Comments on: Teach In at Chicago

By: najma rehnani

najma rehnani — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 12:43:31 +0000

historical facts which Naim sahab’ written in the article are eye opener not only for the people of pakistan but for indian goverment and media both, specially in the light of on going debate on IndO-US Nuclear deal.

By: Ralph W. Nicholas

Ralph W. Nicholas — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 00:24:22 +0000

Naim Saheb’s excellent, compact history of US involvement in Pakistan has taken me back to a time before 1971, the Bangladesh war of independence, and Nixon’s “tilt” toward Pakistan. In about 1959 Hamza Alavi and one of his colleagues in London wrote a long essay detailing “The Burden of US Aid” on Pakistan. We published an abbreviated version of it in Chicago, in New University Thought. After that we got ten more years of Ayub and a U2 base in Peshawar. I saw one in a hangar there in 1961, even after Francis Gary Powers was shot down. People in the field of international relations tell us that nations act out of self-interest in dealing with other nations. But enlightened self-interest that looks over the horizon of momentary need would long ago have had American presidents preaching about democracy to Pakistan. Even if George Bush had some standing with the Pakistani people, the US has no credibility left.

By: C. M. Naim

C. M. Naim — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 19:33:54 +0000

I would like to add the following corrections.

1. A friend expressed surprise at my precise dates, which made me go back to the internet and our library. I was mistaken when I claimed that Ghulam Muhammad had resigned on Oct. 12, 1951. It seems that by that date, Liaquat Ali Khan had decided to dismiss Ghulam Muhammad from his cabinet. The ‘fig-leaf’ offered was: his resignation due to ill health, and a posting to Washington as Pakistan’s Ambassador for the same reason. When the offer was broached to Ghulam Muhammad, his response was something to the effect: ‘over my dead body.’ Liaquat Ali Khan was killed on the 16th, and the same evening Ghulam Muhammad became the Governor General, though he was sworn in office on the 19th. I also found that the police officer who had so promptly killed the assassin was also killed in 1960. The three killings and the air crash still remain unexplained.

2, Richard Armitage was a second-tier functionary.

3. My French, as expected, was incorrect. It should be du jour and not de jour.

By: Jonathan Dresner

Jonathan Dresner — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 07:18:16 +0000

I was just reading some historiography tonight and came across this quotation from Eric Hobsbawm: “Our studies can turn into bomb factories. … We have a responsibility to historical facts in general, and for criticising the politico-ideological abuse of history in particular.”