REFERENCE Akbar Zaidi’s article ‘Demolishing foundational myths’ ( Jan 5, Books&Authors). His opening paragraph says: “In 1985, historian Ayesha Jalal published her brilliant doctoral dissertation [...], The Sole Spokesman, a book that changed the way historians see the creation of Pakistan.”

The fact is that this task was accomplished by S.K. Majumdar in his book Jinnah and Gandhi : Their Role in India’s Quest for Freedom.

This book has been reprinted in Pakistan, translated into Urdu and thoroughly reviewed in my edited volume of M.A. Jinnah: Views & Reviews.

Mr Zaidi’s second basic assertion is: “Every Pakistani, of every generation, educated or not, believes as a matter of faith[ ...] that a 17-year-old general, Bin Qasim, invaded what is now Pakistan in 712 CE to rescue a group of Muslim women who had been abducted by pirates at Daybul.”

As I said in my book, A Concise History of Pakistan: “The Arab invasion of Sindh was not an isolated event; it was part of a wave of conquests which included Spain and Central Asia. The reasons for the invasion of Sindh must be seen within this framework.”

It is quite possible that pirates off the coast of Makran invited the wrath of Hajjaj by kidnapping and looting passengers on their way to Basra from Lanka.

It is more probable that Raja Dahir, the ruler of Sindh, was right in pleading that the pirates were beyond his jurisdiction and he could not be held responsible for their crimes.

After the conquest of Sindh no chastisement of the pirates occurred. To demolish foundational myths, it is necessary to be conversant with foundational texts.

Dr Muhammad Reza
Kazimi

Published in Dawn, January 17th, 2017