Born: June 7, 1914, Panipat. Died: June 1, 1987, Bombay.
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Filed under: Art and activism, Culture, Freedom of expression, Literature, Pakistan-India | Tagged: Anwar Abbs, Dr Mubashir Hasan, K.A. Abbas, Syeda Hameed | 3 Comments »
Lahore, 1992: Dr Syeda Hameed with Dr Mubashir Hasan, uncle, comrade and mentor. Photo by Reza Kazim.
With the world in the grip of the novel coronavirus pandemic, it’s hard to find space for anything else. As horrors unfolded in country after country, exposing the hollowness behind military might, glittering capitalist facades, and exploitation, a gentle soul slipped into the hereafter at his house in Lahore. At 98, he had spent the last half of his life fighting for exactly the kind of egalitarian, people centered system that would have mitigated the ravages of Covid-19. There have been some wonderful tributes to Dr Mubashir Hasan. Two of the best I’ve seen are by his old friend I.A. Rehman and Indian journalist Nirupama Subramaniam in Indian Express, also published in Aman Ki Asha.
Below, my tribute to Dr M. in The News on Sunday last weekend, a follow up to my piece in The Wire earlier. Also below, two previously unpublished pieces I am honoured to present here — a powerful, poignant poem in Dr M’s memory by his niece in Delhi, and a lively little remembrance by a 12-year old based on her memories of the Chaukas collective meetings she attended with her mother, that led to A New Social Contract published by Dr M, 2016. Also linking here this tribute in Mainstream Weekly magazine, Kolkata, founded by Dr Mubashir’s friend Nikhil Chakravartty — “one of the greatest journalists of the subcontinent” as Dr M called him — now edited by his son Sumit Chakravartty.
Filed under: Pakistan-India, Peace, Personal | Tagged: #SouthAsianUnion, Activism, anti-nuclear, Asma Jahangir, Bhutto, coronavirus, democracy, Dr Mubashir Hasan, Ghalib, HRCP, HRCP founders, Human rights, I.A. Rehman, India, Kolkatta, Mainstream magazine, Nikhil Chakravartty, nuclear tests, Pakistan, Peace, PIPFPD, PPP, south asia | 1 Comment »
In the midst of coronavirus madness, March 14 brought the sad news of Dr Mubashir Hasan’s passing. Wrote this piece published in The Wire a few days back. Reproduced here with additional pix and links.
Filed under: Obituary, Pakistan-India, Resistance | Tagged: Asma Jahangir, Dr Bernard Lown, Dr Mubashir Hasan, I.A. Rehman, IPPNW, Kashmir, PIPFPD | 2 Comments »
In December 2019, when I visited Dr Mubashir Hasan at his home in Lahore, I read out to him a Statement on India’s Citizenship (Amendment) Act, drafted by a friend in Kathmandu. Dr Saab readily endorsed it, probably his last public comment (see below). He is the first person who talked to me about pushing for a South Asian Union along the lines of the European Union. He passed away today, aged 98. A great mentor, leader, guide and friend. May he rest in peace. More later.
Statement on India’s Citizenship (Amendment) Act by 14 independent South Asian citizens
26 December 2019
Continue readingFiled under: Southasia | Tagged: CAA, CAB, Dr Mubashir Hasan, fascism, India, persecution, south asia, Southasia | 3 Comments »
Published in The News on Sunday Political Economy section, Aman ki Asha page, June 13, 2010
June 10 2010
Dear Beena,
I can live with “Indian Administered Kashmir” and “Pakistan Administered Kashmir”. I’ll have to think about “militant” for “terrorist”, partly because then that might let off the hook homegrown Indians responsible for terrorism. And I will likely have to disagree about India’s interference in 1971 being nothing but a hostile act. I mean, it was hostile, necessarily so. But I believe it had to happen. I think peoples have aspirations, naturally so, and (West) Pakistan was actively and brutally suppressing the East’s aspirations in 1971. Continue reading
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: 1971, Dr Mubashir Hasan, Ishrat Firdousi, J&K | Leave a comment »
I forgot to upload the last three Conversations published in The News on Sunday, Aman ki Asha page in Political Economy. The entire archives are also up at the Aman ki Asha website
Conversations 13: Meeting point
June 3 2010
Dear Beena,
Right at the start of this missive, I have been wondering just how we will ever reconcile our diametrically different views on what we call POK/what you call AJK. (Let alone reconcile the names). You are taught that it “joined Pakistan voluntarily”. We are taught that Pakistan grabbed it from us in ’47. What’s the meeting point between these two perceptions? How do we resolve this disagreement? Continue reading
Filed under: Pakistan-India | Tagged: 1971, AJK, Dr Mubashir Hasan, india pakistan joint history, kargil, POK, trust deficit | Leave a comment »
Published in The News on Sunday, Political Economy section, Aman ki Asha page, May 2, 2010
April 22 2010
Dear Beena,
I know your Berlin adventure was stymied by, of all things, a volcano in Iceland. Who’d have thought it? Somebody more eloquent than I could probably find some kind of metaphor, for the prospects for peace between us, in those spewing ashes. Another time.
To get to your last missive. Yes, perhaps we are going round in circles to a degree; and yet I think we are indeed getting somewhere. For surely it’s when we come to grips with things we disagree on, whatever they are, that we will find what making peace really entails.
And there are things I disagree with in your last missive. Continue reading
Filed under: Pakistan-India | Tagged: Dr Mubashir Hasan, India Pakistan, terrorism, water | 3 Comments »
LAHORE, Apr 22: Prominent academics, writers and analysts from India and Pakistan met today at a closed-door seminar titled “A Common Destiny”, the first of Aman ki Asha’s series of discussions on issues of strategic importance.
Delegates at the first of Aman ki Asha’s series of discussions on issues of strategic importance to India and Pakistan, titled “A Common Destiny”, agreed on the need for peace between the two countries, and the importance of a sustained dialogue to resolve bilateral issues including Jammu & Kashmir, terrorism, water-sharing, trade and investment. Continue reading
Filed under: Pakistan-India | Tagged: Admiral (Retd) K. Nayyer, Admiral (Retd) Ramdas, Amin Hashwani, Amitabh Mattoo, Chairperson Emeritus of the Pakistan-India People's Forum for Peace and Democracy, Dr Mubashir Hasan, Gen Mahmud Ali Durrani, I.A. Rehman, Jammu & Kashmir, Kashmir, Khaled Ahmed, Prem Shankar Jha, Salman Haidar, Shafqat Mahmood, South Asian University, terrorism, trade and investment, water-sharing | 2 Comments »
Zaheda Hina with Indian journalist Jatin Desai, at a peace seminar in Karachi held to honour Nirmala Deshpande. Photo: Beena Sarwar
Since my article Bring Back Jagannath Azad’s Pakistan Anthem published in The Hindu on Sept 22 (slightly shorter version first published by Dawn on Sept 19) I have learnt that my ignorance on the matter was all the more deplorable given the previously published material that I have since come across. Besides Zaheer Kidvai’s recollections in his blog, that I mentioned in my blog post later, there is Adil Najam’s June 2009 post Prof. Jagan Nath Azad: Creator of Pakistan’s First National Anthem. Najam refers to Zaheer’s post as well as an article by Ashfaque Naqvi in A word about Jagan Nath Azad (Dawn, June 27, 2004), which contains a passing mention of this little known fact about Azad’s authoring of the first national anthem.
Filed under: History | Tagged: Adil Najam, Dr Mubashir Hasan, I.A. Rehman, Jagan Nath Azad, Jaggannath Azad, Zaheda Hina, Zaheer Kidvai blog, Zakintosh | Leave a comment »
Journeys to democracy 