LAHORE: Political scientist Christophe Jaffrelot considers Sufism an important aspect of Pakistani heritage which is under great threat due to Saudi Arabian influences spearheaded by the late dictator Gen Ziaul Haq.

Jaffrelot, a professor at the Sciences Po University of France and an expert on South Asia, gives examples of famous qawwal Amjad Sabri’s killing and suicide attack on Lal Shahbaz Qalandar’s shrine to stress his point. He thinks that Sufis are under attack because they depend more on intermediaries between God and man, and for the same reason are considered illiterate by those following a strict view of Islam.

He was speaking in a panel discussion on ‘Diversity of Culture and Religious Expressions’ during Heritage Now, a festival to celebrate Pakistan’s heritage, which ended at Alhamra Art Centre on Sunday.

Jaffrelot said Sufi thought had quite an impact on this region. Noting important aspects of Sufism, he said none of the main proponents of Sufi orders went for Haj just like none of the great Mughals did. There was no territorialisation of Islam as yet and they had their own sacred religious symbols in India in form of dargahs as those of Nizamuddin Aulia and Ajmer Sharif, he explained. Another aspect of Sufism he pointed out was the syncretic expression, as all Sufi saints had conversations with other religions. He said the latter aspect continued having influence in South Asia until Allama Iqbal, who did not take Saudi side in 1924, considering them conservative. “Iqbal was in favour of Turkish rulers,” he said, bemoaning that the legacy of Iqbal had been lost in translation.

Ross Burns of the Macquarie University of Australia said most of the important stages in history of civilisation occurred during its transition phases. He considered continuum more important than being fixated at one point, explaining that “we don’t have enough information how civilisation works”.

He said extremist regimes such as the militant Islamic State group in Iraq had failed. He pointed out heritage sites in most of Arab world were not damaged during the rise of Islam unlike the recent times, which highlighted more diversity.

Raza Kazim stressed the channelisation of culture as compared to its diversity. Besides the other components of culture, it had a superstructure based on tradition. In the current era of science and technology, he said, there was freedom for intellectual development for an individual based on his own ideas which was a global phenomenon. He said globalisation was being followed in the whole world in the current era. Talking about diversity, he said all religions were products of their own time and culture, adding that the future belonged to synthesis.

Amen Jaffer of the Lahore University of Management Sciences talked about the economic aspects of cultural manifestation of Pakistan through the examples of Coke Studio and Sham-i-Qalandar. Nur Sobers Khan of the British Library, UK shared projects of his library aimed at protecting diversity.

LAHORE’S HERITAGE: Architect Wajahat Ali gave a presentation on the conservation project of picture wall of the Lahore Fort. He said the British had damaged many features of the fort and its picture wall that covers one side of the fort had been affected by one of the interventions of British rulers. He said the colonial rulers had made water channels through the wall against the design of the structure, which affected the mosaic and murals on the wall.

He said under a project for conservation and repair, work was under way on a prototype area whose results would be determined by the end of the year. “If the project remains successful, the project will be extended to the whole wall.”

He further said there was a plan to develop a dining area along the picture wall to promote night tourism.

Published in Dawn, October 23rd, 2017