Javed Jabbar (Urdu: جاوید جبار ) is a Pakistani writer and politician.[1][2]
Early life and education
[edit]Jabbar's father Ahmed Abdul Jabbar was under the employment of Hyderabad State; they migrated to Pakistan after India annexed the state.[3] His mother Zain Mahal Khursheed was a trained Sitar player.[3] Jabbar credits both of them for inculcating his interest in art and literature.[3]
In 1961, Jabbar enrolled in the Humanities section of St Patrick's High School, Karachi; he credited Principal D'Arcy D'Souza with convincing his father into shifting him from the Commerce section, where he was first enrolled.[4] In 1963, Jabbar enrolled at the University of Karachi for his undergraduate degree in International Relations.[3] During his university-days, he was a reputed face in theatrical circuits.[5]
Career
[edit]Advertisement, Documentaries and Films
[edit]Jabbar chose to be employed in the advertisement sector instead of journalism, guided by better prospects of earning.[3] He went on to direct over 300 commercials.[5] In 1972, Jabbar produced Moenjodaro: The City That Must Not Die, a documentary for Pakistan television (PTV).[3] A chronicle of Indus Valley civilisation, it won the Silver Prize at the Asian Film Festival in Shiraz, Iran and a national award.[3][5] He had also directed 10 other documentaries.[5]
In 1976, he wrote and directed Beyond the Last Mountain, the first feature film in English out of Pakistan.[6] In 2008, he wrote and produced Ramchand Pakistani, an Urdu drama film directed by his daughter. The film focuses on the ordeals of a Pakistani Dalit Hindu, who had crossed the border to India.[3]
Politics
[edit]in 1985—spurred by his wife and friends—Jabbar successfully ran for the four seats reserved for technocrats in Pakistan Senate under the martial rule of Zia-ul-Haq.[3][7] He won re-elections in 1997; he even became a Minister of State of Information in the Musharraf ministry before resigning in 2000.[8] In 2003, he tried to be reelected but failed to obtain any proposer.[8][9]
Books
[edit]In 2021, he drafted a biography of Benazir Bhutto.[10][11]
Views
[edit]Pakistan
[edit]Islam
[edit]Jabbar believes that the prominent strand of Islam followed in Pakistan is Sufism — "pluralistic, inclusive, tolerant, [and] respectful."[3] Rejecting that Pakistani society has any major issue of radicalization, he warns against conflating the "overwhelming majority" of peaceful and resilient Pakistanis with "a small number of brainwashed barbarians."[3][12] He argues that most Pakistanis respect other religions since otherwise, colleges run by Christian missionaries won't have got thousands of students or religio-political parties would have won elections; acts of violence upon accusations of blasphemy were rare.[13][14][15]
Jabbar rejects contentions that Pakistan is a failed state;[16] he remains hopeful that Pakistan will successfully see through the unique challenges of being founded on the basis of religion yet not give in to religious extremism or Islamicise the state to even-greater extents.[3][13] He asks his fellow citizens to enroll for a high-quality education, engage in ijtihad, and follow a "50 points formula" in their quest for rediscovering and redefining Pakistaniat.[3][17][18]
Media
[edit]In 2016, Jabbar supported PEMRA's proscription on broadcasting Indian media in Pakistan.[19] Jabbar believes the state to offer "very high levels of freedom of expression" to media despite the rare blips.[20]
India
[edit]Jabbar blames India's maneuvers in the immediate aftermath of the Partition—1947 Kashmir War—, to have influenced Pakistan into becoming a "security-oriented state."[7] He hopes that India will engage with Pakistan more meaningfully and without holding discussions hostage to "[Pakistan's] cessation of support for terrorism, while India does it self."[3]
1971 and Bangladesh
[edit]Personal life
[edit]Jabbar is married to Shabnam.[8] They have a son named Kamal and a daughter Mehreen Jabbar who is a film producer and director.[3]
References
[edit]- ^ An interview with Javed Jabbar on The Express Tribune (newspaper) Published 29 January 2014, Retrieved 24 March 2018
- ^ "Text of Javed Jabbar interviews with the BBC". Government of Sindh. Archived from the original on 3 December 2007., Retrieved 24 March 2018
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Javed Jabbar, Renaissance man The Friday Times (newspaper), Published 26 June 2015, Retrieved 24 March 2018
- ^ "Through hardships to the stars : St. Patrick's High School turns 150 years old today". The Express Tribune. 5 May 2011. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
- ^ a b c d Newspaper, the (13 November 2014). "Acting stint". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
- ^ "You Should Make Films You Believe In; The Audience Will Come, Says Award-winning Filmmaker Mehreen Jabbar". Moneycontrol. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
- ^ a b Jabbar, Javed (14 August 2020). "Into the future via the past". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
- ^ a b c Jabbar, Javed (24 February 2021). "Senate: then & now". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
- ^ Correspondent, The Newspaper's Staff (16 May 2020). "Javed Jabbar's nomination as Balochistan representative to NFC criticised". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
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has generic name (help) - ^ "JJ's BB". The Express Tribune. 1 July 2021. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
- ^ Aftab, Safiya (7 November 2021). "NON-FICTION: CHRONICLES OF POWER". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
- ^ "Interview: Javed Jabbar". thediplomat.com. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
- ^ a b Jabbar, Javed (18 May 2021). "Arabic Pakistan?". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
- ^ Salman, Peerzada (12 December 2021). "Urdu short story and cultural landscape". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
- ^ "OP-ED: Moderate Pakistan?". Dhaka Tribune. 1 November 2021. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
- ^ "State of affairs: For Javed Jabbar, Pakistan is not failing, it is ailing". The Express Tribune. 29 January 2014. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
- ^ "Rethinking Pakistaniat". The Friday Times - Naya Daur. 8 June 2018. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
- ^ "Conference held on 'Identification & Actualization of National Narrative'". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
- ^ Jabbar, Javed (6 November 2016). "Ban on Indian content is a welcome move". Herald Magazine. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
- ^ Salman, Peerzada (17 September 2021). "'If the PMDA is established it will be a disaster for critical voices'". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
- ^ Jabbar, Javed (16 December 2020). "From 1971 to 2021". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
- ^ Jabbar, Javed (16 December 2012). "Dec 16 & Muslim nationalism". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
External links
[edit]Javed Jabbar at IMDb