The Past as Propaganda: Inside Pakistan’s Medieval Imagination
Why does Pakistan repeatedly return to its medieval past when imagining its future? This discussion explores how rulers, institutions, educators and media craft simplified stories of conquest, piety and glory to influence identity and politics. By interrogating the construction of Pakistan’s medieval imagination, the session reveals how historical narratives are weaponized, why they persist and what they mean for a society seeking modernity.
About the Speaker:
Dr. Fouzia Farooq Ahmed is an Associate Professor in the Department of History at Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad. With a distinguished academic career, she is currently serving as a Research Fellow at Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies. Earlier, she served as the TORCH Global Visiting Professor (2024-25) at the University of Oxford. Dr. Ahmed’s expertise lies in South Asian history, particularly the intersections of politics, identity, and culture. Her work bridges historical scholarship with contemporary insights, making her a leading voice in understanding the region’s rich and complex past.
About the Moderator:
Dilawar Hussain holds a PhD in Parliamentary Studies and is the author of “The Senate of Pakistan and Regional Representation: History, Role and Parliamentary Performance” (Bloomsbury Academic, USA). He is an Associate Member of the Centre for Legislative Studies at the University of Hull, UK, and works as a governance, parliamentary and constitutional development professional.
At Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, he teaches Parliamentary and Constitutional History with a special focus on comparative bicameralism, legislatures, governance, policymaking and comparative political systems. His writings on representation, federalism and parliamentary reform regularly appear in The News International, The Friday Times and Humsub Urdu.
He has served as a Research Fellow at the School of Social and Political Science, University of Edinburgh, Scotland, and at the House of Lords, UK Parliament.
This session is free and open to all. Just visit the venue to attend it.
The Black Hole
Plot 5H, Street 100, G-11/3, Islamabad.
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