KARACHI: Dr I.H. Qureshi, Vice-Chancellor, Karachi University, called upon the country’s social scientists “to probe into the ills of the Pakistan society and to suggest suitable remedies for their total eradication for the betterment of posterity”. Dr Qureshi was addressing a gathering of history scholars, teachers and students at the inaugural function of the History Society of the Karachi University at the Student-Teacher Centre at the Campus.

Dr Qureshi, himself an eminent scholar of history, regretted that while stress was being laid on economic development, social sciences were being neglected. This tendency, he said, made the nation suffer from split personality. He further said: “We excel in lip service but have little or no courage to fight for our convictions.” He said history made the people understand the development of societies and groups and their achievements.

Sounding a note of warning, he said if history could not make the people understand what led to the downfall of previous societies, the people might make the same mistakes again. “History repeats itself when communities ignore their historic past,” he added. Explaining the meaning of freedom, he said only those nations could be called free who were always ready to make big sacrifices.

Published in Dawn February 25th , 2015

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