ISLAMABAD: Two books of the historian Mubarak Ali were launched during an event at the National Press Club on Wednesday.

The first of the books is titled Mirror of History and consists of more than 100 columns written in the English language while the second, Tarikh ki Chhaon is based on Mr Ali’s television interviews and is written in Urdu.

Because a book he wrote contained pages about the judiciary, the historian was arrested during the tenure of former president Pervez Musharraf, said National Party Punjab President Ayub Malik at the launch ceremony of two of Mr Ali’s books.

Mr Malik said an SHO in Lahore had called the author up and said he may have written 80 books, but the police officer had written more FIRs and asked Mr Ali to come to the police station rather than send a written reply.

Mr Malik said the author could not get famous because he did not write according to state policy and always tried to portray events of the past as they were as he did not believe in altering history.

“Mr Ali came to Pakistan in the 1970s after getting a PhD from Germany but the vice chancellor of the Sindh University did not accept his joining because he was two months late on account of his degree not being completed on time. The author was told to submit an apology which he refused to do and due to which he was dismissed,” he said.

Mr Malik said that during the Zia era, publishers were advised not to publish Mubarak Ali’s books so he started using stencils when writing books and would distribute them after making copies. He got a job at the Punjab University but the vice chancellor refused to let the historian join as he thought Mr Ali will cause a law and order situation due to his ideas, Ayub Malik said.

The author, who has lost his eyesight, said he has tried to ensure the masses get the correct information about history which is why he wrote books in Urdu and English.

“I faced difficulties but never stopped showing the public the true history,” he said.

Poet Ashfaq Saleem Mirza said it was unfortunately very difficult to divert from the narrative of the state when writing about history.

“Mr Ali has helped popularise history and has written about the history of the country and the world,” he said.

Writer Dr Nazir Mehmood said the author has not been hired by even one university in the last 25 years due to his ideas.

“However, he continued writing and tried to show the true picture of the past,” he said.

National College of Arts Director Dr Nadeem Omar Tarar said Mr Ali was never considered for awards because he was not ready to praise the rulers and say what they wanted him to say.

“The books he wrote in Urdu were translated into English and published in India. Mr Ali now downloads audio books and spends most of his time listening to them,” he said.

Published in Dawn, August 17th, 2017