In Pakistani historiography where the major pre-occupation remains the narrative surrounding the creation of Pakistan, many aspects of national life, like the emergence of Bengali nationalism, are given scant attention.

A major arena of national amnesia that this paper seeks to address is the absence of any serious work on the nascent Communist Party of Pakistan’s relationship with the populace and the state. This paper is part of a larger research project that seeks to critically engage with cultural politics during Pakistan’s early years of existence, paying special attention to the Communist Party of Pakistan during its brief period of legal existence after Pakistan gained independence. In pursuing this task the paper will concentrate on literary exchanges between various intellectuals to offer a glimpse beyond the official retelling of Pakistan’s history which periodically omits how the young country struggled to create an ideological consensus and to find a cultural basis for its creation and existence.

I loved and hated this for its bitter accuracy. Great read.