A scholar of varied interests

Knowledge, affection for women and love are important narrative of my life, says Ashfaq Saleem Mirza, a scholar of varied interests. “Culturology, philosophy, history, literature, Art, social sciences and politics have been my main passions,” he says.

Talking to The News he said, “In 1972, I was president of Mazdoor Kisan Party (MKP) and Imtiaz Alam was secretary General. After MKP split into many factions in 1975, I quit politics.”

Continuing he said: “I started writing in 1970 in magazines like Kahani, Nusrat, Mag, Irtiqa, Tareekh etc. I also started writing for English language dailies like The Muslim, Dawn, Nation, and The Express Tribune. I contributed to Urdu language dailies such as Jang; Mashraq and Maghrabi Pakistan. Nazir Naaji was its editor then, and Mustansar Javed and Nusrat Javed also worked for that newspaper. I also remained editor of NCA magazine. Its first editor was Mustansar Javed.”

“These days I am engaged in a series of lectures on philosophy at the School of Modern History and Philosophy. I founded the school some years back to raise awareness about philosophy among people of fine tastes.

“I have got seven books to my credit i.e. 1- A note on Qawwali ((1976); 2- Aao Mil Kar Hunsain (1980 -- Asia Pacific region); 3- Falsafah Kia Hai (What is Philosophy: A new materialistic Interpretation (2005) Its 4th edition was published this year; 4- “Falsafa-e-Tareekh -- Nau Abadiyaat Aur Jumhuriat (Philosophy of History: Colonialism & Democracy (2012);5-  Suggestions for Discourse on Philosophy, History and Society (2012 It’s a collection of Mirza’s published and unpublished essays on various themes); 6- Almiyah Ka Safar (Translation of three great Greek tragedies: Prometheus Bound, Oedipus Rex, and Trojan Women, written by the greatest tragedians of Greece, Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides respectively in the fifth century B.C. The period is known for its unprecedented progress in the fields of literature, philosophy, politics, and science; a century that also glitters with stars like Socrates and Plato (2012); 7--  Mamnooya Nazmein. Latest book Irtiqa is in the process.”

To a question he said: “I have studied the entire works of Marx and Hegel but I am not a rigid Marxist and never hesitate to allude to the fallacies of Marxism. I am a democratic socialist. “Democratic socialists believe that both the economy and society should be run democratically to meet public needs, not to make profits for a few.

“Democracy and socialism go hand in hand. All over the world, wherever the idea of democracy has taken root, the vision of socialism has taken root as well,” he explained. On whether the fall of Communism has discredited socialism, he remarked: “Socialists have been among the harshest critics of authoritarian Communist states.

A human rights activist and a supporter of progressive movement in Pakistan, Ashfaq Saleem Mirza is also an office bearer of the Progressive Writers’ Organization. Responding to a question about having any flair for poetry he said: “I was a poet as well. I was able to blend poetry with philosophy with relative ease. Probably, this desire for ease prompted me to opt for free verse rather than more traditional genres.”

Ashfaq Saleem Mirza reacts to his environs, not as a passive spectator but as an active interlocutor; his poetry tries to enhance our knowledge of ourselves in relation to the world of experience. He builds a scene and then leaves it to our imagination.