News
July 10, 2026
Dr Ayesha Jalal Urges Break from Colonial LegacyLahore: Eminent Pakistani American historian and author Dr Ayesha Jalal has called for the revival of enlightened Muslim thought in South Asia, urging policymakers, educators and scholars to overcome the intellectual constraints of colonial rule by fostering critical inquiry, openness of mind and intellectual curiosity.
Dr Jalal, one of the world’s foremost historian of modern South Asia and the Mary Richardson Professor of History at Tufts University, is internationally acclaimed for her pioneering scholarship on the political history of the Indian subcontinent, the Pakistan Movement and Muslim intellectual traditions. Her influential works, including The Sole Spokesman and several acclaimed studies on South Asian history, have earned global recognition for reshaping academic discourse on the region.
She expressed these views while addressing a Book and Policy Dialogue organized by the National Institute of Public Policy (NIPP) on her latest book, Muslim Enlightened Thought in South Asia.
Welcoming the participants, Dean of the National Institute of Public Policy Dr Naveed Elahi paid rich tributes to Dr Jalal’s distinguished academic career and described her contributions to the study of South Asian history as an invaluable intellectual resource and an enduring historical record.
In his opening remarks, Rector of the National School of Public Policy Farhan Aziz Khawaja underscored the importance of cultivating a culture of learning, critical thinking and informed debate within the civil service.
Delivering the keynote address, Dr Jalal said she wrote Muslim Enlightened Thought in South Asia to investigate the historical decline of Muslim intellectual thought in the region after having previously devoted much of her scholarship to politics, democracy and the making of Pakistan.
She argued that knowledge should never be confined within the artificial categories of “East” and “West”, describing it instead as the cumulative achievement of human civilization, enriched through centuries of cross-cultural exchange.
According to her, British colonial rule not only exploited South Asia economically but also weakened its intellectual and cultural foundations by disrupting long-established educational and literary traditions. She identified the abolition of Persian as the official language as one of the major developments that accelerated the erosion of indigenous intellectual culture and scholarship.
Calling for fundamental reforms in Pakistan’s education system, Dr Jalal stressed the need to replace rote learning with an educational model that nurtures curiosity, independent thinking, analytical reasoning and critical inquiry.
Explaining the central thesis of her book, she said it challenged the conventional perception that Muslim intellectuals of the Indian subcontinent were merely conservative or apologetic in their outlook. Instead, the book highlights a vibrant and enduring tradition of Roshan Khayali (enlightened thought), rational inquiry and intellectual openness deeply rooted in Islamic teachings.
She said the study examines how colonial rule gradually transformed religion from a matter of personal faith into a political identity, while also documenting the intellectual contributions of towering figures such as Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, Mirza Ghalib, Allama Muhammad Iqbal and Jalaluddin Rumi, all of whom sought to reconcile faith with reason, history with modernity and tradition with intellectual progress.
Expressing optimism about the impact of her work, Dr Jalal said she hoped the book would encourage students, researchers, policymakers and civil servants to reconnect with South Asia’s rich intellectual heritage and contribute towards a culture of informed scholarship, reasoned debate and constructive public dialogue.
The event was attended by officers of the National Management Course, probationers 54th Common Training Program (CTP) of the Civil Services Academy, students, academics, researchers and a large number of distinguished guests from diverse fields. - The News
Courtesy The News
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