Book Review: Ethnicity and Politics in Pakistan by Feroz Ahmed

The author believes that theory is generalization and systematic and meaningful ordering of empirically verified facts. Ahmed suggests that concepts by themselves are not the motive forces of history. It is the material realities behind these concepts which call for change. Before the formation of Pakistan there was a center which delegated powers to the provinces for the sake of administrative convenience. Pakistan retained its unitary...

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Libraries in ICT

Last month I visited libraries near my house and in total I found only three. One of them is in G-11 Markaz. This library is a dingy room with insufficient light. One corner of the roof gives a view of the sky as corrugated roofing sheet is not in place. An employee at the library informed me that the roof was affected by a storm a few years ago. This building needs serious renovation. Travelling to another library in G-8/1 I saw a library located...

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Book Review: The Asian Paradise Hunza by Rahmatullah Beg

Rahmatullah Beg got his education from Hunza and Gilgit and Srinagar. Later he moved to Karachi after the partition of United India. He held various portfolios during his lifetime. Most of these portfolios were honorary positions within his community. This particular book of the author covers numerous themes. Most of the chapters in the book are written by the author. Some of the others include speech, radio address, and articles from Dawn...

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Book Review: The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State by Frederick Engels

Frederick Engels wrote this book between March and May 1884. Originally written in German, appearing in book form first in 1884, the English translation of this got published in 1891. Based on nine interesting chapters, the author has starts from ancient stages of prehistoric culture and ends with the critique of civilization. Engels believes Morgan was the first person who attempted to introduce a definite order into the prehistory of human...

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Book Review: In the Shadow of History by Mubarak Ali

In the shadow of history is a book which consists of articles written by Mubarak Ali. The writer believes that political history is mostly used by dictators and tyrants whereas social history focuses cultural and social values which bring people together. He views history taught at our educational institutions as political history, which serves the ruling classes. Moreover he also talks about attempts by historians to mold history in their own...

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Book Review: We Indians by Khushwant Singh

I remember the time when I first saw one of Khushwant Singh’s books in my childhood. It was a blue book of jokes which I reckon was on one of the bookshelves in my house, although I do not remember reading the book. Today I finished reading We Indians.  I found really interesting as it is about Khushwant Singh’s personal observation about the society he lives in. Published in 1982 the author analyzes the good and bad character of Indians....

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