Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Historians have agreed that east is the cradle of history and the process of evaluation is on.

International Association of Historians of Asia (IAHA) president Dr Sajid Awan said that he rejects the notion that history was born in the east and died in the west. He said that Asia gave the world its major religions and inventions and in return it did not take much from it. He said now it is the rebirth of history in the east. “We should be proud of it,” he said. He was speaking as a keynote speaker at the concluding session of the 24th conference of the International Association of Historians of Asia on Asian History, Culture and Environment: Vernacular and Oriental Paradigms. At least 50 scholars presented their papers in two sessions on Wednesday. The National Institute of Historical and Cultural Research (NIHCR) arranged the event.

Prof Dr Javed Haider Syed of the University of Gujrat and Qudsia Batool of the Government Women College of Lala Musa discussed the life and works of Sufi saint Shah Daula stating that he was popularly known throughout the world owing to his unique work. The saint is known as a miraculous personality only and people know very little about his vital input into the society, they said.

Mass communication scholars Hassan Shehzad and Shafqat Munir evaluated leading magazines of Pakistan in terms of their contribution towards democracy. He concluded that the time had come for decision makers to think about real issues instead of getting afraid from how the media would portray them. Rasib Mehmood spoke on unsung Muslim and Sikh heroes of Sargodha.

Farah Gul Baqai of the NIHCR said that Sir Ganga Ram was a great personality of Punjab. He played an important role in the development and prosperity of the region. Ganga Ram was a qualified architecture, who designed majestic buildings in Lahore, Amritsar, Patiala and other major cities. Pattarat Phantprasit of the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, spoke on the reflection of fear and anger in Thai society before the Thammasat University massacre on October 6, 1976.

Mamoona Sajid of GC University of Faisalabad discussed difficulties faced by English language teachers in teaching and writing skills to mild mentally retarded students in ICT, identifying and highlighting the importance of writing skills for the mentally retarded children.

Discussing the paradoxical evolution of China’s Kashmir policy, Muhammad Shoaib and Saadat Nazir of the Area Study Centre for Africa, North and South America, observed that China’s Kashmir policy inevitably influences its policies towards Pakistan and India endorsing anyone’s stance would imply support for either of the parties. Thus, instead of supporting one party, it has carefully crafted its Kashmir policy over the years and pursued two parallel policies vis-à-vis the dispute, particularly in the post-Mao Tse-Tung era.