Monday, September 1, 2025

Filmbar and RPC screening of Ingmar Bergman's "Autumn Sonata" (1978) at the Research and Publication Centre (RPC)

Filmbar and RPC's screening of Ingmar Bergman's "Autumn Sonata" (1978) at the Research and Publication Centre (RPC) on Saturday, September 7, 2025 at 6:00 pm.

Leonardo, the long time partner of Charlotte, a world renowned concert pianist, has just passed away. Because of Leonardo's passing, Charlotte's daughter, Eva, formerly a journalist, has invited her mother for an extended stay at the country home where she lives with her minister husband Viktor. Despite not having seen Eva in seven years as Charlotte is absorbed solely in her own life, Charlotte agrees. Upon arrival at the parsonage, Charlotte learns that her other daughter, Helena, is now living there with Eva as well. Helena, who is mentally disabled, used to be institutionalized until Eva decided to look after her herself starting two years ago. In some respects, Eva taking care of Helena replaces taking care of her son Erik, who accidentally drowned when he was four. Eva takes solace in believing that Erik is still a major part of her life despite his death. Charlotte also has not seen Helena in quite some time, and Eva surmises that if Charlotte knew that Helena was there, she probably would not have come. Despite telling Eva otherwise, Charlotte in private does mention her displeasure at seeing Helena there. As Eva spends more time with her mother, who she believes is a calculating woman whose actions always have a meaning behind them, her feelings from childhood re-emerge, of which she tells her mother and which she knows have shaped the unhappy person she is today. That unhappiness also has affected the way she views her marriage. Charlotte, in turn, explains the reasons for the way that she is in life.

Address: Research and Publication Centre (RPC), 2nd Floor, 65 Main Boulevard Gulberg, Lahore (next to Standard Chartered Bank, above Indesign showroom).

The screening will be followed by an informal discussion and then tea. Lift is functional.

Rashed Rahman

Editor, Pakistan Monthly Review (PMR) (link: pakistanmonthlyreview.com)

Director, Research and Publication Centre (RPC) (on Facebook)

The September 2025 issue of Pakistan Monthly Review (PMR) is out

The September 2025 issue of Pakistan Monthly Review (PMR) is out. Link: pakistanmonthlyreview.com

Contents:

1. Ray Nunes: From Marx to Mao – And After.
2. Thomas I Palley: A History: How the US exploited fractures in the post-Soviet Order.
3. Reading Karl Marx illegal.
4. Mahmood Mamdani: Good Muslim, Bad Muslim: A Political Perspective on Culture and Terrorism – II: The Cold War after Indochina.
5. Kriti M Shah: The Baloch and Pashtun national movements in Pakistan: Colonial Legacy – III: The Conflagration of Pakistan’s Northwestern border.
6. Navid Shahzad: Pakistan Here and Now: The Language of the Heart – II: Exile, yearning and loss.

7. S Zulfiqar Gilani: Authoritarian-Dark Triad Personality and Politics in Pakistan.

Rashed Rahman

Editor, Pakistan Monthly Review (PMR) (link: pakistanmonthlyreview.com)

Director, Research and Publication Centre (RPC) (on Facebook).

Cells: +92 302 8482737 & +92 333 4216335

Email: rashed.rahman1@gmail.com 

Tuesday, August 26, 2025

Business Recorder Column August 26, 2025

Six accords and a hangover

 

Rashed Rahman

 

Bangladesh and Pakistan have been estranged ‘brothers’ off and on since East Pakistan broke away with Indian support in 1971. Although Pakistan recognised Bangladesh in 1974, paving the way for Bangladesh founder and then Prime Minister Sheikh Mujibur Rehman to participate in the Islamic Summit that year in Lahore, we chose to brush the whole episode of 1971 under the carpet and forget about it. The Hamoodur Rehman Commission Report to look into the whole affair was suppressed. Succeeding generations were not told that Bangladesh was once East Pakistan. This collective, contrived amnesia naturally meant we failed to learn any lessons from that tragic debacle.

It was expected that the overthrow of Sheikh Hasina Wajed would open the floodgates of rapprochement between Islamabad and Dhaka. And so it has proved. Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar’s visit to Bangladesh and meetings with Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus and Foreign Affairs Advisor Mohammad Touhid Hossain have yielded six instruments. These include an agreement to abolish visas for diplomatic and official passport holders, strengthen bilateral ties, boost trade, expand youth-to-youth and cultural exchanges and the revitalisation of regional cooperation through the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). Direct shipping and flights between the two countries are on the agenda. SAARC, however, has been largely defunct for many years because of the gulf between Pakistan and India, and the present state of South Asia does not offer much optimism regarding its revival.

According to the Bangladeshi The Daily Star, however, all this bonhomie also carries within its fold differences on the outstanding, unresolved issues, mostly dating from 1971. These revolve around Bangladesh’s long standing demand for a formal apology for the events of 1971, the repatriation of stranded Pakistanis (mostly Biharis) and a return of assets covering its share in undivided Pakistan. Mr Dar, on the other hand, argued that these issues had already been “resolved twice”, in 1974 when Pakistan recognized Bangladesh, and in 2002, when President General Pervez Musharraf visited the country. Mr Dar did not reveal what was ‘settled’ at these two dates, but pleaded instead for brothers to clean their hearts (i.e. forget about it). Bangladesh, however, has not forgotten. How can it, when such an inhuman tragedy was foisted on it, Pakistan has never acknowledged it, nor offered recompense. The Biharis sided with Pakistan in that fratricidal conflict, and were then abandoned to a miserable existence on the periphery of Bangladeshi society, tagged with the label ‘collaborators’. Pakistan’s military was accused of widespread atrocities. Estimates of the resulting deaths vary greatly, from hundreds of thousands to millions. No accurate reckoning is available. Reports of rape and torture too were widespread. The Pakistani authorities, post-1971, did not accept or even acknowledge these claims.

But it seems now, in changed circumstances, that Pakistan, at least, and to some extent Bangladesh, do not want these differences to stand in the way of the new strategic reordering of the triangular Pakistan-India-Bangladesh knot. Dar’s visit comes 13 years after the last Pakistani foreign minister’s visit. In the intervening years, Sheikh Hasina was in power and relations between Dhaka and Islamabad were frosty, to put it mildly. It remains to be seen whether the past narrative can now be rewritten, moving beyond historical grievances towards pragmatic engagement, despite the shadow of 1971 still looming large. Pragmatic engagement will probably revolve centrally around economic interests and trade. Pakistan has expressed an interest in Bangladesh’s textile and leather industries.

While economic engagement and cooperation may be central to the ‘new beginning’ hoped for in Pakistan-Bangladesh relations, it behoves us to expand people-to-people contacts between the current generations of both countries, so that they can light the fire of historical reconciliation, brotherhood and respect, which were so rudely destroyed half a century ago, drowning with them the vision of Pakistan according to its founders in the Bay of Bengal.

 

 

 

 

rashed.rahman1@gmail.com

rashed-rahman.blogspot.com

Wednesday, August 20, 2025

RPC and Filmbar's screening of Michael Haneke’s "The White Ribbon" (2009) at the Research and Publication Centre (RPC) on Saturday, August 23, 2025, at 6:00 pm.

RPC and Filmbar's screening of Michael Haneke’s "The White Ribbon" (2009) at the Research and Publication Centre (RPC) on Saturday, August 23, 2025, at 6:00 pm.

"The White Ribbon", directed by Michael Haneke, is set in a small German village just before World War I. Behind the town’s strict order and religious devotion, strange accidents and acts of cruelty begin to surface, revealing a community shaped by repression, harsh authority, and silence. Haneke shows how the rigid discipline and blind obedience forced on children plant the seeds of future violence, hinting at the roots of fascism. Filmed in stark black and white, the movie is less about solving the mystery of the crimes and more about uncovering how hidden tensions and unspoken brutality shape history.

This movie is not only a portrait of a community on the brink of history, but also a meditation on innocence, cruelty, and the unspoken tensions that shape human relationships. Through its stark imagery and unsettling silences, the film examines how fear, secrecy, and moral rigidity can fracture trust and distort childhood itself. At once intimate and universal, it raises questions about memory, guilt, and the weight of the past. 

Join us for the screening, followed by tea and conversation.

Address: Research and Publication Centre (RPC), 2nd Floor, 65 Main Boulevard Gulberg, Lahore (Next to Standard Chartered Bank, above Indesign Showroom).

Lift is functional.

Google Maps Pin:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/9PnxcnwqZNZKCpZq9

In case of a query, Please feel free to contact the number given below.
Name: Harris Khan
Contact: 0300 7445453

Rashed Rahman
Editor, Pakistan Monthly Review (PMR) (link: pakistanmonthlyreview.com)
Director, Research and Publication Centre (RPC) (on Facebook)
Email: rashed.rahman1@gmail.com
Cell: 0302 8482737

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Tuesday, August 12, 2025

RPC and Filmbar's screening of Theo Angelopoulos' "Eternity and a Day" (1998) at the Research and Publication Centre (RPC) on Saturday, August 16, 2025, at 6:00 pm.

RPC and Filmbar's screening of Theo Angelopoulos' "Eternity and a Day" (1998) at the Research and Publication Centre (RPC) on Saturday, August 16, 2025, at 6:00 pm.

In "Eternity and a Day", a dying poet spends his final day aiding a young Albanian refugee, their journey through Thessaloniki blending memory, dream, and present reality. As he recalls lost love and unfinished work, their bond becomes a quiet act of resistance, reflecting on Greece’s political borders, migration, and the shared humanity that transcends them.

"Eternity and a Day" subtly embeds political commentary within its intimate story, using the bond between a dying Greek poet and a young Albanian refugee to reflect on 1990s Balkan migration, the hardships following the collapse of communism, and the human consequences of rigid borders. Through their encounters, the film questions nationalist notions of belonging, recalls Greece’s own history of political repression and cultural loss, and contrasts individual compassion with societal indifference — suggesting that even the smallest personal acts of solidarity can carry profound political weight.

Theo Angelopoulos, the acclaimed Greek filmmaker behind "Eternity and a Day", was renowned for his meditative storytelling, long, unbroken takes, and painterly compositions that blur the line between past and present. His films often weave personal narratives with the political history of Greece and the Balkans, using allegory and poetic imagery to explore themes of exile, memory, and identity. Angelopoulos’ cinema is distinctive for its deliberate pacing, atmospheric use of landscape, and ability to turn small, human encounters into reflections on the sweep of history — an approach that earned him international recognition, including the Palme d’Or at Cannes.

Join us for a thoughtful evening of film, followed by tea and conversation.

Address: Research and Publication Centre (RPC), 2nd Floor, 65 Main Boulevard Gulberg, Lahore (Next to Standard Chartered Bank, above Indesign Showroom).

Lift is functional.

Google Maps Pin:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/9PnxcnwqZNZKCpZq9

In case of a query, Please feel free to contact the number given below.
Name: Harris Khan
Contact: 0300 7445453

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Raza Naeem's talk on the 50th assassination anniversary of Sheikh Mujibur Rehman at RPC

Raza Naeem will deliver a talk at the Research and Publication Centre (RPC) on the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rehman on Friday, August 15, 2025 at 6:00 pm.

This talk reflects upon the historical legacy and memory of Sheikh Mujibur Rehman in pre-1971 Pakistan (the unfinished baggage of the partition of 1947), and more recently, in Post-'Naya Pakistan' on the occasion of Mujib's 50th assassination anniversary (August 15, 1975). It traces Mujib's career in Pakistan as a loyal Muslim Leaguer and then as a faithful lieutenant of Fatima Jinnah before becoming the 'separatist' and 'traitor' that he was branded as subsequently after March 9, 1971. The question my talk then asks is: 'Did Mujibur Rehman want to break Pakistan?' It falls back then on a comparison with how the founder of Pakistan Muhammad Ali Jinnah himself was branded as a traitor and separatist, accused of wanting to break up India. Indeed the word 'traitor' is still being used with impunity to demonize every opponent of the political establishment in post-'Naya Pakistan', from the mainstream politicians like Nawaz Sharif of the Pakistan Muslim League and Imran Khan of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf to the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement leaders Manzoor Pashteen, its elected leaders in Pakistan's parliament Mohsin Dawar and Ali Wazir, and the Baloch Yakjehti Commitee led by Dr Mahrang Baloch, all of whom repeatedly pledge to work within the Constitution of Pakistan. 
Raza Naeem is an award-winning Pakistani writer, researcher and translator, trained in Political Economy at the University of Leeds, UK and in Middle Eastern History at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, US. He is based in Lahore as an Instructor of Pakistan Studies (History) at Lahore Grammar School and as the President of the Progressive Writers Association (Anjuman Taraqqi Pasand Mussanifeen). The research for this talk has been ongoing since 2020 (Mujib's centenary year) based on South Asian collections kept in the British Library in London and scores of interviews with Pakistan's politicians, historians and activists.  

All friends are welcome. Lift is operational. Tea will be served.

Adress: Research and Publication Centre (RPC), 2nd Floor, 65 Main Boulevard Gulberg, Lahore (next to Standard Chartered Bank, above Indesign showroom).

Rashed Rahman
Editor, Pakistan Monthly Review (PMR) (link: pakistanmonthlyreview.com)
Director, Research and Publication Centre (RPC) (on Facebook)

Business Recorder Column August 12, 2025

Israel’s ‘Vietnam’?

 

Rashed Rahman

 

Israel’s Gaza takeover plan has aroused a great deal of froth and indignant verbiage at the UN and in many countries of the world. To take a representative sample, UN Assistant Secretary General Miroslav Jenca told the UN Security Council on August 10, 2025 that the plan risks another calamity with far-reaching consequences reverberating across the region, causing further forced displacement, killings and destruction. The UN’s humanitarian office OCHA said 98 children had died from acute malnutrition since the start of the conflict in October 2023, with 37 deaths since July 2025, figures that are probably a gross underestimate. OCHA’s Coordination Director Ramesh Rajasingham says, “This is no longer a looming hunger crisis – this is starvation, pure and simple.” People do not need this belated description of events in Gaza when they are confronted daily by pictures of emaciated children in hospitals being cared for by distraught but incredibly calm mothers. Palestinian Ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour said “over two million victims are enduring unbearable agony”, while Israel’s plans for the takeover of Gaza City are “illegal and immoral”.

All this diplomatic huffing and puffing is taking place in the hallowed halls of the UN in New York, where the Security Council is meeting to address the issue of Israel’s plans for Gaza. Notable absentees at the meeting are the veto-bearing US and its ally Israel, both berating even this articulate waterfall of words, which nevertheless remain as hollow as the shameful inaction by Arab and Muslim countries in solidarity with their oppressed Palestinian brothers and sisters. Some of these worthy neighbours of Israel continue to enjoy diplomatic relations with Tel Aviv and others even feel little or no compunction in entering into lucrative trade and economic deals with the Zionist entity. So much for Muslim solidarity.

The death toll (probably an underestimate) since October 2023 has climbed to 61,430, most of whom have been killed while seeking food at aid centres. All the hot air emanating from Palestine’s original Muslim supporters and, lately, Western capitals finally appalled at Israeli cruelty and falling back on the moribund ‘two-state solution’ for fear of worse, cannot and will not change an iota of the misery and suffering of the people of Gaza. Only action will. There has been unceasing talk, and protests by people in Western countries, to boycott Israel in arms and the economy, on the lines of the boycott that so successfully hollowed out South Africa’s apartheid regime. But this holy campaign has yet to see the light of day in any meaningful sense, misgivings and vows of cutting off arms supplies by Germany and others of late notwithstanding.

Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan is to takeover Gaza City and another area not yet fully in the control of the Israeli army to destroy Hamas and rescue the remainder of the Israeli hostages still with Hamas. But even his own military chief has expressed strong reservations regarding the plan, fearing the hostages will be lost and the Israeli army bogged down in a protracted guerrilla war with Hamas. He was firmly overruled by Netanyahu and has now agreed to implement the plan. The far-right in Netanyahu’s Cabinet wants the plan to be strengthened and made more rigorous. It feels the plan does not go far enough. By this they mean their desire to capture Gaza and eject the Palestinians. Netanyahu’s ‘short timetable’, destruction of Hamas and rescue of the hostages are all likely to fail. The Israeli military’s professional assessment is probably nearer the mark.

Netanyahu intends, if his plans succeed, to impose a government in Gaza composed of neither Hamas nor the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO). He is hoping to impose a government of the elements opposing Hamas, composed mostly of bands of Bedouin criminals. Hamas has clearly messaged that any such collaborationist regime imposed on Gaza will be treated as an arm of the Israeli enemy.

Interestingly, Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani in an interview has put a new twist on Israel’s plans for Gaza. He thinks the invasion of Gaza risks turning into a ‘Vietnam’ for Israeli soldiers. That is surely not a fate Israel’s main unremitting supporter the US would wish to see replicated and visited on its beloved Zionist ‘pet’.

 

 

 

 

 

 

rashed.rahman1@gmail.com

rashed-rahman.blogspot.com

Chairperson HRCP Asad Butt at RPC ON Wednesday, August 13, 2025

Chairperson HRCP Asad Butt will grace us with his presence and analysis of the current situation, to be followed by an open discussion, on Wednesday, August 13, 2025 at 6:00 pm at the Research and Publication Centre (RPC).

All friends are welcome. Lift is functional. Tea will be served.

Address: Research and Publication Centre (RPC), 2nd Floor, 65 Main Boulevard Gulberg, Lahore (next to Standard Chartered Bank, above Indesign showroom).

Rashed Rahman

Editor, Pakistan Monthly Review (PMR) (link: pakistanmonthlyreview.com)

Director, Research and Publication Centre (RPC) (on Facebook)

Tuesday, August 5, 2025

Filmbar and RPC screening of Woody Allen's "Crimes and Misdemeanors" (1989) at the Research and Publication Centre (RPC) on Saturday, August 9, 2025, at 6:00 pm

Filmbar and RPC screening of Woody Allen's "Crimes and Misdemeanors" (1989) at the Research and Publication Centre (RPC) on Saturday, August 9, 2025, at 6:00 pm.

"Crimes and Misdemeanors" is a darkly comedic exploration of morality, guilt, and the choices people make when faced with moral dilemmas. The film weaves together two parallel stories: one about a successful man grappling with a life-altering ethical decision, and the other about a struggling filmmaker entangled in professional and romantic frustrations.

Woody Allen is a filmmaker known for his singular blend of sharp wit, philosophical introspection, and a deep fascination with human flaws. What makes him unique is his ability to merge humour and melancholy, often shifting seamlessly between laugh-out-loud absurdity and quietly profound reflections on morality, love, and the meaning of life. His films frequently explore neurotic characters and moral gray areas, yet they remain deeply entertaining, thanks to his gift for sharp dialogue, ironic humour, and the way he captures the absurdity of everyday existence. Allen’s signature style lies in this balance — turning intimate, often uncomfortable human truths into stories that are both thought-provoking and darkly funny.

This week, we take a different turn with the screening of a film that masterfully blends wit with reflection. Join us for an evening of cinema, followed by tea and conversation.

Address: Research and Publication Centre (RPC), 2nd Floor, 65 Main Boulevard Gulberg, Lahore (Next to Standard Chartered Bank, above Indesign Showroom).
Lift is functional.

Google Maps Pin:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/9PnxcnwqZNZKCpZq9

In case of a query, Please feel free to contact the number given below.
Name: Harris Khan
Contact: 0300 7445453

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Book Launch at RPC

Research and Publication Centre (RPC) cordially invites you to a Book Launch of Idrees Tabassum's latest book "Moharkat-e-Taqseem-e-Hind" (Fiction House, Lahore, 2025) on Thursday, August 7, 2025 at 6:00 pm.

Speakers:

1. Amjad Tufail.

2. Maqsood Khaliq.

3. Abid Hussain Abid.

4. Abdul Waheed.

5. Hussain Majrooh.

6. Dr Mohammad Alam.

Address: Research and Publication Centre (RPC), 2nd Floor, 65 Main Boulevard Gulberg, Lahore (next to Standard Chartered Bank, above Indesign showroom).

All friends are welcome. Tea will be served.

Rashed Rahman

Editor, Pakistan Monthly Review (PMR) (link: pakistanmonthlyreview.com)

Director, Research and Publication Centre (RPC) (on Facebook)

Cell: 0302 8482737

 

Business Recorder Column August 5, 2025

Decapitating PTI?

 

Rashed Rahman

 

On July 31, 2025, an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Faisalabad sentenced over a 100 leaders and workers of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf (PTI) to jail terms of up to 10 years in connection with the May 9, 2023 riots. On that day, PTI supporters protesting the arrest of their leader Imran Khan, staged violent protests throughout the country, vandalising military installations, state-owned buildings and the Lahore Corps Commander’s residence. In the aftermath of these events, thousands of protestors, including party leaders, were arrested. The Faisalabad ATC ordered the arrest of all those convicted who were not present in the court. These sentences follow a military court’s sentencing on December 21 and 26, 2024 of over 50 PTI leaders and activists for up to 10 years for their involvement in the same May 9 riots. The ATCs have been hearing the May 9 related cases daily to meet a deadline set by the Supreme Court (SC) for the conclusion of the trials by August 2025. So should we read the Faisalabad ATC’s extra speed in pronouncing sentence on over 100 leaders and workers of the PTI purely the result of the SC’s deadline? That may be too naïve.

Consider. The PTI, despite the ‘decapitation’ of a considerable weight of its leadership and activists, has announced plans to hold a countrywide protest movement today, August 5, 2025 to demand the release of Imran Khan amongst other demands to “restore genuine democracy”, reverse the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP’s) disqualification of ATC-convicted PTI parliamentarians without waiting for their appeals to be heard, and, despite the fact that all those sentenced but not in prison have gone ‘underground’, use today’s (August 5, 2025) National Assembly session called by President Asif Zardari to stage strong protests in the House against perceived and actual repression let loose against the PTI. It may well be, therefore, that the Faisalabad ATC’s ‘haste’ had something to do with an effort to stymie, if not quell, the PTI’s protest plans. This, in addition to the PTI’s own difficulties if their ‘underground’ leaders and cadres emerge to stage the protests, risking thereby arrest and lengthy incarceration. It remains to be seen therefore, how the protests play out. Peaceful protest declamations by the PTI notwithstanding, the day could prove extremely violent.

On the eve of the countrywide protest drive, Imran Khan has reportedly managed to send out a message to his followers; his message consists of two components. The first is his reiteration of the policy he has long advocated and adhered to, including when he was in power, to refrain from any further military operations in the tribal areas against the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and instead attempt to negotiate with them. While this argument sounds seductive, especially given the desire and actual practice of some tribal elders of carrying on negotiations with the TTP for a ceasefire, it was tried in the past but made shipwreck on the TTP’s violation of every agreement for ceasefires and peace. When Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ali Amin Gandapur reminds us that we have so far conducted 21 military operations that did not succeed, what he significantly omits is the reasons why these operations did not succeed. In a nutshell, it was because the TTP went back to terrorism after every such ‘deal’. The tribal elders’ hopes notwithstanding, there is no evidence that the TTP has changed its colours and will not repeat the breaking of any ceasefire or peace agreement. So one may be forgiven for advising Imran Khan not to waste the few and far between opportunities to get his messages out on a demonstrably failed strategy.

The second part of Imran Khan’s message concerns the protest drive. He condemns (justly, many would say) the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) as proxies of the establishment. The problem though is that many others have not forgotten that Imran Khan and the PTI came to power in 1918 with the help and backing of the same establishment, and would probably still be enjoying the perks and privileges of power instead of cooling their heels in less salubrious surroundings if they had not eventually fallen out with their mentors.

What this recalled truth implies is that the people of Pakistan are presented with a devil’s bargain in choosing between present (and incumbent) establishment proxies and (past) would-be proxies. In fact, the people have been left with no (or only bad) choices since the political class entire has sold them out to the real powers-that-be in Pakistan. This Hobson’s choice is perhaps the major reason for the disillusionment, despair and depression of the vast majority, especially the youth, whose pure idealism has been destroyed by the cynical betrayal of their hopes and dreams by the political class as a whole, composed, it may be noted in passing, of the elite that has gripped a suffering people by their throats.

 

 

 

 

 

rashed.rahman1@gmail.com

rashed-rahman.blogspot.com

Friday, August 1, 2025

The August 2025 issue of Pakistan Monthly Review (PMR) is out

The August 2025 issue of Pakistan Monthly Review (PMR) is out. Link: pakistanmonthlyreview.com

Contents:

1. Ali Abutalebi: Revolution vs Integration: Iran’s Strategic Turning Points.
2. Mahmood Mamdani: Good Muslim, Bad Muslim: A Political Perspective on Culture and Terrorism.
3. S Zulfiqar Gilani: Entwinement of Politics and Political Leadership in Pakistan.
4. Navid Shahzad: Pakistan Here and Now: The Language of the Heart.
5. Kriti M Shah: The Baloch and Pashtun national movements in Pakistan: Colonial Legacy and the failure of state policy – II: The Role of State Policy.

Rashed Rahman
Editor, Pakistan Monthly Review (PMR) (link: pakistanmonthlyreview.com)
Director, Research and Publication Centre (RPC) (on Facebook)

Monday, July 28, 2025

Filmbar and RPC screening of Guru Dutt's "Kaagaz Ke Phool" (1959) at the Research and Publication Centre (RPC) on Saturday, August 2, 2025, at 6:00 pm

Filmbar and RPC screening of Guru Dutt's "Kaagaz Ke Phool" (1959) at the Research and Publication Centre (RPC) on Saturday, August 2, 2025, at 6:00 pm.

"Kaagaz Ke Phool" is a timeless Hindi classic that tells the story of a celebrated filmmaker whose career and personal life begin to crumble after he discovers a young woman and turns her into a star. As fame fades and relationships strain, the film reflects on the impermanence of success and the emotional cost of creativity.

July 9, 2025 marked 100 years since the birth of Guru Dutt, a cinematic genius whose influence on Indian cinema remains unmatched. The upcoming screening of "Kaagaz Ke Phool" is a tribute to the maestro — an icon of parallel cinema known for his poetic storytelling, innovative use of light and shadow, and profound emotional depth. Guru Dutt was not only a visionary director but also a gifted actor and hands-on filmmaker who often wore multiple hats on set — writing, producing, acting, and shaping every frame with meticulous care.

"Kaagaz Ke Phool", his final directorial venture, is a deeply personal film exploring themes of fame, loneliness, and artistic disillusionment. Though it was a box office failure at the time, the film’s rejection deeply affected him, causing him to step away from direction altogether. Decades later, it was rediscovered and embraced as a cult classic — praised for its haunting cinematography, emotional complexity, and artistic bravery. Tragically, Guru Dutt passed away young, but his legacy lives on. Join us in celebrating the life and work of one of Indian cinema’s greatest auteurs through the timeless beauty of "Kaagaz Ke Phool".

The screening will be followed by an open discussion reflecting on the works of the maestro and the lasting legacy he left behind. All friends are welcome to join in this tribute to one of Indian cinema’s most influential voices. Tea will be served.

Address: Research and Publication Centre (RPC), 2nd Floor, 65 Main Boulevard Gulberg, Lahore (Next to Standard Chartered Bank, above Indesign Showroom).
Lift is functional.

Google Maps Pin:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/9PnxcnwqZNZKCpZq9

In case of a query, Please feel free to contact the number given below.
Name: Harris Khan
Contact: 0300 7445453

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Thursday, July 24, 2025

Filmbar and RPC's screening of David Cronenberg’s "Crash" (1996), Saturday, July 27, 2025 at 6:00 pm at the Research and Publication Centre (RPC)

Filmbar and RPC's screening of David Cronenberg’s "Crash" (1996), Saturday, July 27, 2025 at 6:00 pm at the Research and Publication Centre (RPC).

A provocative and haunting exploration of desire, technology, and trauma, Crash remains one of Cronenberg’s most daring and controversial films. Adapted from J G Ballard’s cult novel, the film follows individuals whose fascination with car accidents blurs the lines between pleasure and pain, intimacy and machinery.

Viewer discretion is advised — the film is a cult classic and contains explicit scenes and may not be suitable for all audiences.

📍 Important Notice: Screenings will no longer take place on Fridays. From now on, all screenings will be held on Saturdays.

Address: Research and Publication Centre (RPC), 2nd Floor, 65 Main Boulevard Gulberg, Lahore (Next to Standard Chartered Bank, above Indesign Showroom).
Lift is functional.

The screening will be followed by a discussion about the different works of Cronenberg and the novel by J G Ballard on which the film is based. All friends are welcome. Tea will be served. Join us for an evening of bold, boundary-pushing cinema.

Google Maps Pin:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/9PnxcnwqZNZKCpZq9

In case of a query, Please feel free to contact the number given below.
Name: Harris Khan
Contact: 0300 7445453

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