LAHORE: Renowned historian, scholar and author Dr Ayesha Jalal has called for reviving enlightened Muslim thought by overcoming the intellectual constraints of colonial and post-colonial legacies, stressing that openness of mind and critical inquiry are essential for the advancement of knowledge.

She expressed these views while speaking at the launching ceremony of her latest book, ‘Muslim Enlightened Thought in South Asia’, organised by the National Institute of Public Policy (NIPP) at the National School of Public Policy (NSPP) here on Wednesday.

Dr Jalal said she wrote the book to investigate the decline of Muslim intellectual thought in South Asia after having previously written extensively on politics, democracy and the making of Pakistan. She argued that knowledge should not be viewed through the artificial East-West divide, as it is the cumulative product of human civilisation.

She stated that the British colonial rule not only exploited the region economically but also weakened its intellectual and cultural foundations by disrupting its educational and literary traditions, particularly after the abolition of Persian as official language.

Says her latest book highlights tradition of rational inquiry, openness rooted in Islamic tradition

She said Pakistan’s education system should promote curiosity, independent thinking and critical inquiry, instead of rote learning.

Explaining the central theme of her book, Dr Jalal said it challenges the perception that Muslim intellectuals of the Indian subcontinent were merely conservatives or apologetic. “Instead, it highlights a rich tradition of Roshan Khayali (enlightened thought), rational inquiry and intellectual openness rooted in Islamic teachings,” she said and added that the book examined how colonial rule transformed religion from a matter of personal faith into a political identity, while tracing the intellectual contributions of figures such as Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, Mirza Ghalib, Allama Muhammad Iqbal and Jalaluddin Rumi in reconciling faith, reason, history and modernity.

The historian hoped the book would encourage students, researchers and civil servants to reconnect with South Asia’s intellectual heritage and foster a culture of informed scholarship.

NSPP Rector Dr Farhan Aziz Khawaja said a major policy and governance challenge in Pakistan was that the public policy managers and policymakers were not cognizant of the historical, social and cultural consciousness and legacies we inherited. “This is increasingly becoming a great void while incrementing and most importantly designing policies,” he said.

Stating the nation takes a great pride in the work Dr Jalal rendered through her original research and scholarship across decades, Dr Khawaja said the events like policy dialogues strengthen the intellectual development of civil servants and promote good governance.

NIPP Dean Dr Naveed Elahi highlighted the national school’s contribution to the training of civil servants in policy research, strategic thinking and modern governance, describing Dr Jalal’s work as an important historical document.

The event concluded with a question-and-answer session and presentation of a commemorative shield to Dr Jalal.

The participants took a keen interest in the book stalls set up at the venue.

The policy dialogue was attended by officers of the National Management Courses (NMC), Civil Services Academy and students.

Published in Dawn, July 9th, 2026