Mubarak Ali stresses 'secularisation' of history to know the truth.

Byline: Hasan Mansoor

KARACHI -- Eminent historian Dr Mubarak Ali on Friday called for changing the present methods of teaching and writing history with specific reference to Pakistan, saying secularisation of history was need of the hour.

'History is not free since the times it is being written or got written; this is the time to change it, secularise it as it is the most efficient way to explore the truth and tell the truth,' Dr Ali said while speaking at a session on the concluding day of the two-day programme held at the Arts Council to celebrate his life and works.

The Institute of Historical and Social Research and Arts Council organised the event 'Celebrating Dr Mubarak Ali - the people's historian'.

Dr Mubarak Ali, who has written scores of books and essays in Urdu and English on the alternative history of people and not kings, spoke threadbare over the various forms of writing history, which could not be called complete if it was not about the common man of a period in discussion.

He said the state narrative had been dominant, which the state actors had always instilled in the ruled masses through coercive measures. 'There is a state narrative; and there is an alternative narrative. We should all strive to make the alternative narrative strong; we should always be on the side of our people,' said Dr Ali.

Two-day moot held to pay tribute to 'people's historian' concludes

He said that instead of leaving the serious subject of history on the mercy of newspaper columnists, novelists and poets, history should be in the hands of professional historians.

'What is needed is that there should be independent history institutes to produce professional historians - fee from the influence of the state. These young historians should write history by using the available scientific tools and resources irrespective of what the state desires to propagate.'

He said the archival material was very important and though it too had been in the possession of the state and preserved in a way in the liking of state, it had enough content for independent historians to explore and write the truth.

Dr Ali said history should be written by adopting bottom-up approach instead of the dominant top-down method. 'History should be written from the below, i.e. the history of common people, nomads, villagers, artisans and even the robbers and dacoits since these are the people who have already been deprived of their due place in the written history,' said the revered...