Pakistan Clash of Ideas — Pervez Hoodbhoy Versus Javed Jabbar

Analysis by Anjum Altaf
Critical Commentary by Ahmed Kamran
AKS Publications

This is an English translation of the Urdu book titled Pakistan Ka Matlab Kya?: Javed Jabbar Aur Pervez Hoodbhoy Ke Mabain Aik Mubahisa. It is rare to have a serious debate about the many critical issues that need to be explored in Pakistan for the country to move beyond the crises that have plagued it since its existence.

The book is based on a panel discussion at the Adab Festival in Karachi on February 1, 2020. One of the four guests on the panel delving on the topic of ‘The never-ending battle for the Pakistan narrative’ was academic and nuclear physicist Prof Dr Pervez Hoodbhoy, who raised some questions while making certain observations about the Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the two-nation theory, Pakistan’s ideology etc. What he said did not sit well with former Senator Javed Jabbar, who decided to give his counter-narrative on the 10 points raised by Prof Hoodbhoy, through a video message recorded a month later.

When the video fell in the hands of academic Anjum Altaf, he decided to review the arguments of both sides and turned it into this book, which also includes a thoughtful essay by Ahmed Kamran on the ideology of Pakistan.

Plato Se Post Modernism Tak

By Dr Buland Iqbal
Sanjh Publications

The book is akin to taking a journey across the world of literature, consisting of references to the evolutionary stages of social changes, political issues, historical incidents, philosophical imaginations, literary figures and their important works from the Greek period to the 21st century. Dr Buland Iqbal, the author, has likened these stages to 10 periods of history. He begins from the Greek period and then continues through the Romans, the Middle Ages, Renaissance, Neoclassical, Romanticism, Realism to Modernism and Postmodernism. Each period, which you can also call a lesson, in the book includes a brief review of the political and social factors of that period and an impartial analysis of the thought and knowledge that developed in response to it, as well as the prominent intellectuals of the time.

The Thirty Two

By Farrukh Sohail Goindi
Jumhoori Publications

A seasoned anchor, columnist and writer, Farrukh Sohail Goindi has authored several books. Known for his insightful perspectives on contemporary issues, Goindi has now penned The Thirty Two, which captures a substantial portion of his extensive associations with things, places and individuals, ranging from cities, political activists, writers, prime ministers and royal elites. The book includes pen sketches of global personalities, such as Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Benazir Bhutto, Prince Hassan bin Talal, Shimon Peres, Khushwant Singh, Inder Kumar Gujral and more. It also covers different topics such as politics, history, society, travel, literature, film and wisdom, besides stories from different communities.

Physics and Sufi Cosmology

By Sardar Irshad Shaheen
Royal Book Company

Sardar Irshad Shaheen is a research scholar from Pakistan, who has been dedicated to exploring the reality of the physical world and human life. His book attempts to discover the compatibility between Sufism and modern cosmology, while probing into the nature and value of existence, which ultimately leads to the direction of interconnection of the universe and human psyche, unity and integration of all things and, ultimately, the unity of the whole universe and the whole person. These views are not placed on the shaky foundations of faith. They are based on philosophical logic and scientific facts. The book carries more than 700 citations of authorities of various disciplines, drawing from a vast array of diverse fields, such as physics, philosophy, biology, psychology and spirituality.

Published in Dawn, Books & Authors, July 27th, 2025