Tariq Rahman
Encyclopedia
Tariq Rahman was born on February 4, 1949 in Bareilly
(U.P.) in India
. The family migrated to Pakistan
in 1951 where his father, Sami Ullah Khan, became instructor of mathematics, later rising to the head of the department, at the Pakistan Military Academy
at Kakul, near Abbottabad
. Tariq was educated at Burn Hall School (now Army Burn Hall College
) and joined the army as an armoured corps officer in 1971. However, he decided to leave the army being a conscientious objecter to the military action in Dhaka
, Bangladesh
, and the war which followed. He finally resigned his commission in 1978 meanwhile obtaining three M.A degrees as a private candidate. In 1979 he got a British Council
scholarship which enabled him to obtain M.A and Ph.D degrees from the University of Sheffield
in England
. He joined the academic profession as an associate professor in the English Department of Peshawar
University in 1985. In 1987 he became professor and head of the English Department in the University of AJ & K in Muzaffarabad
where he introduced linguistics. In 1989 he also got an M.Litt in linguistics from the University of Strathclyde
in Glasgow
. In 1990 he joined the National Institute of Pakistan Studies. In 2004 he was given the title of National Distinguished Professor by the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan. In the same year he was awarded the Pride of Performance for research. He was also the first incumbent of the Pakistan Chair at the University of California, Berkeley in 2004-5. In 2007 he was appointed the Director of the National Institute of Pakistan Studies, Quaid i Azam University, Islamabad
, and in 2010 he was made professor emeritus there. In September 2011, after the end of his tenure as director of NIPS at QAU, he accepted the deanship of the School of Education at the Beaconhouse National University in Lahore.
His published work is mostly on sociolinguistic history, language and politics and educational linguistics with focus on the Muslims of north India and Pakistan. He has over 94 articles in scholarly journals; 11 books; 06 encyclopedia articles; 28 contributions to books and several book reviews. His books, including language and Politics in Pakistan, language, Ideology and Power and An Introduction to Linguistics, have been published, in addition to Oxford (Karachi) also by Orient Blackswan in India. In addition to his academic career he is also an important literary critic who has commented extensively on Pakistani literature in English.
Bareilly
Bareilly is a prominent city in Bareilly district in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Standing on the Ramganga river, it is the capital of the Bareilly division and the geographical region Rohilkhand...
(U.P.) in India
India
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...
. The family migrated to Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
in 1951 where his father, Sami Ullah Khan, became instructor of mathematics, later rising to the head of the department, at the Pakistan Military Academy
Pakistan Military Academy
The Pakistan Military Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service military academy. It is located at Kakul near Abbottabad in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan....
at Kakul, near Abbottabad
Abbottabad
Abbottabad is a city located in the Hazara region of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, in Pakistan. The city is situated in the Orash Valley, northeast of the capital Islamabad and east of Peshawar at an altitude of and is the capital of the Abbottabad District...
. Tariq was educated at Burn Hall School (now Army Burn Hall College
Army Burn Hall College
Army Burn Hall College is situated in Abbottabad, Pakistan. There are separate wings for boys and girls. The girls section is located on Mall Road near the city center, the boys branch is in Mandian. Originally these were Junior Burn Hall and Senior Burn Hall Schools respectively...
) and joined the army as an armoured corps officer in 1971. However, he decided to leave the army being a conscientious objecter to the military action in Dhaka
Dhaka
Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka Division. Dhaka is a megacity and one of the major cities of South Asia. Located on the banks of the Buriganga River, Dhaka, along with its metropolitan area, had a population of over 15 million in 2010, making it the largest city...
, Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
, and the war which followed. He finally resigned his commission in 1978 meanwhile obtaining three M.A degrees as a private candidate. In 1979 he got a British Council
British Council
The British Council is a United Kingdom-based organisation specialising in international educational and cultural opportunities. It is registered as a charity both in England and Wales, and in Scotland...
scholarship which enabled him to obtain M.A and Ph.D degrees from the University of Sheffield
University of Sheffield
The University of Sheffield is a research university based in the city of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. It is one of the original 'red brick' universities and is a member of the Russell Group of leading research intensive universities...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. He joined the academic profession as an associate professor in the English Department of Peshawar
Peshawar
Peshawar is the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the administrative center and central economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan....
University in 1985. In 1987 he became professor and head of the English Department in the University of AJ & K in Muzaffarabad
Muzaffarabad
Muzaffarabad is the capital of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, Pakistan. It is located in Muzaffarabad District on the banks of the Jhelum and Neelum rivers...
where he introduced linguistics. In 1989 he also got an M.Litt in linguistics from the University of Strathclyde
University of Strathclyde
The University of Strathclyde , Glasgow, Scotland, is Glasgow's second university by age, founded in 1796, and receiving its Royal Charter in 1964 as the UK's first technological university...
in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
. In 1990 he joined the National Institute of Pakistan Studies. In 2004 he was given the title of National Distinguished Professor by the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan. In the same year he was awarded the Pride of Performance for research. He was also the first incumbent of the Pakistan Chair at the University of California, Berkeley in 2004-5. In 2007 he was appointed the Director of the National Institute of Pakistan Studies, Quaid i Azam University, Islamabad
Islamabad
Islamabad is the capital of Pakistan and the tenth largest city in the country. Located within the Islamabad Capital Territory , the population of the city has grown from 100,000 in 1951 to 1.7 million in 2011...
, and in 2010 he was made professor emeritus there. In September 2011, after the end of his tenure as director of NIPS at QAU, he accepted the deanship of the School of Education at the Beaconhouse National University in Lahore.
His published work is mostly on sociolinguistic history, language and politics and educational linguistics with focus on the Muslims of north India and Pakistan. He has over 94 articles in scholarly journals; 11 books; 06 encyclopedia articles; 28 contributions to books and several book reviews. His books, including language and Politics in Pakistan, language, Ideology and Power and An Introduction to Linguistics, have been published, in addition to Oxford (Karachi) also by Orient Blackswan in India. In addition to his academic career he is also an important literary critic who has commented extensively on Pakistani literature in English.