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Pakistani philosophy encompasses the history of philosophy in the nation of Pakistan since its independence in 1947.^[1]

Overview[link]

When Pakistan gained independence there was only one department of philosophy in the country, at Government College Lahore. Now there are seven departments of philosophy at different Pakistani universities, and many Pakastani philosophers are doing research in diverse fields of philosophy.

Notable Pakastani philosophical organizations include The Pakistan Philosophical Congress, which was founded by M. M. Sharif, a pupil of G. E. Moore, in 1954^{[citation needed]}, and the Islamic Philosophical Association. In addition there are various smaller groups devoted to promoting philosophical study and research.

While philosophy in Pakistan has been greatly influenced by Western philosophy, it nonetheless retains strong elements of the tradition of Muslim philosophy. The Pakistani philosophy community includes adherents of all the major strands of contemporary western philosophy, including a significant number of Pakistani philosophers who are inclined towards more traditional, metaphysical, positions.

Pakistani philosophers include: Allama Muhammad Iqbal, M M Sharif, Khalifa Abdul Hakeem, C A Qadir, Kazi A Kadir, Ather Rasheed, Absar Ahmad, Intasar ul Haq, Waheed Ali Farooqi, B H Sidiquei, Sajid Ali, Abdul Khaliq, Naeem Ahmed, Abdul Hafeez, Muhammad Maroof, Mirza Ather Beig, Shahid Hossain, Fazlur Rehman, Shehzad Qaiser, Manzoor Ahmed, Ghazala Irfan, Javed Bhuto, Syed Zafarul Hasan and Robina Lodhi.

References[link]

Suggested Readings[link]

• Hossain Nasr, History of Islamic Philosophy
• Naeem Ahmed, Philosophy in Pakistan
• Kazi Javed, Pakistan Mein Phalsapiana Rojhanat

Arfa Abdul Karim Randhawa (Urdu: ارفع کریم رندهاوا‎, 2 February 1995 – 14 January 2012) was a Pakistani student and computer prodigy, who in 2004 at the age of nine years became Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP),^[2] the youngest in the world until 2008.^[3][4][5] She was invited by Bill Gates to visit the Microsoft Headquarters in the USA.^[6] A science park in Lahore was named after her, the Arfa Software Technology Park.^[7]

Early life[link]

Arfa was born to a family from the village of Chak No. 4JB Ram Dewali in Faisalabad, Punjab. After returning to Pakistan from a visit to Microsoft headquarters, Arfa gave numerous television and newspaper interviews. S. Somasegar, the vice president of the Software Development Division, wrote about her in his blog.^[4] On 2 August 2005, Arfa Abdul Karim was presented the Fatimah Jinnah Gold Medal in the field of Science and Technology by the then Prime Minister of Pakistan Shaukat Aziz on the occasion of 113th birth anniversary of Fatima Jinnah.^[8] She also received the Salaam Pakistan Youth Award again in August 2005 from the President of Pakistan.^[9] Arfa Abdul Karim is also the recipient of the President's Award for Pride of Performance,^[10] a civil award usually granted to people who have shown excellence in their respective fields over a long period of time. She is the youngest recipient of this award. In recognition of her achievement^[specify] Arfa was made brand ambassador for Pakistan Telecommunication Company's 3G Wireless Broadband service named EVO in January 2010.^[11]

Representation at international forums[link]

Arfa Abdul Karim has represented Pakistan on various international forums, and was invited by the Pakistan Information Technology Professionals Forum for a stay of two weeks in Dubai. A dinner reception was hosted for her there, which was attended by the dignitaries of Dubai including the Ambassador of Pakistan. During that trip, Arfa was presented with various awards and gifts including a laptop.^[12] In November 2006, Arfa attended the Tech-Ed Developers conference themed Get ahead of the game held in Barcelona on an invitation from Microsoft.^[10] She was the only Pakistani among over 5000 developers in that conference.^[13]

Cardiac arrest[link]

In 2011, at the age of 16, Arfa Abdul Karim was studying at the Lahore Grammar School Paragon Campus in her second year of A-levels. On 22 December 2011 she suffered a cardiac arrest after an epileptic seizure that damaged her brain, and was admitted to Lahore's Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in critical condition.^{[3][14][15][dead link][16]}

On 9 January 2012, Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft, contacted Arfa's parents and directed his doctors to adopt "every kind of measure" for her treatment. Gates set up a special panel of international doctors who remained in contact with her local doctors through teleconference. The panel received details about her illness and provided assistance in diagnosis and treatment.^[17][18] Local doctors dismissed the option of moving Arfa to another hospital owing to her being on a ventilator and in critical condition.^[19] Members of Arfa's family have lauded Bill Gates for offering to bear her treatment expenses.^[20]

On 13 January 2012, Arfa Abdul Karim started to improve and some parts of her brain showed signs of improvement. Her father, Amjad Abdul Karim Randhawa, said Microsoft had raised the possibility of flying Arfa to the US for care.^[21]

Death[link]

On 14 January 2012, 16-year-old Arfa Abdul Karim died^[22] at 9:50 PM (Pakistan Standard Time) at Combined Military Hospital (CMH) Lahore. Her Namaz-e-Janaza was offered in Cavalry Ground Lahore at 10 AM on 15 January 2012, then at 2:00pm in D Ground Faisalabad, and later in her village Chak Ram Divali at 4:00 pm the same day. The funeral was attended by the Chief Minister of Punjab, Shahbaz Sharif. She was buried at her ancestral village Chak No. 4JB Ram Dewali, Faisalabad.^[23][24]

Arfa Software Technology Park[link]

On 15 January 2012, Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif announced that the name of Lahore Technology Park would be changed to Arfa Software Technology Park.^[7]

See also[link]

• Babar Iqbal

References[link]

External links[link]

	Faisalabad portal
	Biography portal
	Computer science portal

• Video Arfa Abdul Karim Randhawa Death News and Video
• (Urdu) Video: Arfa Abdul Karim Randhawa Died in Lahore Hospital
• Special Report: Honor to Arfa Abdul Karim Randhawa Interviews & Pictures of Arifa Abdul Karim
• (Urdu) Video: Arfa Abdul Karim passed away Exclusive Interview and Photos

This article relies on references to primary sources or sources affiliated with the subject, rather than references from independent authors and third-party publications. Please add citations from reliable sources. (May 2009)

Syed Zaiduzzaman Hamid, better known as Zaid Hamid, is a Pakistani security consultant and political commentator.^[1][2] His byline in newspaper articles has been Zaid Zaman.^[2]

Early life and education[link]

Zaid was born in Karachi, in 1964. His father, Col. Zaman Hamid (Retd), served in the Pakistan Army. Zaid spent his early life in Karachi. He received a Bachelor of Engineering (BE) degree in Computer Systems Engineering from NED University, Karachi in 1980's.^[3]

Political views[link]

Through his TV programmes, Hamid has claimed that a nexus between India's RAW, the CIA and is responsible for the destabilization of Pakistan. He also claims that the November 2008 Mumbai attacks, were part of a plan hatched by "Hindu Zionists"", and that it was an attempt by the Indians to stage an attack just like the Americans executed the September 11 attacks.^[1][2][4][3]

Criticism[link]

A number of noted Pakistani journalists, writers and Islamic scholars^[5] have criticized Hamid and have described his views on politics and security as conspiracy theories.^[6][7][8][9]

References[link]

External links[link]

• BrassTacks website
• Syed Zaid Zaman Hamid

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (March 2012)

Samson Simon Sharaf
Born	Rawalpindi, Pakistan
Allegiance	Pakistan
Service/branch	Pakistan Army
Years of service	1974-2005
Rank	Brigadier
Unit	17th Sindh Artillery Regiment
Commands held	25th Sindh Infantry Regiment 75th Military Intelligence Brigade
Battles/wars	Siachen War Operation Brasstacks Indo-Pakistani War of 1999 2001–2002 India–Pakistan standoff
Awards	Sitara-i-Imtiaz (Military)

Brigadier Samson Simon Sharaf is a retired officer in the Pakistan Army and a military scientist. As of current, he is news columnist, businessman, and a former military college administrator. Sharaf also serves in the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's Shadow Cabinet as the Spokesperson for Defense Production. He served Pakistan Army for 33 years and most notably in Nuclear Policy making. Despite being qualified in security and nuclear strategy, he prefers to call himself a Political Economist: the robe of a modern Strategist.

Education[link]

He attended St. Anthony's High School (Lahore) from where he did his Senior Cambridge in 1971. He completed the F.Sc. from Government College Lahore in 1972. He joined the Pakistan Military Academy from where he graduated in 1974. In 1985, he obtained an honours degree in English literature from the University of Balochistan. He also attended the Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, from where he obtained a double M.Sc. in Defence and Strategic studies in 1997. His dissertation pertained to Kautilya's Political Thinking.

Military career[link]

He rose rapidly through the ranks of the Pakistan Army ending up as a Brigadier. He has served in the General Staff Branch of General Headquarters (GHQ) of the Pakistan Army. In 2005, the President of Pakistan conferred awards in the Order of Imtiaz (Military) on Independence Day to the officers of the armed forces in Rawalpindi. Sharaf was awarded the Sitara-i-Imtiaz (Military).^[1] He has also been an honorary Colonel of the Battalion of 1st Sindh Regiment based in Waziristan. Sindh.^[2]

Current activities[link]

Sharaf is a columnist for The Nation and other newspapers.^[3]

He is also been a defence analyst, specialising in South Asia, Nuclear and International Political Economy.^[4] He is CEO of WaterTech Private Limited, Pakistan, a water treatment systems business. He is also currently the Rector of St Mary’s College, Rawalpindi.

References[link]

v t e Pakistan Armed Forces Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Chairman Joint Chiefs Joint Staff Headquarters National Defence University Paramilitary Force Command National Command Authority Military history (Air Force history) UN peacekeeping missions Weapons of mass destruction Awards and decorations Nuclear doctrine Inter-Services Intelligence Arms Industry Inter Services Public Relations Nuclear industry Missiles programme Judge Advocate General Branch Establishment University Department of Defence and Strategic Studies Army   General Headquarters Azad Kashmir Regiment Baloch Regiment Frontier Force Regiment Northern Light Infantry Punjab Regiment Sind Regiment Governor General's Bodyguard Military Academy Command and Staff College Army Special Service Group Army Rangers Chief of Army Staff Serving and active-duty generals Army Cantonments Pakistan Army Museum Army Strategic Forces Command Army Educational Establishment Air Force   Air Headquarters Air War College Air Force Academy Special Service Wing Air Force Bases List of combat aircraft Combatant Air Force Squadrons Chief of Air Staff Pakistan Air Force Sherdils PAF Museum Aeronautical Complex Air Force Institute of Aviation Technology Air Force Education and Development Command Air Force Strategic Command Navy   Naval Headquarters Naval War College Naval Special Service Group Chief of Naval Staff Naval Strategic Forces Command Active ships Naval Engineering College Naval Academy Pakistan Maritime Museum PNS Ghazi PNS Hangor Naval School of Logistics and Management Strategic Institute for Naval Affairs Makran Naval Base Qasim Naval Base Kalmat Naval Base Naval hospitals (P.N.S. Shifa P.N.S. Rahat) Naval Air Station (Mehran Naval Air Base Ahsan Naval base Jinnah Naval Base) Research vessel (PNS Behr Paima) Marines Naval Air Arm Coast Guard Naval Education Establishment Wars and conflicts Indo-Pakistani War of 1947 / 1965 / 1971 1970s Baloch insurgency Siachen conflict Kargil War War in North-West Pakistan Portal Category (Army Air Force Navy)

Brigadier (Retired) Samson Simon Sharaf SI, Rector, St. Mary’s College

This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. Its embedded lists may contain items that are not encyclopedic. Tagged since February 2009. It may need to be rewritten entirely to comply with Wikipedia's quality standards. Tagged since February 2008. It may be unbalanced towards certain viewpoints. Tagged since May 2009.

Israr Ahmed (Urdu: اسرار احمد; April 26, 1932 – April 14, 2010) was a Pakistani Islamic theologian^[1] followed particularly in South Asia and also among the South Asian diaspora in the Middle East, Western Europe, and North America.^[2] Born in Hissar, (today's Haryana) in India, the second son of a government servant, he is the founder of the Tanzeem-e-islami, an off-shoot of the Jamaat-e-Islami.He has spent more than 50 years preaching Quraan.He hosted a daily show on Peace TV, a 24 hours Islamic channel broadcast internationally, and until recently^[when?] on ARY Qtv.

Early life and education[link]

Ahmad was born on April 26, 1932 in Hisar (a district of East Punjab, now a part of Haryana) in India, the second son of a government servant. He graduated from King Edward Medical College (Lahore) in 1954 and later received his Master's degree in Islamic Studies from the University of Karachi in 1965. He came under the influence of 'Abul Ala Maududi' as a young student, worked briefly for Muslim Student's Federation in the Independence Movement and, following the creation of Pakistan in 1947, for the Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba and then for the Jamaat-e-Islami. Ahmad resigned from the Jama`at in April 1957 because of its involvement in the electoral politics, which he believed was irreconcilable with the revolutionary methodology adopted by the Jama'at in the pre-1947 period.^[2]

Religious work[link]

While still a student and an activist of the Islami Jami`yat-e-Talaba, Ahmad became a Mudarris (or teacher) of the Qur'an. Even after resigning from Jama`at, he continued to give Quranic lectures in different cities of Pakistan, and especially after 1965 spent a great deal of time studying the Quran.He also worked with the tablighi jamaat but then left the organization due to some methodological differences.

In 1967 Ahmad wrote “Islamic Renaissance: The Real Task Ahead”, a tract explaining his basic belief. This was that a rebirth of Islam would be possible only by revitalizing iman (faith) among the Muslims – particularly educated Muslims – and the propagation of the Qur'anic teachings in contemporary idiom and at the highest level of scholarship is necessary to revitalize iman. This undertaking would remove the existing dichotomy between modern physical and social sciences on the one hand, and Islamic revealed knowledge on the other.

In 1971 Ahmad gave up his medical practice to devote himself full time to the Islamic revival. In 1972 he established or helped establish the Markazi Anjuman Khuddam-ul-Qur'an Lahore, Tanzeem-e-Islami was founded in 1975, and Tahreek-e-Khilafat Pakistan was launched in 1991.

Ahmad first appeared on Pakistan Television in 1978 in a program called Al-Kitab; this was followed by other programs, known as Alif Lam Meem, Rasool-e-Kamil, Umm-ul-Kitab and the most popular of all religious programs in the history of Pakistan Television, the Al-Huda, which made him a household name throughout the country.^{[citation needed]} His television lectures generally focused on the revitalization of the Islamic faith through studies of the Quran. Ahmad also criticized modern democracy and the electoral system and argued that the head of an Islamic state can reject the majority decisions of an elected assembly.^[3] Although he did not like to receive it personally, Ahmad was awarded Sitara-i-Imtiaz in 1981. He has to his credit over 60 Urdu books on topics related to Islam and Pakistan, 9 of which have been translated into English and other languages. in 21st century Ahmad came on peace TV and taught Islam to people so they could understand Islam.

Health[link]

Ahmed relinquished the leadership of Tanzeem-e-Islami in October 2002 on grounds of bad health and Hafiz Aakif Saeed is the present Ameer of the Tanzeem to whom all rufaqaa of Tanzeem renewed their pledge of Baiyah.

Influences[link]

Supporters describe his vision of Islam as having been synthesized from the diverse sources. He has also acknowledged the "deep influence" of Shah Waliullah Dehlavi, the 18th century Indian Islamic leader, anti-colonial activist, jurist, and scholar.^[4] Ahmed followed the thinking of Maulana Hamiduddin Farahi and Maulana Amin Ahsan Islahi, concerning what his followers believe is the "internal coherence of and the principles of deep reflection in the Qur'an". Furthermore, Ahmed followed Maulana Abul Kalam Azad and Maulana Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi in regards to what he believes is the "dynamic and revolutionary conception of Islam."

"In the context of Qur'anic exegesis and understanding, Ahmed was a firm traditionalist of the genre of Maulana Mehmood Hassan Deobandi and Allama Shabbir Ahmad Usmani; yet he presented Qur'anic teachings in a scientific and enlightened way ..."^[2] Ahmed believed in what he called “Islamic revolutionary thought,” which consists of the idea that Islam – the teachings of the Qur'an and the Sunnah – must be implemented in the social, cultural, juristic, political, and economic spheres of life. In this he is said to follow Mohammad Rafiuddin and Muhammad Iqbal. The first attempt towards the actualization of this concept was reportedly made by Maulana Abul Kalam Azad through his short-lived party, the Hizbullah. Another attempt was made by Maulana Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi through his Jamaat-e-Islami party. Although the Jamaat-e-Islami has reached some influence, Ahmed resigned from the party in 1956 when it entered the electoral process and believed that such an involvement led to "degeneration from a pure Islamic revolutionary party to a mere political one".

Tanzeem-e-Islami[link]

Originally a member of Jamaat-e-Islami, Ahmed became disappointed with its electoral activity, "significant policy matters", and what he saw as the "lack of effort to create an Islamic renaissance through the revolutionary process." He and some other individuals resigned from JI and in 1956 founded the nucleus of Tanzeem-e-Islami, an attempt to create a "disciplined organization." "A resolution was passed which subsequently became the Mission Statement of Tanzeem-e-Islami."^[2]

Along with his work to revive "the Qur'an-centered Islamic perennial philosophy and world-view" Ahmed aimed with his party to "reform the society in a practical way with the ultimate objective of establishing a true Islamic State, or the System of Khilafah".

Caliphate[link]

According to the Tanzeem-e-Islami website Ahmed and the party believe "the spiritual and intellectual center of the Muslim world has shifted from the Arab world to the Indo-Pakistan subcontinent" and "conditions are much more congenial for the establishment of Khilafah in Pakistan" than in other Muslim countries.^[5]

Hizb ut-Tahrir[link]

According to Tanzeem-e-Islami's FAQ, while both Hizb ut-Tahrir and Tanzeem-e-Islami share belief in reviving the Caliphate as a means of implementing Islam in all spheres of life, Tanzeem-e-Islami does not believe in involvement in electoral politics, armed struggle, coup d'état to establish a caliphate, and has no set plan of detailed workings for the future Caliphate. Tanzeem-e-Islami emphasizes that iman (faith) among Muslims must be revived in "a significant portion of the Muslim society" before there can be an Islamic revival.^[5]

Abul Ala Maududi[link]

While Ahmed "considers himself a product" of the teachings of "comprehensive and holistic concept of the Islamic obligations" of Abul Ala Maududi, he opposes Jamaat-e-Islami's "plunge" into "the arena of power politics," which he considered to have been "disastrous."^[5]

Danger of foreign powers[link]

Nov 19, 2007 Ahmed warned that "the NATO forces are waiting on the western front to move into Pakistan and may deprive the country of its nuclear assets while on the eastern border India is ready to stage an action replay of 1971 events and has alerted its armed forces to intervene in to check threats to peace in the region".^{[citation needed]}

Criticism and controversy[link]

Canada's National Post newspaper reported in 2006 that, according to Ahmad:

"Islam's renaissance will begin in Pakistan... because the Arab world is living under subjugation. Only the Pakistan region has the potential for standing up against the nefarious designs of the global power-brokers and to resist the rising tides of the Jewish/Zionist hegemony.^[6]

Asia Times reports that in September 1995 Ahmed told the annual convention of the Islamic Society of North America that:

The process of the revival of Islam in different parts of the world is real. A final showdown between the Muslim world and the non-Muslim world, which has been captured by the Jews, would soon take place. The Gulf War was just a rehearsal for the coming conflict.

He appealed to the Muslims of the world, including those in the US, to prepare themselves for the coming conflict."^[7]

On July 27, 2007, VisionTV, a Canadian multi-faith religious television channel, aired an apology for broadcasting lectures by Mr. Ahmed. The channel had taken Ahmed off the air earlier that week for his derogatory comments about Jews. In reply, Ahmed "strongly refuted the impression that he hated the Jews or he held anti-Semitic views," according to the National Post, but a "written statement, issued by his personal secretary in Lahore, went on to explain Mr. Ahmad's belief that the Holocaust was `Divine punishment` and that Jews would one day be `exterminated.`"^[8]

The Post gave several quotes about Jews by Ahmed including

"It is apparent to any careful observer that the Jews have continued to suffer the floggings of Divine punishment in the present century – the Holocaust during the Second World War being a case in point.

[T]he conflict between the Jews and Muslims is going to result, ultimately, in the total extermination of the former, according to the Divine law of 'annihilation of the worse.'"^[8]

Death and funeral[link]

Ahmed died^[9] of a cardiac arrest at his home in Lahore on the morning of 14 April 2010 between 3:00 and 3:30 a.m. According to his son, his health deteriorated at around 1:30 a.m. with pain in the back, he was a long time heart patient.^[10]

His funeral (Namaz-e-Janazah) was held after the Asr (afternoon) prayers at Central Model-town Park (near Barkat Market) in the city of Lahore. It is reported that around twenty thousand people attended his funeral.^{[citation needed]}

See also[link]

• Contemporary Islamic philosophy
• Islamism

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Israr Ahmed

• Official website
• Official website of Quran Academy