LAHORE, July 21 Speakers at a reference on Tuesday paid a tribute to Dr Khursheed Kamal Aziz as an historian and a stylist who believed in the value of fact.

The reference was organised by the South Asian Policy Analysis Network at the South Asian Free Media Association.

Journalist Khaled Ahmed said Aziz was a great historian, but he never found a good publisher. In his book 'Murder of History' he explained how history had been inaccurately described. He understood the fact that the nation did not have correct historical awareness and wrote this book also “to reprimand his pervious mistakes he committed while writing history”. Khaled Ahmed recalled him as a very practical person.

“Aziz returned the Tamgha-i-Imtiaz as he did not compromise on principles. Benazir Bhutto appointed him in the Pakistani High Commission in Britain where he purposely went to complete his books. Later, he was expelled from the commission. He, however, stayed in England and a Ravians Society in London funded him for three years to complete his various writing projects.”

Aziz also wrote on the political culture of Pakistan before and after 1947. He also sketched two volumes on Islamic art. Despite his major contributions, the speaker said, Aziz spent his last days in financial straits.

Political analyst Dr Hasan Askari Rizvi said KK Aziz was one of the grand old historians of Pakistan. “I first met him in the late 90s before which I had read his writings. He was a disciplined man who used to talk about history while quoting references; it was the integral part of his personality as an historian.”

He said an element of progression could be seen in his writings. The shift in his works came to light when he came up with issues and in his later writings, one could see diversity.

Tahir Kamran, a professor of history at the Government College University, said Aziz in his writings gave prime importance to the primacy of facts. He said primarily Aziz was not a historian, but a student of literature. He came to the GC, Lahore, to take admission to MA English but he opted for history when he could not perform well in literature. Stressing the need for historiography of a new era, he said none of the historians in Pakistan had written the history of Punjab. He said the revival of history could play a pivotal role in the production of knowledge which is missing.

Prof Kamran regretted that the archives department was in the worst condition, demanding that it should be taken out of the Civil Secretariat to revive historiography. “Setting up of libraries is equally important as the country doesn't have even a single good library,” he observed.

Former finance minister Sartaj Aziz said much of Aziz's work was in the pipeline. He said he met KK Aziz last year and assured him of the BNU's support in getting his works published. Those of his works which were 80 per cent complete should get published, he added.—Staff Reporter