‘A Book of Conquest – Discussion on the Politics of Chachnama’

The fourth webinar on the series of sessions on Sindh and Punjab
was organized by IPS’ Faith and Society desk in collaboration with Decolonial
Dialogues on March 25, 2021 to discuss ‘A Book of Conquest: The Chachnama and
Muslim Origins in South Asia’ – the groundbreaking interpretive historiography
of the 8th-13th century Sindh and Punjab authored by Prof. Manan Ahmed Asif.

Apart from the author himself, the discussant of the session
included Asghar Soomro, a senior journalist, Jami Chandio, writer and Sindhi
intellectual, Dr. Saeed Ahmed Rid, assistant professor, National Institute of
Pakistan Studies – Quaid-i-Azam University (NIPS-QAU), Islamabad, Dr. Sadia
Mahmood, assistant professor, NIPS, QAU. Prof Ronki Ram from Punjab University,
Chandigarh, Hussain Bux Mallah, research collective, Karachi and Dr Ahmed Memon
from the University of Kent.

The panelists discussed the history of the conquest/invasion of
Sindh by Arabs and multiple interpretations of it in the light of the recent
research of Prof Manan. The author argued in the discussion that Chachnama is a
book of political theory written for the 13th century rulers to advise them in
the matters of governance and public policy.