Javed Jabbar (

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
'' Pakistani

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, p ...

and

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...

.An interview with Javed Jabbar on The Express Tribune (newspaper)
Published 29 January 2014, Retrieved 24 March 2018

Early life and education

Jabbar's father Ahmed Abdul Jabbar was under the employment of Hyderabad State; they migrated to Pakistan after India annexed the state.Javed Jabbar, Renaissance man
The Friday Times (newspaper), Published 26 June 2015, Retrieved 24 March 2018 His mother Zain Mahal Khursheed was a trained Sitar player. Jabbar credits both of them for inculcating his interest in art and literature. In 1961, Jabbar enrolled in the Humanities section of

St Patrick's High School, Karachi , motto_translation = Through hardships to the stars , location = Saddar Town, Sindh , city = Karachi , province = , country = Pakistan , coordinates = , established = , foun ...

; he credited Principal D'Arcy D'Souza with convincing his father into shifting him from the Commerce section, where he was first enrolled. In 1963, Jabbar enrolled at the

University of Karachi The University of Karachi ( sd, ; informally Karachi University, KU, or UoK) is a public research university located in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Established in June 1951 by an act of Parliament and as a successor to the University of Sindh (wh ...

for his undergraduate degree in International Relations. During his university-days, he was a reputed face in theatrical circuits.

Career

Advertisement, Documentaries and Films

Jabbar chose to be employed in the advertisement sector instead of journalism, guided by better prospects of earning. He went on to direct over 300 commercials. In 1972, Jabbar produced Moenjodaro: The City That Must Not Die, a documentary for

Pakistan television Pakistan Television Corporation ( ur, ; reporting name: PTV) is the Pakistani state-owned broadcaster. Pakistan entered the television broadcasting age in 1964, with a pilot television station established at Lahore. Background Historical co ...

( PTV). A chronicle of

Indus Valley civilisation The Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC), also known as the Indus Civilisation was a Bronze Age civilisation in the northwestern regions of South Asia, lasting from 3300 BCE to 1300 BCE, and in its mature form 2600 BCE to 1900& ...

, it won the Silver Prize at the Asian Film Festival in Shiraz, Iran and a national award. He had also directed 10 other documentaries. In 1976, he wrote and directed Beyond the Last Mountain, the first feature film in English out of Pakistan. In 2008, he directed ''

Ramchand Pakistani ''Ramchand Pakistani'' ( ur, ) is a 2008 Urdu-language Pakistani drama film directed by Mehreen Jabbar and produced by Javed Jabbar. The film features Nandita Das, Rashid Farooqi, Syed Fazel Hussain, Maria Wasti and Noman Ijaz in lead role ...

,'' an Urdu drama film that centered on the ordeals of a Pakistani Dalit Hindu, who had crossed the border to India.

Politics

in 1985—spurred by his wife and friends—Jabbar successfully ran for the four seats reserved for technocrats in

Pakistan Senate Senate of Pakistan or Aiwān-e-Bālā Pākistān ( ur, , , literally "Pakistan upper house"), is the upper legislative chamber of the bicameral legislature of Pakistan, and together with the National Assembly makes up the Parliament of Pakistan ...

under the martial rule of

Zia-ul-Haq General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq HI, GCSJ, ร.ม.ภ, ( Urdu: ; 12 August 1924 – 17 August 1988) was a Pakistani four-star general and politician who became the sixth President of Pakistan following a coup and declaration of martial ...

. He won re-elections in 1997; he even became a Minister of State of Information in the Musharraf ministry before resigning in 2000. In 2003, he tried to be reelected but failed to obtain any proposer.

Books

In 2021, he drafted a biography of Benazir Bhutto.

Views

Pakistan

Islam

Jabbar believes that the prominent strand of Islam followed in Pakistan is Sufism — "pluralistic, inclusive, tolerant, ndrespectful." Rejecting that Pakistani society has any major issue of radicalization, he warns against conflating the "overwhelming majority" of peaceful and resilient Pakistanis with "a small number of brainwashed barbarians." He argues that most Pakistanis respect other religions since otherwise, colleges run by Christian missionaries won't have got thousands of students or religio-political parties would have won elections; acts of violence upon accusations of blasphemy were rare. Jabbar rejects contentions that Pakistan is a failed state; he remains hopeful that Pakistan will successfully see through the unique challenges of being founded on the basis of religion yet not give in to religious extremism or Islamicise the state to even-greater extents. He He asks his fellow citizens to enroll for a high-quality education, engage in '' ijtihad'', and follow a "50 points formula" in their quest for rediscovering and redefining

Pakistaniat Pakistani nationalism refers to the political, cultural, linguistic, historical, ommonlyreligious and geographical expression of patriotism by the people of Pakistan, of pride in the history, heritage and identity of Pakistan, and visions for ...

Media

In 2016, Jabbar supported

PEMRA Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) ( ur, ) is an independent and constitutionally established federal institution responsible for regulating and issuing channel licenses for establishment of the mass media culture, print a ...

's proscription on broadcasting Indian media in Pakistan. Jabbar believes the state to offer "very high levels of freedom of expression" to media despite the rare blips.

India

Jabbar blames India's maneuvers in the immediate aftermath of the Partition—

1947 Kashmir War It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Events January * January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country in ...

—, to have influenced Pakistan into becoming a "security-oriented state." He hopes that India will engage with Pakistan more meaningfully and without holding discussions hostage to " akistan'scessation of support for terrorism."

1971 and Bangladesh

Personal life

Jabbar is married to Shabnam. They have a son named Kamal and a daughter

Mehreen Jabbar Mehreen Jabbar (Urdu: م‍ﮩ‍رين جبار ) (b. 29 December 1971, is a Pakistani film and television director and producer based in New York City. She is a daughter of the Pakistani media-person Javed Jabbar.https://tribune.com.pk/stor ...

who is a film producer and director.

References

External links

Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Pakistani male journalists Pakistani screenwriters Pakistani film producers Pakistani film directors St. Patrick's College (Karachi) alumni Writers from Karachi Muhajir people Pakistani media personalities Pakistani people of Hyderabadi descent People from Karachi Federal ministers of Pakistan {{Pakistan-journalist-stub