My name is Khurram Qadir. I have been a professor of History and am still a researcher of Pakistan. I am here to share my feelings and thoughts about Pakistan and to see if you would like to join me in trying to understand how our communities work and what kind of society we are making as a nation.
I think we can all see the variety of communities and communal links or identities in Pakistan, but …
Are we a nation? Is there some integrated, unified entity that can be called “Pakistani Society”? What is the relationship of the Pakistani communities with the state? Do we, as a people have a stake in the governance and the state of Pakistan. If we are a nation, what is our “National Identity”? If there is some such ting as Pakistani Society, what is the nature of our society and what is the place of the network of communities which constitute this society and nation. Most important of all what is their interface with the state?
Certainly, there are aspects of our communities that can be seen across the board in the variety of our communal links and various social classes and in all the areas of Pakistan. As a frequent traveler and an observer of long standing who has had the good fortune of visiting many parts of Pakistan, I can assure you that this assertion covers almost all the ecologies of Pakistan and most of the areas that comprise our varied landscape.
However, I believe that there is a wide gap between how an “average/common Pakistani” hopes or thinks about the kind of society he wants in Pakistan, and the aspirations of our elite. I also feel that we have a large variety of “elites” who are pulling us in different directions; this is a great disadvantage. Still, I think that we can find a common ground where the “thinking communities” and the activist individuals of Pakistan can find a way forward. By thinking communities” I mean anyone who likes to think about Pakistan and by an activist I mean a person who likes to take active part in the process of making a thought into a reality. All my life I have tried to contribute to the “thinking” component of the “research community” of Pakistan and pass on my ideas to the activists; and take part in any action that I suggest to the best of my ability. This is my latest medium to reach out to my fellow Pakistanis.