On Saturday November 18, the Pakistan Collective for Decolonial Practices (PCDP) held a seminar addressing the ‘Culture and History Focusing De-colonisation in Pakistan’. The seminar was held at the Lahore History Museum in the Chinese Art Gallery and was hosted by the Director of the Lahore Museum Muhammad Usman.
The event held a lot of promise. As of now, Pakistan appeared to still be struggling with colonialism's repercussions. Instead of encouraging students to be proud of their own cultural background, our educational institutions urge them to aspire to be more Western. Furthermore, due to our continued inability to abandon the notion that "white is better," we are witnessing the slow but steady Westernisation.
The first speaker of the day was Kamran Lashari. He is a former civil servant who served (most notably) as the Petroleum Secretary of Pakistan before retiring and then proceeded to work as the Director of the Walled City of Lahore Authority (WCLA) to this day.
Kamran Lashari’s most notable work consists of the renovation of ancient historic monuments. The focus of his team for the renovation project had been the Shahi Hamam (Royal Baths), the Wazir Khan Masjid, the Badshahi Masjid and more as well as even working on historical churches all over Pakistan from the colonial era.
The WCLA had even begun Pakistan’s first street-tourism initiative in the Walled City. His work was a credit to the faith that was put in him by his appointees and has preserved the most iconic remnants of our proud past in almost undimmed glory.
More significantly, the restoration work has unquestionably played a significant role in eradicating the mark that our past invaders put on our very souls. It is a source of pride for any Pakistani to witness our forefathers' works preserved in such pristine, beautiful shape.
The second speaker of the day was Arfa Sayeda Zehra, one of Pakistan’s leading human rights activists and academics. Her expertise in Urdu as well as history is almost unparalleled in Pakistan and her work privately as well as in the public regarding the rights and status of women in Pakistani society has made her a hero for women all over Pakistan.
Arfa Sayeda Zehra spoke on issues that women in Pakistan face and while she spoke calmly, the impact of her words was so strong listeners struggled to hold back emotions. The sheer frankness with which she talked about the horrors that women faced in this country was a necessary reality check where issues surrounding women are covered up. What made her narrative refreshing was the acknowledgment and ownership of the truth that the pain inflicted on women is actually a direct outcome of the pain the British inflicted upon the subcontinent.
Speaking to the audience, she said “Three year old girls are raped in by grown men. How can any human being tolerate this nonsense?”
“I’ve had many arguments with conservative religious scholars over the issues women face today but none of them can give a logical argument against the suffering inflicted upon us.”
“Women used to wear sari’s with their stomachs bare in India during the rule of one of the most greatest Muslim empires this world had ever seen but a women wanting to work or go out alone in the 21st century is against our culture and tradition?”
It truly was spectacular to hear her say things out loud that even the people in the highest offices of our country wouldn’t dare utter out loud. While decolonisation may seem like a fantasy, it was refreshing to see that at least someone was not afraid to say the truth and hold a mirror up to society for the reality to be acknowledged.
The next notable speaker was Ammar Ali Jan. Ammar is a renowned Marxist and teacher of history and political sciences, teaching at illustrious institutions such as University of Punjab Lahore, GCU Lahore and Forman Christian College. He has been a progressive politician for most of his political career and is currently President and founder of the Haqooq-e-Khalq Party, whose purpose is to promote social and political imagination.
Ammar spoke about his research as well as his thoughts on the political as well as sociological effect on the sub-continent due to the tyranny of the British. To one’s immense satisfaction, he pointed out how Pakistani society glorifies anything associated with white people, from skin to clothes to speaking in English.
“Our society rather than try to improve upon itself as it is, continues to pursue the approval of the white man,” said Ammar.
“We see the British, the white man, as the ideal person and aspire to be what we are most certainly not. No matter how much we try and change our accents, our very way of life, we will still be seen as utterly different and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that”
He went on to say “The British didn’t just tyrannize us, they removed every bit of self-esteem we had. They shamed us, broke us, and taught us to be ashamed of who we are.”
Despite the poor quality of the microphone he and all the other speakers were using, his voice was clear. I was moved by his comments, as were the majority of the audience members, who all sat up straight in their seats while he spoke. Ammar's words were like a breath of fresh air, and I doubt anyone regardless of their thinking could disagree with his logic at that time
The next notable speaker was Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Zulfikar, is the grandson of the former Prime Minister of Pakistan Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and the son of Mir Murtaza Bhutto, the eldest son of the former premier. He was born in Damascus but was raised in Karachi for most of his life. He has a Masters in Fine Arts from the San Francisco Art Institute as well as two undergraduate degrees from the University of Edinburgh.
In the seminar, Zulfikar (or Zulfi as he likes to be called) spoke about his wildlife advocacy, as well as his ‘Dolphin Diaries’ project, where he is leading an effort to conserve the population of the Indus River dolphin, locally known as ‘Bulhan’ in his native Sindh. According to Zulfi, these dolphins were mostly blind, usually depending on light to navigate through the waters of the Indus.
“My father used to keep a small glass bottle of water on his desk where he kept water from the River Indus,” he said. “My love for nature but most importantly for Sindh came about from my family but also my time travelling throughout the province”
“Preserving our environment and wildlife is a vital part of our cultural heritage.”
“The locals of rural Sindh lived a lifestyle that was specifically adopted to prepare for the flooding of the Indus each year” he said detailing that what seemed like a good thing back then in the form of the construction of canals and barrages by the British, has now emerged as having done terrible damage to the waterflow of the River Indus.
Indeed, after the British had built their canals and barrages, one of the largest man-made network of waterways at the time, Sindh stopped experiencing the massive floods that would leave a fresh layer of alluvial soil. But even worse, it was so disrupted that the Indus did not even reach the sea for many years.
“Once that lifestyle had been disrupted, no one could prepare as they once did for the floods that wreak so much havoc on our fields”
Modern Sindh shows an entirely altered landscape with canals drawing billions of cusecs of water out of the river and drying up the delta erasing more than fifty percent of Sindh’s mangroves and its delta.
Zulfi then showed a map that displays the extent of 2022’s disastrous floods but also points to the value of a liberated ecosystem where water is free to drain into the river and finally into the sea, uninhibited by dams, barrages and roads that have essentially blocked natural water pathways.
The seminar truly was an educational display on the myriad of ways that de-colonization can be encouraged and carried out. From Kamran Lashari’s preservation of historical architecture, Arfa Sayeda’s work in academia and in support of women, Ammar Ali Jan’s progressive brand of politics and Zulfi’s efforts to preserve the wildlife of his native Sindh, it truly was an event for enlightenment and diversity.
Seeing people so different, fighting against the shadow of colonisation that still lingers even after nearly 8 decades, in their own unique ways was truly inspiring. It goes to show that difference really isn’t a hinderance but rather a strength, one that encourages people to look at things with different perspectives to eventually reach the right conclusion.
The event held a lot of promise. As of now, Pakistan appeared to still be struggling with colonialism's repercussions. Instead of encouraging students to be proud of their own cultural background, our educational institutions urge them to aspire to be more Western. Furthermore, due to our continued inability to abandon the notion that "white is better," we are witnessing the slow but steady Westernisation.
The first speaker of the day was Kamran Lashari. He is a former civil servant who served (most notably) as the Petroleum Secretary of Pakistan before retiring and then proceeded to work as the Director of the Walled City of Lahore Authority (WCLA) to this day.
Kamran Lashari’s most notable work consists of the renovation of ancient historic monuments. The focus of his team for the renovation project had been the Shahi Hamam (Royal Baths), the Wazir Khan Masjid, the Badshahi Masjid and more as well as even working on historical churches all over Pakistan from the colonial era.
The WCLA had even begun Pakistan’s first street-tourism initiative in the Walled City. His work was a credit to the faith that was put in him by his appointees and has preserved the most iconic remnants of our proud past in almost undimmed glory.
More significantly, the restoration work has unquestionably played a significant role in eradicating the mark that our past invaders put on our very souls. It is a source of pride for any Pakistani to witness our forefathers' works preserved in such pristine, beautiful shape.
The second speaker of the day was Arfa Sayeda Zehra, one of Pakistan’s leading human rights activists and academics. Her expertise in Urdu as well as history is almost unparalleled in Pakistan and her work privately as well as in the public regarding the rights and status of women in Pakistani society has made her a hero for women all over Pakistan.
Arfa Sayeda Zehra spoke on issues that women in Pakistan face and while she spoke calmly, the impact of her words was so strong listeners struggled to hold back emotions. The sheer frankness with which she talked about the horrors that women faced in this country was a necessary reality check where issues surrounding women are covered up. What made her narrative refreshing was the acknowledgment and ownership of the truth that the pain inflicted on women is actually a direct outcome of the pain the British inflicted upon the subcontinent.
Speaking to the audience, she said “Three year old girls are raped in by grown men. How can any human being tolerate this nonsense?”
“I’ve had many arguments with conservative religious scholars over the issues women face today but none of them can give a logical argument against the suffering inflicted upon us.”
“Women used to wear sari’s with their stomachs bare in India during the rule of one of the most greatest Muslim empires this world had ever seen but a women wanting to work or go out alone in the 21st century is against our culture and tradition?”
It truly was spectacular to hear her say things out loud that even the people in the highest offices of our country wouldn’t dare utter out loud. While decolonisation may seem like a fantasy, it was refreshing to see that at least someone was not afraid to say the truth and hold a mirror up to society for the reality to be acknowledged.
The next notable speaker was Ammar Ali Jan. Ammar is a renowned Marxist and teacher of history and political sciences, teaching at illustrious institutions such as University of Punjab Lahore, GCU Lahore and Forman Christian College. He has been a progressive politician for most of his political career and is currently President and founder of the Haqooq-e-Khalq Party, whose purpose is to promote social and political imagination.
Ammar spoke about his research as well as his thoughts on the political as well as sociological effect on the sub-continent due to the tyranny of the British. To one’s immense satisfaction, he pointed out how Pakistani society glorifies anything associated with white people, from skin to clothes to speaking in English.
“Our society rather than try to improve upon itself as it is, continues to pursue the approval of the white man,” said Ammar.
“We see the British, the white man, as the ideal person and aspire to be what we are most certainly not. No matter how much we try and change our accents, our very way of life, we will still be seen as utterly different and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that”
He went on to say “The British didn’t just tyrannize us, they removed every bit of self-esteem we had. They shamed us, broke us, and taught us to be ashamed of who we are.”
Despite the poor quality of the microphone he and all the other speakers were using, his voice was clear. I was moved by his comments, as were the majority of the audience members, who all sat up straight in their seats while he spoke. Ammar's words were like a breath of fresh air, and I doubt anyone regardless of their thinking could disagree with his logic at that time
The next notable speaker was Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Zulfikar, is the grandson of the former Prime Minister of Pakistan Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and the son of Mir Murtaza Bhutto, the eldest son of the former premier. He was born in Damascus but was raised in Karachi for most of his life. He has a Masters in Fine Arts from the San Francisco Art Institute as well as two undergraduate degrees from the University of Edinburgh.
In the seminar, Zulfikar (or Zulfi as he likes to be called) spoke about his wildlife advocacy, as well as his ‘Dolphin Diaries’ project, where he is leading an effort to conserve the population of the Indus River dolphin, locally known as ‘Bulhan’ in his native Sindh. According to Zulfi, these dolphins were mostly blind, usually depending on light to navigate through the waters of the Indus.
“My father used to keep a small glass bottle of water on his desk where he kept water from the River Indus,” he said. “My love for nature but most importantly for Sindh came about from my family but also my time travelling throughout the province”
“Preserving our environment and wildlife is a vital part of our cultural heritage.”
“The locals of rural Sindh lived a lifestyle that was specifically adopted to prepare for the flooding of the Indus each year” he said detailing that what seemed like a good thing back then in the form of the construction of canals and barrages by the British, has now emerged as having done terrible damage to the waterflow of the River Indus.
Indeed, after the British had built their canals and barrages, one of the largest man-made network of waterways at the time, Sindh stopped experiencing the massive floods that would leave a fresh layer of alluvial soil. But even worse, it was so disrupted that the Indus did not even reach the sea for many years.
“Once that lifestyle had been disrupted, no one could prepare as they once did for the floods that wreak so much havoc on our fields”
Modern Sindh shows an entirely altered landscape with canals drawing billions of cusecs of water out of the river and drying up the delta erasing more than fifty percent of Sindh’s mangroves and its delta.
Zulfi then showed a map that displays the extent of 2022’s disastrous floods but also points to the value of a liberated ecosystem where water is free to drain into the river and finally into the sea, uninhibited by dams, barrages and roads that have essentially blocked natural water pathways.
The seminar truly was an educational display on the myriad of ways that de-colonization can be encouraged and carried out. From Kamran Lashari’s preservation of historical architecture, Arfa Sayeda’s work in academia and in support of women, Ammar Ali Jan’s progressive brand of politics and Zulfi’s efforts to preserve the wildlife of his native Sindh, it truly was an event for enlightenment and diversity.
Seeing people so different, fighting against the shadow of colonisation that still lingers even after nearly 8 decades, in their own unique ways was truly inspiring. It goes to show that difference really isn’t a hinderance but rather a strength, one that encourages people to look at things with different perspectives to eventually reach the right conclusion.