Writer and academic Raza Rumi introduced the panelists at a literary session that explored the legacy of Saadat Hasan Manto, the role of translation in South Asia, and key historical narratives linked to Partition and the 1971 war.
Urdu critic Nasir Abbas Nayyar spoke about his book on Manto, focusing on the significance of Manto as a short story writer and essayist. He said 27 of Manto’s selected essays were translated in 2014, first published that year and later republished in 2023. The translation was done by Indian author Aakar Patel during the Modi government period.
Nayyar said Manto’s relevance transcends borders, adding that when Manto reached Pakistan in 1948, he could not meaningfully differentiate between India and Pakistan. He said that translation could play a critical role in bridging intellectual and cultural gaps in South Asia, particularly through literature. Translation, he said, is the afterlife of a writer.
He observed that translation in Pakistan remains largely one directional, stressing that meaningful communication and dialogue can only take place when Urdu and Pakistani literature reach Western and Latin American audiences. Nayyar described Manto as a prolific writer who produced a large body of work, including radio dramas. He said Manto wrote from lived experience, often observing daily life around him. Quoting Manto, he said the writer would sit on a sofa amid household noise and write, reflecting the life unfolding around him.
Nayyar said Manto even wrote about his own wedding, capturing the Bombay lifestyle of that era. He highlighted Manto’s use of simple language and referred to one of his essays on Hindi and Urdu, where Manto compared Molvi Abdul Haq and Dr Tara Singh by saying their preferences, like lemon and soda, were essentially the same. He noted that after moving to Lahore, Manto’s writing increasingly took the form of طنز, or satire.
He also referenced the Norton Anthology, which includes writers such as Rabindranath Tagore, Premchand and Mirza Ghalib. Nayyar said Manto’s first essay after migrating to Lahore was titled Sawal Paida Hota Hai.
Historian Dr Ilyas Chattha spoke about his work citizens to traitors, which focuses on the 1971 war and the treatment of Bengalis in West Pakistan. He said the book does not recount battlefield events but documents what happened to Bengali civilians and civil servants. He said nearly 90,000 prisoners of war were taken, and a similar number of Bengali civil servants were shifted to 51 camps across Pakistan. Many lived in these camps until 1974, before being exchanged under prisoner agreements.
Dr Thatta said Bnagalis living in camps existed in places such as Qadirabad Colony in Mandi Bahauddin and canal colonies in Gujranwala, with the Gujranwala camp housing around hundreds of thousands people. He said the International Committee of the Red Cross was the only organization allowed to visit these camps and added that publishing this work had been a long and difficult process.
Another session focused on a biography of renowned neurosurgeon Dr Bashir Ahmed. His daughter, Dr Faiza Bashir, a lecturer at King Edward Medical College, said the book took eight years to compile and was a labor of love. The biography traces Dr Bashir’s life, migration from India to Lahore, and his contributions to Pakistan’s medical sector.
She said Dr Bashir graduated from King Edward Medical College and later specialized in neurosurgery in Newcastle. He returned to Lahore in 1964, bringing surgical tools purchased with his own funds. Initially posted in Multan due to lack of space in Lahore, he later joined King Edward after intervention by Nawab of Kalabagh, who had noticed ministers seeking treatment from Dr Bashir.
Dr Faiza said her father was once advised to return abroad because his skills were considered too advanced for Pakistan, but he persisted. His efforts eventually led the federal government to approve Swedish scanners, a major milestone for neurosurgery in the country. Infrastructure improvements such as the Kot Lakhpat bridge also helped save lives by reducing ambulance delays.
Dr Bilal, another speaker, said Partition was a moment of unrest in which many hopes were lost, but it was also a time when pioneers like Dr Bashir stepped forward. He said such stories offer hope and show how perseverance can overcome impossible odds and help build the nation.
The speaker thanked Team Dastaan for publishing the biography and preserving important personal and national histories through literature.
