Khursheed Kamal Aziz ( ur, , 1927–2009)Historian K.K. Aziz dead
Dawn (newspaper), Published 16 July 2009, Retrieved 5 July 2020 better known as K. K. Aziz, was a Pakistani historian, admired for his books written in the English Language. However, he also wrote Urdu prose and was a staunch believer in the importance of the Persian language to enhance one's knowledge about the world.

Early life and career

Khursheed Kamal Aziz was born on 11 December 1927 to Abdul Aziz, a

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include taking cases in superior courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching law and ...

and a historian in his own right. He was born in a town called Ballamabad, Chiniot, Punjab, British India.Ballamabad city of Pakistan
Ballamabad town, Chiniot, Punjab, Pakistan on newstrackindia.com website, Retrieved 5 July 2020 He received his early education from M.B. High School in Batala, Punjab and then went to first Forman Christian College and finally to Government College Lahore for further studies where one of his professors was the famed

Patras Bokhari Syed Ahmed Shah (Urdu: ), commonly known as Patras Bokhari (October 1, 1898–December 5, 1958), was a Pakistani humorist, writer, broadcaster and diplomat who served as a Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations. Born in Pes ...

. Later he completed his studies at Victoria University in Manchester, UK. Aziz taught at various reputed institutions such as the University of Cambridge and University of Oxford, UK, and at universities in

Heidelberg, Germany Heidelberg (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: ''Heidlberg'') is a city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914 ...

as well as in Khartoum, Sudan and the Punjab University in Lahore, Pakistan. He also delivered occasional lectures at universities in Pakistan: Karachi, Peshawar, Islamabad; Bangladesh:

Dacca Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city i ...

; United Kingdom:

Hull Hull may refer to: Structures * Chassis, of an armored fighting vehicle * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a ship * Submarine hull Mathematics * Affine hull, in affi ...

, New Castle upon Tyne and Oxford; Switzerland: Geneva and Bergen. He worked briefly, in the early 1970s, as an advisor to Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and was the chairman of the 'National Commission on Historical and Cultural Research' but he later fell out with

Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Zulfikar (or Zulfiqar) Ali Bhutto ( ur, , sd, ذوالفقار علي ڀٽو; 5 January 1928 – 4 April 1979), also known as Quaid-e-Awam ("the People's Leader"), was a Pakistani barrister, politician and Politician, statesman who served as ...

and his regime and left that position. Some years later, he returned his " Sitara-i-Imtiaz" Award awarded by the

President of Pakistan The president of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=s̤adr-i Pākiṣṭān), officially the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is the ceremonial head of state of Pakistan and the commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Armed Forces.Zia-ul-Haq took over power in 1977 and was forced to leave the country. He lived many years abroad as an exile and taught at many universities abroad. He began to collect his research material for his many famous books while he was teaching in Germany. His research material was enriched by the experiences he had while living in many different countries abroad.

Death and legacy

He died in Lahore, Pakistan at the age of 81, on 15 July 2009. K. K. Aziz had returned from abroad to Lahore, Pakistan only in 2008, a year before his death. His wife, Zarina Aziz, said in an interview to a Pakistani newspaper, after his death, that he had been somewhat sick for about last 5 years but had continued to work for 10 hours daily to write and finish his books. He had written over 50 history books in his lifetime and used to say to her that his books were his children and would keep his name alive. In 2014, per a major Pakistani newspaper columnist, some young Pakistanis are starting to give K. K. Aziz credit for helping them have a balanced view of Pakistan's history. Now, at least, they got a chance to look at the history of Pakistan from a point of view other than the 'only slanted view laced with extreme ideological narratives' in the text books they studied at school and college. Pakistani people themselves and also the world at large, have the ability to sort out the truth, on individual basis, after reading many and different points of view on the history of Pakistan. Since the mid 1990s, some historians and intellectuals in Pakistan have slowly and surely tried to develop a more rational and balanced view of Pakistani history.

Literary works

Aziz had a profound love for words and writing. He authored 44 valuable books on the

modern history The term modern period or modern era (sometimes also called modern history or modern times) is the period of history that succeeds the Middle Ages (which ended approximately 1500 AD). This terminology is a historical periodization that is applie ...

of the Muslims of the Indian subcontinent. He had a unique style of writing that stimulated readers' thought process. He wrote on many significant issues related to Pakistan and also came up with volumes of significant details on important dignitaries who helped in shaping the history of the Indian subcontinent.

Bibliography

Some of his books include: * History of the Partition of India * The Meaning of Islamic Art * Public Life in Muslim India *

The Murder of History ''The Murder of History: A Critique of History Textbooks Used in Pakistan'' is a 1985 (263 page) book by Khursheed Kamal Aziz. It explains the various errors, misquotations, misinterpretations and misleading statements found in various curricu ...

: A Critique of History Textbooks used in Pakistan (one of his famous works)- first edition in 1985, second edition in 1993 * The Making of Pakistan: A Study in Nationalism * Studies in History and Politics * Party Politics in Pakistan (1947–1958) * Britain and Pakistan * Muslims Under Congress Rule (1937–1939) - A documentary record * British Imperialism in India * Woh Hawadis Ashna * The Partition of India and Emergence of Pakistan * The Pakistani Historian (his autobiography) * Rahmat Ali: A Biography * British Imperialism in India * Punjab: A Historical Miscellany * The All India Muslim Conference (1928–1935): A Documentary Record * Religion, Land and Politics in Pakistan: A Study of Piri-Muridi.K. K. Aziz's books on librarything.com website
Retrieved 5 July 2020 * Public Life in Muslim India (1850–1947) A Compendium of Basic Information on Political, Social, Religious, and Educational Organizations Active in Pre-Partition India. * World Powers and the 1971 Breakup of Pakistan * The Coffee House of Lahore: A Memoir (1942 – 57) * A Journey into the Past: Portrait of a Punjabi Family (1800 - 1970) * The Indian Khilafat Movement

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aziz, Khursheed Kamal 1927 births 2009 deaths 20th-century Pakistani historians Historians of South Asia Government College University, Lahore alumni Forman Christian College alumni Academic staff of the University of the Punjab Academics of the University of Cambridge English-language writers from Pakistan

Early life and career

Death and legacy

Literary works

Bibliography

See also

References