KARACHI, May 12: Various aspects of the life and works of political scientist Khalid bin Sayeed, who died on April 11 in Canada, were discussed at a condolence reference held in his memory at the Pakistan Study Centre, University of Karachi, on Thursday.

Prof Shariful Mujahid gave a speech covering the biographical account of the late scholar and analysed his work in detail. He said he’d known Khalid bin Sayeed since 1945 when he was a student activist.

He said he had great oratorical skills and could easily attract an audience. Then he talked about the different quality institutions that Khalid bin Sayeed studied at. He emphasised that the late political scientist was next to none as his books had an immediate effect.

He said Khalid bin Sayeed’s transformation from being an activist to an academic was worth noticing — the former tried to get to the truth come hell or high water while the latter explored it. In that context Prof Mujahid gave his own example when he got affected by the dismemberment of Pakistan in 1971 and began examining things academically.

He said Khalid bin Sayeed was familiar with all the latest or contemporary political science theories, which was why he employed a development approach to the subject when he wrote the book The Political System of Pakistan.

He said that his most valuable contribution came in the form of a paper that he presented at a SOAS conference in 1967 in which he discussed M.A. Jinnah’s rise to the summit of Muslim League leadership. He informed the audience that Khalid bin Sayeed was overawed by the Iranian Revolution and rounded off his speech by stating that the late political scientist stood the tallest among his peers.

Shaista Shafqat, niece of Khalid bin Sayeed, shared some personal memories of her uncle with the audience. She said he was the first son (and most beloved) of his parents.

She said whenever she’d talk to him, she’d note down his thoughts. She pointed out that though he was not a religious person, it was his fondness for Allama Iqbal’s poetry that made him believe in God.

She recalled the days when Khalid Bin Sayeed had to be ‘smuggled out’ of the country because he refused to be a political adviser to a dictator. She said he was familiar with literature and knew his Keats and Shakespeare well. She said Khalid bin Sayeed couldn’t hurt a fly, yet was an imposing figure.

Dr Asad Sayeed, who is also a nephew of Khalid bin Sayeed, began by recounting some personal experiences and then discussed the relevance of the political scientist’s work to contemporary times. He said it was in 1968-69 that he was sent into exile (mulk badar) which indicated that such examples were not new. He said in his book Politics in Pakistan: The Nature and Direction of Change he had scrutinised the separation of East Pakistan and the PNA Movement in detail.

He said it was the failure of West Pakistan’s elite that led to the debacle – they alienated East Pakistan. He also referred to the fact that when it was declared that Urdu would be the language of Pakistan the feelings of the people of East Pakistan weren’t given due consideration.

He said the same alienation caused by the elites could now be witnessed in Balochistan.

He said according to Khalid bin Sayeed, the urban movement against Ayub Khan had trade unions’ involvement in it, but in the 1977 movement working class had no role to play because of Bhutto’s policies.

The PNA had a left-right unholy alliance, he commented. He said Khalid bin Sayeed was enamoured with the Iranian Revolution; it was a big path-changer for him.

Prior to the speeches Dr Jaffar Ahmed apprised the audience about Khalid bin Sayeed’s life and works. He said his first book Pakistan: the Formative Phase came in 1960, while the second, The Political System of Pakistan, appeared in 1967. He said that he was the country’s first political scientist.