Twenty years back, on 11 May, South Asia’s top publicintellectual Eqbal Ahmed passed away due to heart attack. He died after surgeryof colon cancer from which he was suffering. Eqbal was an academic, activist,author, writer, political analyst and an active participant in global leftmovement. As renowned American historian Howard Zinn writes about him, “Eqbal was not an armchair analyst but a participant of some of the mostimportant struggles of our times”. A rare combination a publicintellectual who himself fought for oppressed people and their struggles. Hewas a gramscian and a socialist, democrat in his own words. He was close friendsand had close association with top intellectuals of the time like Frantz Fanon,Noam Chomsky, Edward Said, David Dellinger, Howard Zinn, Ibrahim Abu Lughad,Faiz Ahmad Faiz, Aga Shahid Ali and many others.
Eqbal had a deep vision and eye. He predicted future eventswhich later proved true. He predicted Iraq invasion, Arab uprising long backand gave reasons of economic and strategic interests in Middle East. He had eyeon Middle East since his Phd days as his topic was on Tunusian-Morrocon tradeunions. He warned newer forms of imperialism in the form of Americanimperialism. He was most vocal critic of US foreign policies and hegemony. Hewas of the opinion that USA has poisoned seeds in Middle East and South Asia.His close friend, public intellectual and founder of Post Colonial studies,Edward Said called him “the shrewdest and most original anti imperialistanalyst of the post world war”. His writings on anti colonial struggles,revolutionary uprisings and Western Imperialism are still considered best. Hewas even arrested on Jan 1971 for kidnapping president Richard Nixon’s NationalSecurity Advisor Henry Kessinger from which he was acquitted after fourteenmonths and is said to have been falsely arrested for being vocal critic of USpolicies and hegemony.
Eqbal had critical solidarity with Algeria’s NationalLiberation Front and Palestinian’s Palestinian Liberation Organisation. He evenwas vocal against Bosnian ethnic cleansing. He met a wide range of activistslike Yasir Arafat and Afghan Mujahideen pioneers like Osama Bin Laden. He wasof the opinion that Islamic radicalism can be curbed by free and fair election,end of wrong policies and dictatorship. In 1998, he gave a brilliant talk atUniversity Of Colorodo on “Terrorism theirs and ours” by demystifying themainstream and popular notion of terrorism.
He not only spoke, wrote on these movements but on Kashmiralso. In fact, he fought in first war of Kashmir 1947. His close friend StuartSchaar has written a book on him “Eqbal Ahmad, Critical outsider in a turbulentage” published by Cambridge University Press. It discusses in detail about hisfight in Kashmir’s first war based on his interview with his daughter Dohra.Eqbal was recruited by Muslim leaguers for Kashmir war from his school. He wasjust fourteen years old that time. Besides Muslims leaguers there were twoother groups also of Ahmadis and communists led by Latif Afghani who introducedEqbal to leftist ideology. He even witnessed killing, raping and looting bypathans. Eqbal extensively wrote on Kashmir also. In his essay “A Kashmirisolution for Kashmir”, he writes about Kashmir not being communal problem anddispute can’t be resolved by undertaking Kashmiri aspiration. Nehru’s broken promiseand manipulation of Kashmiri’s not only by India but by Pakistani’s also. Hewrites about Ghulam Ahmad’s betrayal of Kashmiri’s when Sardar Patel offeredhim Kashmir for Hyderabad which he declined. One of his last writing of hislife was on Kashmir “Kashmir and it’s challenges” which was published on 31jan,1999. In this article he writes about Kashmir’s indigenous movement andunusually powerful. The challenges it faces. He was of the opinion that Kashmirdispute can’t be solved militarily but by dialogue taking Kashmiri aspirationsin consideration. In his opinion decadesof misrule and repression started uprising in Kashmir. Eqbal with PhysicistsAbdul Hamid Nayyar and Parvez Hoodbhoy were against nuclear folly. They fearednuclear proliferation and atomic disaster. He wanted to promote dialogue asboth India and Pakistan possessed nuclear weapon. India, Pakistan, Kashmirshould negotiate and end bloody expensive and blood conflict.
He wrote extensively on South Asia post Partition. He wrotePartition didn’t solve problems it aimed. Poverty, education, healthcare worstin post partition South Asia. Bengli’s supported partition but felt alienatedpost partition. Uprisings in East Pakistan, Punjab and Kashmir are witness toit.
Eqbal was critical of Pakistan leaders’ policies also. Hewas critical of Bhuttos, Zia, Nawaz and others also. He had high opinion aboutfounder of Pakistan Mohammad Ali Jinnah. He saw him as a great liberal,visionary whose opponents of Pre Partition era became heroes in Pakistan. Hecalled Zulfiqar Bhutto mass rhetorician, dedicated to himself not people. Hecalled Zia’s rule dark rule. Eqbal at the end of his life wanted to establish aliberal arts college “Khaldunia” which Benazir Bhutto didn’t allow to buildbecause of his criticism to her and her father’s regimes’ policies andcorruption. He wanted to make it big humanities university which lags behindnot only in Pakistan but in whole South Asia. Later Polo ground was built onthe allotted field. His dream of Khaldunia is still unfulfilled, the sadtragedy of not only Pakistan but whole South Asia. As Arundhati Roy wrote abouthim, “Eqbal was quite brilliant man with brilliant insights. My onlycomplaint is he is not here, we need him most”. South Asia is in dire needof a brilliant person like Eqbal Ahmad.