Javed Jabbar (

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

: جاوید جبار ) is a

Pakistani Pakistanis (, ) are the citizens and nationals of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Pakistan is the fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the second-largest Muslim population as of 2023. As much as ...

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles, genres and techniques to communicate ideas, to inspire feelings and emotions, or to entertain. Writers may develop different forms of writing such as novels, short sto ...

and

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

.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 Hyderabad State () was a princely state in the Deccan region of south-central India with its capital at the city of Hyderabad. It is now divided into the present-day state of Telangana, the Kalyana-Karnataka region of Karnataka, and the ...

; 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 St Patrick's High School is a Catholic primary and secondary school located in Saddar Town, Sindh, Karachi, Pakistan. Founded by the Jesuits in 1861, the school is the second-oldest school in Karachi.Ali, G. and Ali, M. St. Patrick’s: A journ ...

; 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 (; 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 (which is ...

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 (; reporting name: PTV); also known as ''Pakistan Television'', is the Pakistani state-owned broadcasting, broadcaster founded by the Government of Pakistan, operating under the Ministry of Information & Broadc ...

( 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 South Asia, northwestern regions of South Asia, lasting from 3300 Common Era, BCE to 1300 BCE, and in i ...

, 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 ''Beyond the Last Mountain'' is a 1976 English-language Pakistani drama film written and directed by Javed Jabbar. It was Pakistan's first English language film, which was shown at the 6th International Film Festival of India in New Delhi. An U ...

, the first feature film in English out of Pakistan. In 2008, he wrote and produced ''

Ramchand Pakistani ''Ramchand Pakistani'' () 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 roles. The ...

,'' an Urdu drama film directed by his daughter. The film focuses 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 The Senate of Pakistan, constitutionally the House of the Federation, is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Pakistan. As of 2023, It has a maximum membership of 96, of which 92 are elected by the provincial legislatures using single ...

under the martial rule of

Zia-ul-Haq Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq (12 August 192417 August 1988) was a Pakistani military officer and statesman who served as the sixth president of Pakistan from 1978 until his death in an airplane crash in 1988. He also served as the second chief of ...

. 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 Benazir Bhutto (21 June 1953 – 27 December 2007) was a Pakistani politician who served as the 11th prime minister of Pakistan from 1988 to 1990, and again from 1993 to 1996. She was also the first woman elected to head a democratic governmen ...

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 asks his fellow citizens to enroll for a high-quality education, engage in ''

ijtihad ''Ijtihad'' ( ; ' , ) is an Islamic legal term referring to independent reasoning by an expert in Islamic law, or the thorough exertion of a jurist's mental faculty in finding a solution to a legal question. It is contrasted with '' taqlid'' ( ...

'', and follow a "50 points formula" in their quest for rediscovering and redefining Pakistaniat.

Media

In 2016, Jabbar supported

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

'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—, 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, while India does it self."

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 ) (born on 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.p ...

who is a film producer and director.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jabbar, Javed 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 Pakistani media personalities Pakistani people of Hyderabadi descent Politicians from Karachi Federal ministers of Pakistan Muhajir people