Dr Hassan Nasir is the son of Dr Aizaz Nazeer, one of the founding members of the National Awami Party and the Communist Party in Pakistan. He was named after his father’s friend, renowned Marxist Hassan Nasir, who is believed to have died in Gen Ayub’s torture cells.

Mr Nasir inherited his Marxism from his father, whose home in Karachi was a hub of progressive thinkers and intellectuals. Mr Nasir received his PhD from the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, where he also served as president of the student union for five years. After spending 30 years in Bulgaria, he returned to Pakistan where he is currently general secretary of the National Party.

Q: How do you see the politics of Pakistan today compared to the politics of the 70s and 80s?

A: Today, the politics of Pakistan revolves around a few individuals – Zardari, the Sharifs, Imran Khan, metro etc. They perform for public consumption rather than representing public interest. The basic concept of politics is to empower the public, but here we do the opposite. I rarely see anyone talking about the basic necessities of the people – education, health, law and order. Here in Pakistan, politics have bypassed the public and its fundamental rights. The best platform to work for social change in any society is the political platform. Political parties should reshape the way politics are played out by focusing on the issues of the people rather than fooling the public. Playing politics with the public must stop, and politics for the public welfare must begin.

Q: Your Master’s thesis was titled ‘Nation and National Question in Pakistan’. What was the crux of your paper?

A: The paper starts with the creation of Pakistan and ends with the contemporary challenges the country is facing. There is lack of national integrity in Pakistan. It must be conceded that it is a multilingual country. The solution to its problems is to declare it a federal state. Pakistan did not create the four nations of the Pakthun, Baloch, Punjabi and Sindhi. Rather, the country came into being when these nations voluntarily agreed to join together. It is high time we reject the two-nation theory used to explain the breakup of the subcontinent because Muslims and Hindus live in both India and Pakistan. And it is time to acknowledge there are nations within Pakistan whose interests must be represented if there is to be national integrity. That will only become possible when we declare Pakistan a federal and multi-lingual state by giving due rights to every nation. The sooner we realize that we cannot unite them by force, the better. The nations living in Pakistan have a 4,000-year-old history. We should celebrate our rich heritage, culture and diversity

Q: Do you believe that Zia’s era brought unprecedented damage to Pakistan’s politics – damages which have still not been undone?

A: Zia was a catastrophe. What we are reaping today was sown by Zia. The recent brutal killing of Mashal Khan is the result of Zia’s policies. The dictator introduced the idea of suppressing dissenting opinions in Pakistan. He pushed the country into an unending war while instilling an extremist ideology in the minds of the youth. He radicalized our entire education system. No one thinks of producing creative minds. Has anyone thought why, with a population of 200 million, we have failed to produce great minds? The answer is simple: Zia ruined the education system.

Critical thinking is no more. I doubt if students think about what they are taught. They have become blind followers. Only positive education that teaches tolerance, respect and harmony can bring about peace. I think the best way to undo Zia’s policies is to bring changes in school curricula and to initiate student-led politics in educational institutes. Allow students to discuss any topic they wish. Thoughts should not be chained. They should be allowed to be discussed peacefully.

Q: How do you see the future of the left’s politics in Pakistan?

A: In Pakistan, there is a lack of visionary politicians who really want to empower the downtrodden. Leftist intellectuals seem to be in limbo. They don’t know what to write. I don’t see Faiz, Jalib, Mir Gul Khan Naseer and Iqbal Khattak among us today. They were not just intellectuals, but leaders as well. They were men of thought and action.

Published in Dawn, June 8th, 2017