KARACHI, Feb 17: Leading historian Dr Mubarak Ali has said that a society does not need heroes because every individual takes part in the development of his country.

Delivering a lecture on "Does a society need heroes?" at Sidco Centre on Tuesday evening, Dr Ali said society in the current age had become so complex that no hero, however intelligent, could be in control of everything.

He said: "A certain school of thought attaches a lot of importance to the role played by great personalities in the formation of a society. According to them, the masses have nothing to do with history.

These historians allow their works to revolve around rulers, army generals, and politicians. This kind of historiography gives rise to hero-worship in society."

Speaking about hero-worship in Pakistani society, Dr Ali said army governments had tried to dislodge politicians from the status of heroes in the country.

"The 1965 War created quite a few military heroes after whom roads, highways and hospitals in the country were named. Ironically, the father of the bomb Dr Abdul Qadeer was feted as a national hero, but the Noble prize-winning Pakistani scientist Dr Abdul Salam was never honoured," he explained.

Dr Ali said the influence of heroes diminished when institutions became strong. "In those societies where democratic traditions are strong, heroes fail to play great roles.

As institutions flourish, the influence of heroes wanes. When a hero dies, a vacuum is created which is taken a long time to be filled. On the other hand, institutions remain in place on a permanent basis," he said.

Dr Syed Jaffar Ahmad, who heads the Pakistan Study Centre in the University of Karachi, underlined the need for the examination of the psychology of a society which remains handcuffed to heroes.

"It is argued that the creation of heroes promotes national cohesion and unity. But it is fallacious argument. The fact of the matter is that heroes stand in the way of progress and change in the status quo," he said.

Intellectual Hussain Majrooh, Prof Riaz Siddiqui and the editor of Badalati Duniya, Hidayat Hussain, also spoke. Senior journalist and poet Khalid Alig presided over the programme.