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This work exposes
some fundamental issues of locale of Pothohar, ethnic formation
of region, emergence of local leadership and its integration
with the All India Muslim League through the study of the
personality and contribution of Raja Ghazanfar Ali Khan (15 July
1895-17April 1963 ). In this way, it is a fundamental
contribution to the understanding of the History of Pakistan.
The author has explored not only Raja's personal papers and
correspondence, rather has looked into published and unpublished
Jinnah Papers, Muslim League Records and Documents, Assemblies'
debates, Raja's contemporaries' memoirs, biographies,
autobiographies, Raja's own biographies and contemporary
newspaper's reports and columns to understand the nature of
leadership in Pothohar region and place of Raja Ghazanfar Ali
Khan in the phenomena. The strength to the narrative has been
provided through the adoption of method of Oral History.
Learning through the local verbal tradition of the family,
supported by the long list of Raja's contemporaries' interviews,
the work literally opens the way and method how to understand
local history and hierarchy of leadership at regional and local
level and how to understand the levels of hierarchical
integration of these regional and local leaderships and issues
with different higher spatial, temporal and individual positions
in South Asia and especially post-independence Pakistan? The
judicious use of available sources has strengthened the account
thus tying it with the national narrative.
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Javed
Haider Syed post-graduated from University of the
Punjab with thesis on The Pakistan Republican Party. Then earned
MPhil and PhD Degrees from the Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU),
Islamabad. Started his academic career from the University of
Punjab in 1972. Joined the QAU in 1974. Remained associated with
the QAU; University of Balochistan and the NIHCR in different
research and teaching positions. Final position held was as
Professor and Chairman Department of History & Pakistan Studies,
University of Gujrat. Has supervised three PhDs and about 30
MPhil theses in Quaid-i-Azam University; International Islamic
University, Islamabad and Gujrat University. His research
interests include Balochistan History, Culture and Politics,
Regional History of the Punjab, Sindh, Colonial South Asia,
Sufism, Mughal history, History of Iran and Freedom Movement.
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