states that Muslim League was not in favor of partition of Punjab or Bengal.[15]

Books

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His books include:

  • People on the Move: Punjabi Colonial and Post-Colonial Migration (2004, chapter six, "Forced migration and ethnic cleansing in Lahore in 1947 : some first person accounts").[16]
  • The Politics of Religion in South and Southeast Asia (2011, editor)[17]
  • The Punjab Bloodied, Partitioned and Cleansed (2012)[18][19] It won a prize for best non-fiction book of 2012 and the Coca Cola Prize at the Karachi Literature Festival in 2013.[20][21]
  • Jinnah: His Successes, Failures and Role in History (2020)[22][23]
  • Pre-Partition Punjab’s Contribution to Indian Cinema (2023)[24]

References

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  1. ^ Entry at University of Stockholm Archived 5 July 2007 at the Wayback Machine with the University of Stockholm's homepage
  2. ^ Hasan, Shazia (11 March 2023). "Bengalis were in majority, but Bangla was not made national language: Dr Ishtiaq Ahmed". Dawn. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  3. ^ Thapar, Karan (18 March 2016). "'Hindu, Sikh pressure led to Punjab's partition'". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  4. ^ "Quit India Movement a great blunder, says writer Ishtiaq Ahmed in Chandigarh". Hindustan Times. 28 May 2023. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  5. ^ Hombal,DHNS, N. B. "1965 war with India was Pakistan's biggest blunder, says Ishtiaq Ahmed". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  6. ^ "The Punjab Bloodied, Partitioned and Cleansed". Oxford University Press.
  7. ^ Ahmed, Ishtiaq (18 April 2006). "There is many a slip betwixt cup and lip". Daily Times. Pakistan. Archived from the original on 15 July 2014. Additionally, the Arain group, to which I belong [...]
  8. ^ Dutt, Nirupama (4 June 2023). "Roundabout: The importance of being Ishtiaq Ahmed in Punjab here and there". Hindustan Times.
  9. ^ "Dr Ishtiaq Ahmad delivers lecture in UCP". 26 January 2023.
  10. ^ "Jinnah: His Successes, Failures and Role in History – VI". 15 September 2021.
  11. ^ "Punjabis themselves are oppressing their language". 21 February 2023.
  12. ^ "Misreading the Two Nation Theory?". 30 March 2022.
  13. ^ "Garrison state: Academic urges government to cut back on military spending". 21 November 2013.
  14. ^ "Jinnah'a multifarious pledges". 22 December 2017.
  15. ^ "'Hindu, Sikh pressure led to Punjab's partition'". 18 March 2016.
  16. ^ Murphy, Anne (February 2005). "People on the Move: Punjabi Colonial, and Post-Colonial Migration. Edited by Ian Talbot and Shinder Thandi. Subcontinent Divided: New Beginning. Karachi: Oxford University Press, 2004. xx, 238 pp. Rs 350 (cloth)". The Journal of Asian Studies. 64 (1): 240–241. doi:10.1017/S0021911805000628. ISSN 0021-9118. S2CID 162416728.
  17. ^ GHOSH, PARTHA S (2012). "Religion-Politics Interface". Economic and Political Weekly. 47 (2): 34–36. ISSN 0012-9976. JSTOR 23065604.
  18. ^ Ali, Mahir (18 April 2012). "Blood on the tracks of history". Dawn. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  19. ^ White, Jenny (22 June 2020). "Turkey in the 1970s: The Cultural Logic of Factionalism". Turkey in Turmoil. De Gruyter. p. 306. doi:10.1515/9783110654509-015. ISBN 978-3-11-065450-9. S2CID 241571497.
  20. ^ "klf 2013 | Karachi Literature Festival". Karachi Literature Festival. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  21. ^ Salman, Peerzada (18 February 2013). "'Pakistan is open for business'". Dawn. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  22. ^ Thapar, Karan (23 March 2022). "Watch: 'Jinnah Did Not Just Want Partition, He Wanted to Dismember India'". The Wire (India). Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  23. ^ Ahmed, Ishtiaq (15 September 2020). "How Jinnah Dismissed Congress's Minority Rights Proposals to Justify Two-Nation Theory". The Wire (India). Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  24. ^ Ahmed, Ishtiaq (16 June 2023). Pre-Partition Punjab’s Contribution to Indian Cinema. London: Routledge. ISBN 978-1-003-40626-6.
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