Khaled Ahmed
Encyclopedia
Khaled Ahmed born 21 December 1943, is a best known Pakistani political analyst, his weekly column appears in Pakistan's newspaper
The Friday Times. He regularly contributes to The Daily Times, both published in Lahore
.
Among his writing is a frequent analysis of Urdu
press in Pakistan. He routinely points to misleading journalism, what he sees as conspiracy theories in the popular press. His column "Nuggets from the Urdu Press," appears in both The Friday Times and The Daily Times. The weekly column "Word for Word" explores the origins of Urdu words as a basis for commentary on Islam and society.
He is the author of several books, including Pakistan: Behind the Ideological Mask (2000), and Pakistan: the State in Crisis (2001).
, and settled in Lahore after the partition of India
. Ahmed received his masters degree
in English literature
from Government College
, Lahore. He achieved first position in the University in 1969 and was entered in the Roll of Honour for that year. He was also Editor of The Ravi from 1968 to 1969 (under the chief editor).
In 1969 he move on to a postgraduate Diploma in International Affairs (1969) at Punjab University
, then a Diploma in Interpretership (Russian
) at Moscow State University
in 1970.
and Prague
because of his expertise in the Russian language and Soviet affairs. He was awarded a Presidential commendation in 1973 for writing a special report from Moscow.
He then adopted journalism
as a profession, working from 1978 to 1988 as assistant editor at The Pakistan Times (daily). During this period he won a fellowship in the United States
and worked for three months at the Christian Science Monitor in Boston.
From 1988 to 1990 he was joint editor of The Nation, a Lahore daily.
In 1990 he became editor of the English-language Lahore daily Frontier Post
.
Since 1993 he has been Consulting Editor of The Friday Times, a Lahore weekly. From 1993 to 1997 he was also editor of the Urdu weekly Ajkal.
(Book) Pakistan: the State in Crisis (Vanguard Books Lahore 2001)
1991 to 1993 was one of the founder members of Indo-Pak Neemrana Dialogue, track-two diplomacy.
dialogue between India and Pakistan at Washington’s Institute of Peace
.
In 1995 he was a member of the Pakistan delegation to Moscow and read a paper there on Pak-Russian bilateral trade.
1995 was participant at a New Delhi
discussion on Indo-Pakistani relations
organised by Time magazine
.
In 1996 he was a SAARC observer of the Bangladesh national elections and wrote the SAARC report on the status of the minorities in Bangladesh.
In 1996 he read a paper on Indo-Pak trade at a US-sponsored seminar in Islamabad.
In 1996 he was a delegate of the Pakistan Group of Environmentalist Journalists to an Asian conference in Bangkok organised by UNDP.
In 1997 he was invited as observer to elections in Scotland and wrote about the Scottish parliament
.
In 1997 he was a member of the US-sponsored Travelling Dialogue in New Delhi and Bombay.
In 1998 he attended the United Nations
discussion on Palestine
in New Delhi.
In 1999 he attended a World Bank
conference on democracy and globalisation in Seoul, South Korea.
In 2000 he wrote a paper on the Nuclearisation of South Asia at Stimson Center, Washington.
In 2004 he participated in Pugwash meeting in New Delhi and spoke on SAARC free trade plans.
In 2006 he got a Woodrow Wilson scholarship
to Washington and wrote a book titled Sectarian War in Pakistan.
Journalistic contributions:
Contributed to Outlook
(New Delhi) and to Gulf Today in Sharjah, also to other publications in India. Wrote the special number of Himal (a Kathmandu weekly) on Jinnah.
Contributed a chapter on fundamentalism
for a 2001 Harper-Collins book, On the Abyss: Pakistan After the Coup.
Lectured at the Civil Service Academy, Lahore, and the Administrative Staff College, Lahore, regularly over the years.
Lectured on the Gulf and the UN at the Naval War College
, Lahore.
Contributed to panel discussions at the National Defence College
, Islamabad, including the subject of International Security Systems and Security in South Asia, in 2003. Lectured at NDC on the current crisis of the state in Pakistan.
Lecture at Berkeley University on Jihad
in February 2001. Attended a Brookings conference on US and the Islamic World at Doha
in November 2002.
Member of Pugwash Conference Pakistan Chapter relating to India and Pakistan.
Spoke on Media in Pakistan
in Boston, USA 2004. Spoke at War College
, Washington, in 2007. Was scholar at Woodrow Wilson Center in 2006.
Talks with History - at Berkley 2001
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
The Friday Times. He regularly contributes to The Daily Times, both published in Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
.
Among his writing is a frequent analysis of Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
press in Pakistan. He routinely points to misleading journalism, what he sees as conspiracy theories in the popular press. His column "Nuggets from the Urdu Press," appears in both The Friday Times and The Daily Times. The weekly column "Word for Word" explores the origins of Urdu words as a basis for commentary on Islam and society.
He is the author of several books, including Pakistan: Behind the Ideological Mask (2000), and Pakistan: the State in Crisis (2001).
Education
He was born on 21 December 1943 in Jullundher, IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, and settled in Lahore after the partition of India
Partition of India
The Partition of India was the partition of British India on the basis of religious demographics that led to the creation of the sovereign states of the Dominion of Pakistan and the Union of India on 14 and 15...
. Ahmed received his masters degree
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
in English literature
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
from Government College
Government College University
Government College University, Lahore is a co-educational public university located on The Mall in Lahore, Pakistan...
, Lahore. He achieved first position in the University in 1969 and was entered in the Roll of Honour for that year. He was also Editor of The Ravi from 1968 to 1969 (under the chief editor).
In 1969 he move on to a postgraduate Diploma in International Affairs (1969) at Punjab University
University of the Punjab
University of the Punjab , colloquially known as Punjab University, is located in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. The University of the Punjab is the oldest and biggest University of Pakistan. The University of the Punjab was formally established with the convening of the first meeting of its...
, then a Diploma in Interpretership (Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
) at Moscow State University
Moscow State University
Lomonosov Moscow State University , previously known as Lomonosov University or MSU , is the largest university in Russia. Founded in 1755, it also claims to be one of the oldest university in Russia and to have the tallest educational building in the world. Its current rector is Viktor Sadovnichiy...
in 1970.
Working life
From 1969 to 1978 he worked in the Pakistan Foreign Service, reaching the position of was Third Secretary, and was posted to MoscowMoscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
and Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
because of his expertise in the Russian language and Soviet affairs. He was awarded a Presidential commendation in 1973 for writing a special report from Moscow.
He then adopted journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
as a profession, working from 1978 to 1988 as assistant editor at The Pakistan Times (daily). During this period he won a fellowship in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and worked for three months at the Christian Science Monitor in Boston.
From 1988 to 1990 he was joint editor of The Nation, a Lahore daily.
In 1990 he became editor of the English-language Lahore daily Frontier Post
Frontier Post
The only English-language newspaper distributed through Pakistan and Afghanistan collectively, The Frontier Post is based in Peshawar, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, previously known as the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan....
.
Since 1993 he has been Consulting Editor of The Friday Times, a Lahore weekly. From 1993 to 1997 he was also editor of the Urdu weekly Ajkal.
Publications
Pakistan: Behind the Ideological Mask (Vanguard Books Lahore 2000)(Book) Pakistan: the State in Crisis (Vanguard Books Lahore 2001)
1991 to 1993 was one of the founder members of Indo-Pak Neemrana Dialogue, track-two diplomacy.
Other activities
In 1992 he participated in the KashmirKashmir
Kashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range...
dialogue between India and Pakistan at Washington’s Institute of Peace
United States Institute of Peace
The United States Institute of Peace was created by Congress as a non-partisan, federal institution that works to prevent or end violent conflict around the world...
.
In 1995 he was a member of the Pakistan delegation to Moscow and read a paper there on Pak-Russian bilateral trade.
1995 was participant at a New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
discussion on Indo-Pakistani relations
Indo-Pakistani relations
Relations between India and Pakistan have been strained by a number of historical and political issues, and are defined by the violent partition of British India in 1947, the Kashmir dispute and the numerous military conflicts fought between the two nations...
organised by Time magazine
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
.
In 1996 he was a SAARC observer of the Bangladesh national elections and wrote the SAARC report on the status of the minorities in Bangladesh.
In 1996 he read a paper on Indo-Pak trade at a US-sponsored seminar in Islamabad.
In 1996 he was a delegate of the Pakistan Group of Environmentalist Journalists to an Asian conference in Bangkok organised by UNDP.
In 1997 he was invited as observer to elections in Scotland and wrote about the Scottish parliament
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
.
In 1997 he was a member of the US-sponsored Travelling Dialogue in New Delhi and Bombay.
In 1998 he attended the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
discussion on Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
in New Delhi.
In 1999 he attended a World Bank
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty...
conference on democracy and globalisation in Seoul, South Korea.
In 2000 he wrote a paper on the Nuclearisation of South Asia at Stimson Center, Washington.
In 2004 he participated in Pugwash meeting in New Delhi and spoke on SAARC free trade plans.
In 2006 he got a Woodrow Wilson scholarship
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars , located in Washington, D.C., is a United States Presidential Memorial that was established as part of the Smithsonian Institution by an act of Congress in 1968...
to Washington and wrote a book titled Sectarian War in Pakistan.
Journalistic contributions:
Contributed to Outlook
Outlook (magazine)
Outlook is one of India's four top-selling English weekly newsmagazines. Like many other Indian magazines, it is reluctant to reveal its circulation, but the 2007 National Readership Survey suggested 1.5 million copies...
(New Delhi) and to Gulf Today in Sharjah, also to other publications in India. Wrote the special number of Himal (a Kathmandu weekly) on Jinnah.
Contributed a chapter on fundamentalism
Fundamentalism
Fundamentalism is strict adherence to specific theological doctrines usually understood as a reaction against Modernist theology. The term "fundamentalism" was originally coined by its supporters to describe a specific package of theological beliefs that developed into a movement within the...
for a 2001 Harper-Collins book, On the Abyss: Pakistan After the Coup.
Lectured at the Civil Service Academy, Lahore, and the Administrative Staff College, Lahore, regularly over the years.
Lectured on the Gulf and the UN at the Naval War College
Naval War College
The Naval War College is an education and research institution of the United States Navy that specializes in developing ideas for naval warfare and passing them along to officers of the Navy. The college is located on the grounds of Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island...
, Lahore.
Contributed to panel discussions at the National Defence College
National Defence University, Islamabad
The National Defense University is an institution of higher education funded by the Ministry of Defence of Government of Pakistan, intended to facilitate high-level training, education, and the development of national security strategy...
, Islamabad, including the subject of International Security Systems and Security in South Asia, in 2003. Lectured at NDC on the current crisis of the state in Pakistan.
Lecture at Berkeley University on Jihad
Jihad
Jihad , an Islamic term, is a religious duty of Muslims. In Arabic, the word jihād translates as a noun meaning "struggle". Jihad appears 41 times in the Quran and frequently in the idiomatic expression "striving in the way of God ". A person engaged in jihad is called a mujahid; the plural is...
in February 2001. Attended a Brookings conference on US and the Islamic World at Doha
Doha
Doha is the capital city of the state of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf, it had a population of 998,651 in 2008, and is also one of the municipalities of Qatar...
in November 2002.
Member of Pugwash Conference Pakistan Chapter relating to India and Pakistan.
Spoke on Media in Pakistan
Media in Pakistan
Media in Pakistan provides information on television, radio, cinema, newspapers, and magazines in Pakistan.-Regulation:The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority was formed in 2002 to "facilitate and promote a free, fair and independent electronic media", including opening the broadcasting...
in Boston, USA 2004. Spoke at War College
War College
A War College is a senior military academy which is normally intended for veteran military officers and whose purpose is to educate and 'train on' senior military tacticians, strategists, and leaders...
, Washington, in 2007. Was scholar at Woodrow Wilson Center in 2006.
External links
Talk with Farid Zakria (interview is towards the end):- http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5179399964863073011&q=fareed+zak
Talks with History - at Berkley 2001
- http://globetrotter.berkeley.edu/people2/Ahmed/ahmed-con0.html
- Conversations with History, UC Berkeley, February 19, 2002.
- Fear and loathing of Hisba Bill - Khaled Ahmed’s Urdu press Review, Daily Times, 20 November, 2004.
- Hajj: primal therefore satisfying —Khaled Ahmed Urdu Press Review, Daily Times, 18 March, 2005.
- Sectarian tit for tat - Khaled Ahmed Urdu Press Review, Daily Times, 25 March, 2005.
- No foreigners in North Waziristan? - Khaled Ahmed Urdu Press Review, Daily Times, 18 February, 2005.
- Daily Times.