Events at the Shop
Tariq Ali - The Duel
Thursday 11 September 2008
Tariq Ali’s The Duel – Pakistan on the Flight Path of American Power combines deep understanding of the country’s history with extensive firsthand research and political judgement. Ali spoke to a full house at the Bookshop on 11 September, exploring Pakistan’s unique influence on the emergence of a secure world or global conflagration.
Pakistan and the United States of America: Uneasy Bedfellows
Listen now (16:33)
After a brief welcome from Andrew Stilwell, Ali outlines the key stages in Pakistan’s independence, exploring the inherent contradiction in the creation of a secular state in the name of religion, and the crucial role that the United States has played in the country’s development even from its earliest days.
Bringing Religion to the Forefront
Listen now (19:40)
Ali looks at the many years of Zia ul-Haq’s military dictatorship in Pakistan, which brought religion to the forefront of politics. He analyses the critical part played by the leaders of the West in supporting the rise of religious fundamentalism in Afghanistan, and looks at the end of Pervez Musharraf’s tenure, highighting in particular the role of the judiciary in the collapse of his regime and the “forced arranged marriage” between Musharraf and Benazir Bhutto.
What Next for Pakistan?
Listen now (12:32)
Ali discusses the recent American incursion into Pakistan, looking at possible outcomes for the American presence in the country – and whether there are realistic prospects for peace and social reconstruction in the region.
Audience Questions – Part I
Listen now (15:28)
Ali comments on:
- The role of the Jesuits and other religious educational organisations in Pakistan
- The potential for a new political role for the judiciary
- The possibility that the ANP (Awami National Party) victory in the NWFP (North West Frontier Province) may offer a way forward
- John McCain’s opinion on the “dangerous” Pakistan
Audience Questions – Part II
Listen now (18:49)
Ali considers:
- Women’s rights in Pakistan and how they can best be served
- What real possibilities there are of an alternative to the status quo
- The potential for bringing the Pathan “into the fold” as part of the solution in Afghanistan, and the urgent need for a state education system in Pakistan
- The rise of the madrasahs
- Finally and less seriously, Pakistan’s merits as a holiday destination.
Recorded and edited by Adrian Leibowitz and Brett Wilson
Common Custom:documentary & archive
Writer, journalist and film-maker Tariq Ali was born in Lahore and educated at Oxford University. He writes regularly for a range of publications including the Guardian and the London Review of Books. He has written more than a dozen books, as well as scripts for both stage and screen. He lives in London.
Further Reading
If you enjoyed this event, you may also be interested in:
- More from Tariq Ali
- Ali in the LRB
- The Wasted Vigil – Nadeem Aslam
The LRB Debate at the Edinburgh International Book Festival: Fiction on a Pedestal