IDEAS Book Talk
IDEAS cordially invites you to attend the second event in our Book Talk Series with Dr. Tariq Rahman, author of Pakistan’s Wars: An Alternative History, for a discussion on his book moderated by IDEAS Research Fellow Maryam S. Khan.
Please note the following details for the event:
Date: Thursday, 7th Dec 2023
Time: 4:00 – 5:30 PM
Venue: IDEAS office, 19-A, F.C.C. Syed Maratib Ali Road, Gulberg IV, Lahore.
Registration Link: https://forms.gle/nMzt8ZQPTcAQm7mEA. This is an open event, however space is limited so please reserve your seat by registering at the link provided.
About the Author
Dr. Tariq Rahman is a renowned scholar and academic, and currently serving as the Dean of the School of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, as well as the Acting Dean of the School of Education at the Beaconhouse National University in Lahore. He has made significant contributions to the linguistic history of the Muslims of South Asia. He has authored several noteworthy books, including “Language and Politics in Pakistan” (1996), “Language, Ideology and Power: Language-learning among the Muslims of Pakistan and North India” (2002), and “From Hindi to Urdu: a Social and Political History” (2011). Throughout his career, Dr. Rahman has held a distinguished position at The Quaid-i-Azam University’s National Institute of Pakistan Studies, where he served for a major portion of his life. In recognition of his exceptional work, he was honored with the status of Professor Emeritus in 2010. Additionally, the Higher Education Commission bestowed upon him the esteemed title of Distinguished National Professor in 2004. Dr. Rahman has also received notable accolades such as the Pride of Performance Award and the Sitara-i-Imtiaz.
About Pakistan’s Wars: An Alternative History
This book studies the wars Pakistan has fought over the years with India as well as other non-state actors. Focusing on the first Kashmir war (1947–48), the wars of 1965 and 1971, and the 1999 Kargil war, it analyses the elite decision-making, which leads to these conflicts and tries to understand how Pakistan got involved in the first place. The author applies the ‘gambling model’ to provide insights into the dysfunctional world view, risk-taking behaviour, and other behavioural patterns of the decision makers, which precipitate these wars and highlight their effects on India–Pakistan relations for the future. The book also brings to the fore the experience of widows, children, common soldiers, displaced civilians, and villagers living near borders, in the form of interviews, to understand the subaltern perspective. A nuanced and accessible military history of Pakistan, this book will be indispensable to scholars and researchers of military history, defence and strategic studies, international relations, political studies, war and conflict studies, and South Asian studies.