In Pakistan, you are more likely to come across autobiographies of retired civil and military bureaucrats than from political activists and leaders. A majority of retired officers tend to spin their exploits during ‘the most difficult times in the country’s history’ into a tale of derring-do.

Since a counter-narrative is hardly available, students and teachers of history end up reading these books, some of which become best-sellers. ‘Shahab Nama’ is one such example. Abid Hassan Minto’s autobiography ‘Qissa Paun Sadi Ka’ (‘A Tale of 75 Years’, Book Corner Jhelum) offers a counter-narrative to the bureaucratic and official versions of history. Lawyers like Abid Minto were willing to take extraordinary risks in the face of multiple military dictatorships that Pakistan and its people have endured and suffered for decades from the 1950s to the 21st century.

In the book, the first thing that strikes the reader is the narration of the pre-partition days in Rawalpindi. Minto spent his childhood in Arya Mohalla, which was a predominantly Hindu locality with only a couple of Muslim households and also a Christian and a Jewish family – all living in harmony and peace. An atmosphere of tolerance prevailed as everyone lived their lives per the precepts of their preferred creed or denomination. Ideology or religion had not yet pitted them against each other. Within families, there were communists, Congress or Muslim League supporters, and of course other smaller outfits such as the Khaksars that Allama Mashriqi was leading.

And there were those who changed their loyalties from Congress, the Communist Party of India (CPI) or the Unionist Party to the Muslim League. It is interesting to note that, while most religious and right-wing groups and parties opposed the demand for Pakistan, the CPI in all its wisdom supported this demand as if it was a ‘movement for self-determination’ – to use........

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