“Good Books” a joint Left book shop was opened formally by Tariq Ali on 2^nd April in Lahore. A joint venture of two radical publications, Jamhoori Publications and Jeddojuhd Publications Lahore, Good Books inaugurations was attended by over 100 intellectuals’ writers, poets and political activists. Among those who spoke were Dr. Mubashar Hassan, a former federal minister under Bhotto, SM Masood, another former federal minister under Bhoto, a noted writer Asghar Nadeem Syed, Retired Major Aftab Ahmed, a former prisoner of Zia ul Haq who was accused of conspiracy to overthrow Zia ul Haque dictatorship in the eighties and Tariq Ali.

Tariq Ali told the audience that after 9/11, the space for an alternative views in the mainstream media is reduced to zero. In such situation, books are good tool to spread the ideas. This was one of the reasons that I wrote “Clash of Fundamentalism” which is now translated in Urdu language. “Books help us to understand the real situation” Tariq Ali said.

When I begin to think why Islam did not undergo a change, I started looking for answer and answer is there in history. That is how I started my quintet; the last part is yet to be written. Peoples keep asking me when I will write the last part, I tell them that I was about to start when Bush started his was on Afghanistan. So I had to write “Clash of Fundamentalism” Then I was about to start again, then Bush started his war on Iraq, so I had to write a book “ Bush in Babylon”. So if Bush does not start another war, I will pen down my last part and setting should be Lahore. After all, Lahore also is a center of Islamic civilization. We all keep mentioning Emperor Aurangzeb but there was a Dara Shikoh as well.

He praised the efforts of Labour Party Pakistan to launch a Left wing book stall and he said such a bookshop will become a meeting point for the students, youth and activists. Slowly but definitely, the words about this bookshop will spread.

Good Books is situated at 14 Mozang Road, Lahore

Farooq Tariq
general secretary
Labour Party Pakistan
40-Abbot Road Lahore, Pakistan
Tel: 92 42 6315162 Fax: 92 42 6271149 Mobile: 92 300 8411945,

labourpartypk yahoo.com
www.laborpakistan.org
www.jeddojuhd.com

Good Books at University of Punjab Lahore Book Fair

21 May 2006

After nearly 30 years, Marxist Literature was on sale publicly at University of Punjab Lahore book fair. Tariq Ali book “Clash of Fundamentalism” translated in Urdu as “Buniad Perstioon Kaa Tasadam” was one of the most sold books. The book is a class exposure of the religious fanatics and their politics.

It was Good Books stall at the book fair that made available some of Marxist classics on sale at a university dominated for the last forty years by the religious fundamentalists. The other good sales were the Urdu translations of Communist Manifesto, Wage and Labour by Marx, Left Wing Communism and Infantile Disorder by Lenin. These Urdu translations were printed by Jeddojuhd Publications. Books from Jamhoori Publications were also a good sale at the book stall.

There were over 50 book stall from different bookshops but mainly from religious fundamentalists. The religious booklets were everywhere and I was surprise to see the scale of printing by the religious fanatic groups.

The book fair was organized by the University of Punjab administration after they banned one book fair by the Islami Jamiatr Tulaba, the student wing of Jamaati Islami. But IJT also dominated this boom fair.

Outside the book fair, there was hundreds of police force called by the administration to deal with any trouble. But troubles were every day. Police used its force to enforce the decision of the university management.

Good Books is a progressive bookshop opened in April this year by Jeddoujhd (Struggle) Publications and Jamhoori Publications as joint venture. Tariq Ali opened the bookshop on 2^nd April 2006 at 14 Muzang Road Lahore.