Ahmad Salim
Encyclopedia
Ahmad Salim or Muhammad Salim Khawaja (born 26 January 1945 in Mina Gondal, Punjab
, Pakistan
) is a writer, archivist and co-founder of the South Asian Research and Resource Centre, a private archive established in 2001. He currently lives in Islamabad
.
, Punjab
, Pakistan, Salim was the fourth among seven brothers and sisters.
Salim's early education was in Mina Gondal, before going to Peshawar
for matriculation. While studying in Peshawar, Salim made acquaintance with writers and poets; notably Farigh Bukhari, Mohsin Ahsan, Raza Hamdani, and Jauhar Meer.
After matriculating from Peshawar, Salim moved to Karachi
for his intermediate education. He got admission in Urdu College. Around that time Ahmad Salim participated in a competition arranged by Afkar, a literary magazine. Participants were asked to write their thoughts on Faiz Ahmad Faiz's poetry. Ahmad Salim's poem on Faiz got first prize in the competition. At that time Faiz was the principal of Abdullah Haroon College. On Faiz's invitation Ahmad Salim joined Abdullah Haroon College. A close association grew between Faiz and Ahmad Salim, and continued till Faiz's death in 1984.
(NAP), and was briefly put in jail in 1971 for his criticism of Pakistan Army's operation in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh).
In 1972 Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto appointed Faiz as the Chairman of National Council of Arts. On Faiz's invitation Ahmad Salim joined the Council. During his association with the National Council of Arts from 1972 through 1975, Ahmad Salim operated the Folklore Research Centre and published material on Punjabi and Sindhi folklore. Ahmad Salim left the Council shortly after Faiz left that institution in 1974.
1976-77, Ahmad Salim taught at Sindh University, Jamshoro. He taught a course on Pakistani languages—the course material was developed by him. At that time Shaikh Ayaz
was the Vice Chancellor of Sindh University. Ahmad Salim enjoyed good relations with Shaikh Ayaz, as he had translated Ayaz's poetry into Punjabi. Ahmad Salim's principal work at the Sindh University was to translate Shah Hussain
's poetry into Sindhi, and Bhitai's work into Punjabi, though he could not complete the latter. During his stay at the Sindh University Ahmad Salim also completed his Bachelor of Arts degree.
After Bhutto imposed martial law, Ahmad Salim moved to Karachi in late 1977. There he wrote reviews of TV programs for Daily Aman (Editor: Afzal Siddiqui). For supplemental income Ahmad Salim did a lot of translation work too, and came to popularly known as Ahmad Salim Muttarajjim (translator). In 1979 he got admission in MA Philosophy at Karachi University. He completed MA with a gold medal. It was around that time that Ahmad Salim got married. Starting from 1981 he edited JafaKash, a labor magazine. 1985-88, Ahmad Salim taught at Karchi University a course on Pakistani languages—the same course that he had taught at Sindh University. After separating from his wife in 1988 Ahmad Salim moved to Lahore. He has one daughter from that marriage.
When Pakistan's National and Provincial assemblies were dissolved by President Ghulam Ishaque Khan in 1990, Jang group asked Ahmad Salim to write a book on Pakistan's history related to dissolution of assemblies. Ahmad Salim quickly learned the scarcity of research material and the difficulty in obtaining information from government institutes. He started collecting and archiving material of historical importance. Thus became his career in archiving.
1996- June 2007, Ahmad Salim worked as the Director of Urdu Publications for Sustainable Development Policy Institute
, an NGO. He still does part time research work for that organization.
Research Studies Conducted since 2003 include:
SARRC contains a wealth of information on minorities, development, gender, security and violence which have been focal to the evolution of history and society of the region. The SARRC has acquired and preserved information including fact-sheets, unpublished material, manuscripts, policy papers and official reports of various Commissions and Committees. Almost all of the important newspapers, periodicals, books, reports and documents published during the last two centuries are preserved under one roof.
Punjab (Pakistan)
Punjab is the most populous province of Pakistan, with approximately 45% of the country's total population. Forming most of the Punjab region, the province is bordered by Kashmir to the north-east, the Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan to the east, the Pakistani province of Sindh to the...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
) is a writer, archivist and co-founder of the South Asian Research and Resource Centre, a private archive established in 2001. He currently lives in Islamabad
Islamabad
Islamabad is the capital of Pakistan and the tenth largest city in the country. Located within the Islamabad Capital Territory , the population of the city has grown from 100,000 in 1951 to 1.7 million in 2011...
.
Early life
Born Muhammad Salim Khawaja in the village of Mina Gondal in Gujrat DistrictGujrat District
Gujrat is a district of Punjab Province in Pakistan. It is an ancient district located in between two famous rivers, the Jhelum and Chenab. Because of its proximity with the rivers the land is good for cultivation with rice and sugar cane as main crops...
, Punjab
Punjab (Pakistan)
Punjab is the most populous province of Pakistan, with approximately 45% of the country's total population. Forming most of the Punjab region, the province is bordered by Kashmir to the north-east, the Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan to the east, the Pakistani province of Sindh to the...
, Pakistan, Salim was the fourth among seven brothers and sisters.
Salim's early education was in Mina Gondal, before going to Peshawar
Peshawar
Peshawar is the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the administrative center and central economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan....
for matriculation. While studying in Peshawar, Salim made acquaintance with writers and poets; notably Farigh Bukhari, Mohsin Ahsan, Raza Hamdani, and Jauhar Meer.
After matriculating from Peshawar, Salim moved to Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
for his intermediate education. He got admission in Urdu College. Around that time Ahmad Salim participated in a competition arranged by Afkar, a literary magazine. Participants were asked to write their thoughts on Faiz Ahmad Faiz's poetry. Ahmad Salim's poem on Faiz got first prize in the competition. At that time Faiz was the principal of Abdullah Haroon College. On Faiz's invitation Ahmad Salim joined Abdullah Haroon College. A close association grew between Faiz and Ahmad Salim, and continued till Faiz's death in 1984.
Career
After completing high school (Intermediate) Ahmad Salim joined the National Bank in 1968. Later he was transferred to Rawalpindi where he continued working for that bank through 1969. Ahmad Salim then moved to Lahore and started teaching at Shah Hussain College. During 1969-71 he was associated with National Awami PartyNational Awami Party
The National Awami Party was a leftist political party in Pakistan. The party was founded in Dhaka in erstwhile East Pakistan in July 1957 through the merger of several leftist and progressive groups. It advocated provincial autonomy, rights on the basis of ethnicity, recognition of ethinicities...
(NAP), and was briefly put in jail in 1971 for his criticism of Pakistan Army's operation in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh).
In 1972 Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto appointed Faiz as the Chairman of National Council of Arts. On Faiz's invitation Ahmad Salim joined the Council. During his association with the National Council of Arts from 1972 through 1975, Ahmad Salim operated the Folklore Research Centre and published material on Punjabi and Sindhi folklore. Ahmad Salim left the Council shortly after Faiz left that institution in 1974.
1976-77, Ahmad Salim taught at Sindh University, Jamshoro. He taught a course on Pakistani languages—the course material was developed by him. At that time Shaikh Ayaz
Shaikh Ayaz
Shaikh Ayaz was one of the great Sindhi poets of Pakistan. He was born in Shikarpur Sindh. By profession he was a lawyer but he also served as the vice chancellor of Sindh University. His poetry brought new trends into Sindhi literature....
was the Vice Chancellor of Sindh University. Ahmad Salim enjoyed good relations with Shaikh Ayaz, as he had translated Ayaz's poetry into Punjabi. Ahmad Salim's principal work at the Sindh University was to translate Shah Hussain
Shah Hussain
Shah Hussain was a Punjabi Sufi poet who is regarded as a Sufi saint. He was the son of Sheikh Usman, a weaver, and belonged to the Dhudha clan of Rajputs. He was born in Lahore...
's poetry into Sindhi, and Bhitai's work into Punjabi, though he could not complete the latter. During his stay at the Sindh University Ahmad Salim also completed his Bachelor of Arts degree.
After Bhutto imposed martial law, Ahmad Salim moved to Karachi in late 1977. There he wrote reviews of TV programs for Daily Aman (Editor: Afzal Siddiqui). For supplemental income Ahmad Salim did a lot of translation work too, and came to popularly known as Ahmad Salim Muttarajjim (translator). In 1979 he got admission in MA Philosophy at Karachi University. He completed MA with a gold medal. It was around that time that Ahmad Salim got married. Starting from 1981 he edited JafaKash, a labor magazine. 1985-88, Ahmad Salim taught at Karchi University a course on Pakistani languages—the same course that he had taught at Sindh University. After separating from his wife in 1988 Ahmad Salim moved to Lahore. He has one daughter from that marriage.
When Pakistan's National and Provincial assemblies were dissolved by President Ghulam Ishaque Khan in 1990, Jang group asked Ahmad Salim to write a book on Pakistan's history related to dissolution of assemblies. Ahmad Salim quickly learned the scarcity of research material and the difficulty in obtaining information from government institutes. He started collecting and archiving material of historical importance. Thus became his career in archiving.
1996- June 2007, Ahmad Salim worked as the Director of Urdu Publications for Sustainable Development Policy Institute
Sustainable Development Policy Institute
The Sustainable Development Policy Institute provides the global sustainable development community with representation from Pakistan as well as South Asia as a whole. The Institute's mission is: "To catalyse the transition towards sustainable development, defined as the enhancement of peace,...
, an NGO. He still does part time research work for that organization.
South Asian Research and Resource Centre
In 2001, Salim and his christian friends, Leonard D'souza and Nosheen D'souza (http://www.thecypresstimes.com/article/Christian_News/Christian_News_International/A_PAKISTANI_COUPLE_AND_THEIR_SONS_HAVE_FACED_DEATH_THREATS_AFTER_COPRODUCING_DRAMATIC_DOCUMENTARY_CALLED_BURNING_ALIVE_THE_FATE_OF_PAKISTANI_CHRISTIANS/31711), formed the South Asian Research and Resource Center (SARRC). SARRC is a private, non-profit archive, focusing on development and peace with special emphasis on the rights of religious minorities and indigenous people. It has pioneered resource and documentation services in the Pakistani non-profit sector.Research Studies Conducted since 2003 include:
- Bonded Labour in Pakistan ’s Mines Sector – 2002, for the International Labour Organisation. Islamabad/Geneva
- Messing Up the Past: Text Books of Pakistan 1947-2000, conducted for Ford Foundation, 2003
- Studies on Curricula and textbooks reforms – Development Department, Embassy of Netherlands, 2002–2003 (with co-authorship Dr. A.H Nayyar)
- Critical Issues in Education Policy – A Citizens’ Review of the National Education Policy 1998–2010, Commonwealth Education/Save the Children – UK, Islamabad, 2006 (with co-authorship Dr. A.H. Nayyar)
- Violence against Women for Ministry of Women Development, Govt. of Pakistan , 2004
- Violence, memories and Peace building for Christian Socialists in Sweden/SIDA/Olaf Palme International Centre, Sweden, 2005
- Tolerance, a pilot project, University of Uppsala , Sweden , 2006
- Equal Citizens? Friedrich Neumann Foundation, FNS, Islamabad 2006
- Role of Minorities in Nation Building with Focus on Karachi , Church World Service Pakistan/Afghanistan, Karachi 2006
- Pluralism and Diversity in Asia : Protecting and Promoting the rights of religious minorities through education and training, minority rights Group International, UK 2007
- Common spiritual Heritage for Peace and Harmony, Heinrich Boll foundation, Pakistan/Afghanistan, (German Organization), Lahore 2008
- Religious Fundamentalism and its Impact on non-Muslim, Christian Study Centre, funded by Church of Sweden , 2008
- The Issues of Joint and Separate Electorates Systems, Christian Study Centre, funded by Church of Sweden , 2008
- Sufism and Peace, Church world Service , Pakistan / Afghanistan , Karachi 2008
- State Accountability and Education rights of Minorities in Pakistan (A pre-roundtable background paper), 2008, IDRC, Canada
- Textbooks for Religious Studies (Ethics) Grade III to Grade XII for National Book Foundation, Ministry of Education, Government of *Pakistan are being prepared for 2009–2010, education sessions.
- Textbooks on parliamentary Democracy (Grade V, VIII and X) for SDPD (United Nations Development Programme)
- Development of 10 textbook modules for non-Muslims students in Pakistani schools. These proposed texts have been developed as alternative educational materials with the support of Minority Rights Group, UK
SARRC contains a wealth of information on minorities, development, gender, security and violence which have been focal to the evolution of history and society of the region. The SARRC has acquired and preserved information including fact-sheets, unpublished material, manuscripts, policy papers and official reports of various Commissions and Committees. Almost all of the important newspapers, periodicals, books, reports and documents published during the last two centuries are preserved under one roof.