Prof. Dr. Tahir Kamran SLASS - BNU

Prof. Dr. Tahir Kamran is a distinguished historian, columnist, and public intellectual, widely recognized for his contributions to the fields of South Asian history and contemporary social issues. With a career spanning several decades, Dr. Kamran has emerged as a leading figure in the academic study of Pakistan’s history, particularly focusing on sectarianism, religious fundamentalism, and the conditions of minorities in the country.

He was honored as the Allama Iqbal Fellow at the Centre for South Asian Studies (CSAS) at the University of Cambridge, where he conducted in-depth research on the complexities of South Asian society. During his tenure at Cambridge, he was also a Fellow of Wolfson College from 2010 to 2015. These prestigious appointments allowed him to engage with some of the foremost scholars in his field and contributed significantly to his expertise in historical analysis.

Dr. Kamran is currently the Head of the Department of Liberal Arts at Beaconhouse National University (BNU) in Lahore, where he continues to shape the academic landscape and mentor the next generation of scholars. Under his leadership, the department has grown in prominence, emphasizing critical thinking and interdisciplinary studies.

An accomplished author, Dr. Kamran has published extensively on the history of Pakistan, with particular attention to the issues of sectarianism and the rights of religious minorities. His scholarly work critically examines the intersection of religion, politics, and society in South Asia. His most recent book, Chequered Past, Uncertain Future: The History of Pakistan (2024), published by Reaktion Books, is a sweeping and critical exploration of Pakistan’s historical trajectory. The book delves into the nation’s turbulent past and its uncertain future, analyzing the political, social, and religious challenges that have shaped the country’s development. Dr. Kamran’s previous works include Colonial Lahore: History of the City and Beyond (2016), co-authored with Ian Talbot, which offers a detailed exploration of Lahore’s transformation under British colonial rule and its social, cultural, and political implications.

In addition to his written work, Dr. Kamran is the founding editor of the Pakistan Journal of Historical Studies, a peer-reviewed academic journal dedicated to advancing research in South Asian history. Through this platform, he has provided a space for scholars to discuss and disseminate new insights into the region's complex historical narratives.

Dr. Kamran’s work has earned him recognition both in academic circles and beyond, and his expertise is frequently sought after for public discourse on issues related to history, politics, and social justice in Pakistan. He continues to be a key voice in the intellectual landscape of Pakistan, advocating for critical reflection on the country’s history and its ongoing challenges.

• Doctor of Philosophy (History), University of Punjab (Lahore) Thesis: The Punjab Legislative Council
• Master of Arts (History), University of Punjab (Lahore) Thesis: East-West Rivalry on the Suez Canal
• Bachelor of Arts, Government F.C. College (affiliated with the University of Punjab, Lahore)

• Head of the Department of Liberal Arts, Seeta Majeed School of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, Beaconhouse National University (Present)
• Dean, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Government College University, Lahore (2015–Present)
• Professor of History, Chairman, Department of History, Government College University, Lahore (2015–Present)
• Managing Director, Khaldunia Centre for Historical Research, Lahore, Pakistan (2015–Present)
• Affiliated Scholar, Centre of South Asian Studies, Cambridge University, UK (2017–Present)
• Member of Governing Body and Fellow, Wolfson College, University of Cambridge, UK (2014–2015)
• Management Committee Member, Centre of South Asian Studies, University of Cambridge, UK (2011–2015)
• Allama Iqbal Professorial Fellow, Wolfson College and Centre of South Asian Studies, Cambridge University, UK (2010–2015)
• Chairman, Department of History, Government College University, Lahore (2003–2010)
• Associate Professor in History, Government College University, Lahore (2005–2010)
• Assistant Professor in History, Government College University, Lahore (1994–2005)
• Lecturer in History, Forman Christian College, Lahore (1987–1994)
• Senior Research Fellow, Pakistan Studies Centre, University of the Punjab, Lahore (1987)

• 2017: Best Author of Academic Title (2016), Colonial Lahore, awarded by CHOICE.
• 2010–2015: Fellow of Wolfson College and Member of the Governing Body, University of Cambridge.
• 2010: Member of the Management Committee, Centre of South Asian Studies, University of Cambridge.
• 2010: Chairman, Cambridge Iqbal Forum, Cambridge, UK.
• 2009: Member of the Board of Studies, Department of History, Allama Iqbal Open University, Islamabad.
• 2008: Member of the Selection Board, National Institute of Historical and Cultural Research, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad.
• 2008: Member of the Governing Body, National Institute of Historical and Cultural Research, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad.
• 2007–2008: Member of the National Curriculum Committee for History and Pakistan Studies.
• 2007: Associate, Peace Studies Department, University of Bradford, UK.
• Jan–Feb 2006: Visiting Fellow, Centre for Historical Studies, School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.

• July 11–12, 2018: Workshop on “Training Workshop and Mentoring Session” at Government College University (GCU), Lahore.
• October 17, 2017: Talk on “The Will of the People” at GCU, Lahore.
• October 11, 2017: Seminar “Pakistan Turns Seventy” at GCU, Lahore.
• May 10, 2017: Seminar “Lahore: Past and Present” at GCU, Lahore.
• March 6–9, 2017: “Women's Week 2017” at GCU, Lahore.
• March 31, 2016: Seminar “The State of Punjabi in Pakistan and UK” at GCU, Lahore.
• March 25, 2016: Seminar “Pakistan Day: 23rd March” at GCU, Lahore.
• March 18, 2016: Workshop on “European Perceptions of the Mughals and Safavid States in Comparative Perspective” at GCU, Lahore.
• April 2014: Paper titled “Pakistan’s Electoral Politics during the First Decade” at a conference organized by CRAASH on South Asia, University of Cambridge.
• March 2014: Keynote speaker, workshop on “Pakistan and the Teaching of History” at South Asia Institute, Columbia University.
• December 2013: Paper titled “The Importance of Religion in Pakistani Polity” at a two-day conference, University of Durham, UK.
• August 2013: Delivered four lectures on “Pakistan: Issues of Sectarianism and Political Exigencies” in Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, and Toronto, Canada.
• March 2013: Paper titled “Chishtiya Order in the Punjab and Its Sectarian Rubric” at a two-day conference, Institut d’études avancées de Paris.
• September 2012: Seminar “The Politics of Exclusion in Pakistan” at Royal Holloway, University of London.
• April 2011: Paper titled “State of Minorities in Pakistan: A Case Study of Pakistani Christians” at BASAS Conference, University of Southampton.
• July 2010: Paper titled “Jhang and Gilgit: Study in Sectarian Juxtaposition” at a three-day conference, University of Birmingham.
• June 2009: Paper titled “Punjab’s Role in the Federal Structure of Pakistan” at a seminar hosted by the Punjab Research Group, GCU, Lahore.
• November 2008: Seminar titled “History in Crisis” on the state of social science in Pakistan, GCU, Lahore.
• April 2008: Paper titled “Pakistan in a Grip of Religious Fundamentalism” at a three-day seminar hosted by SAPNA, Nepal.
• December 2007: Paper titled “Problematizing Iqbal as a State Ideologue” at a two-day conference, South Asia Institute, University of Heidelberg, Germany.
• June 2007: Paper titled “Refugees and Their Settlement in the Punjab” at a two-day conference, “Refugees and the End of Empire,” De Montfort University.
• March 2007: Paper titled “Sectarian Violence in Pakistan” at the Department of Sociology, University of Manchester.
• March 2007: Paper titled “Jinnah, the Emergence of Muslim League, and the Creation of Pakistan” at De Montfort University, Leicester.
• February 2007: Workshop titled “Dilemma with Pakistani History Textbooks” hosted by the Department of South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore.
• January 2007: Paper titled “Shia-Sunni Chasm in Pakistan” at the Peace Studies Department, University of Bradford.
• November 2006: Seminar on “Sectarian Militancy in Pakistan” at the History Department, University of Southampton.
• October 2006: Paper titled “Jhang: The Epicenter of Sectarian Violence” at the Punjab Research Group, Coventry University.
• February 2006: Paper titled “Divergence Between State and Society: A Case Study of Pakistan” at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.
• February 2006: Paper titled “Islam, Urdu, and Hindu as the Other” at a conference on multiculturalism, Pragiti Maidan, New Delhi, hosted by the Indian Book Foundation.
• January 2006: Paper titled “Majlis-i-Ahrar-i-Islam” at the two-day History Conference, “Punjab and the Raj,” hosted by the Department of History, GCU, Lahore.
• December 2005: Imagined Unity as Binary Opposition to Regional Diversity: A Study of Punjab History as a “Silenced Space” in Pakistani Epistemic Milieu, Sustainable Development Policy Institute’s Annual Conference, Islamabad.
• April 2005: Construction of Hindu as the Other in Pakistani History Textbooks, All Pakistan History Conference, Karachi.
• March 2005: Punjab, Urdu, and Pakistan – A Question of Displaced Identity, Lahore University of Management Sciences, Lahore.
• January 2005: Nationalism Aur Tareekh Naveesi (Nationalism and History Writing), History Conference, National College of Arts, Lahore.
• December 2004: Shifting Paradigms: Emerging Perspectives and the Discourse of Orality, Sustainable Development Policy Institute, Islamabad.
• May 2004: Colonialism, Nazria Aur Hindustan Par Us Ka Itlaaq, History Conference, Wafaqi Urdu University, Karachi.
• December 2003: Problematic of Identity in the Educational Discourse of Pakistan, Sustainable Development Policy Institute, Islamabad.
• 2001: Communalism and Rural-Urban Divide in the Colonial Punjab, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.
• 2001: Communal Strife and the Role of Missionaries in 19th Century Punjab, Punjab Research Group, Coventry University.
• 1997: Partition of 1947: A Retrospective Analysis, Institute of Punjab Studies, New Delhi.
• 1996: Rise and Fall of Kalhura Dynasty, Kalhuras of Sind Conference, Karachi, hosted by the Government of Sind.
• January 2006: Majlis-i-Ahrar-i-Islam, presented at the two-day History Conference, Punjab and the Raj, hosted by the Department of History, GCU, Lahore.

• Member of Editorial Board, Journal of South Asia
• Founding Editor (2015-), Pakistan Journal of Historical Studies, published by Indiana University Press, Bloomington, USA
• Founding Editor (2003-), The Historian, bi-annual Journal of History, Government College University, Lahore
• Member, Editorial Advisory Board, Journal of Social Sciences & Humanities, Allama Iqbal Open University, Islamabad, Pakistan
• Guest Editor, Journal of Punjab Studies, April 2007, University of California, Santa Barbara, USA
• Jan 1999 - Dec 2001, Assistant Editor, Tareekh, Quarterly Urdu Journal of History, Lahore

Peer Reviewed Articles in Research Journals

• 2023: With Muhammad Shafi, Leftist Literati, Activists: Debating the Idea of Pakistan in Public Arenas (1947-77), Journal of Research in Humanities, University of the Punjab.
• 2022: The Humanities in Pakistan, The World Humanities Report, © 2022 The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System, published under the auspices of UNESCO.
• 2021: Making of a Minority, Pakistan Journal of Historical Studies, University of Indiana (Bloomington, USA).
• 2015: Lockwood Kipling and the Establishment of Mayo School of Arts, Journal of Royal Asiatic Society, Cambridge University Press, Volume 25. [Foreign publication]
• 2015: The Pre-History of Religious Exclusionism in Contemporary Pakistan: Khatam-e-Nubuwwat 1889-1953, Modern Asian Studies, University of Cambridge, doi:10.1017/S0026749X14000043. [Foreign publication]
• July 2014: With Amir Khan Shahid, Shari‘a, Shi‘as and Chishtiya Revivalism: Contextualising the Growth of Sectarianism in the Tradition of the Sialvi Saints of the Punjab, Journal of Royal Asiatic Society, Cambridge University Press, Vol. 24, Issue 03. [Foreign publication]
• October 2013: Majlis-i-Ahrar-i-Islam: Religion, Socialism and Agitation in Action, South Asian History and Culture (Routledge), Vol. 4, No. 4. [Foreign publication]
• 2012: Urdu Migrant Literati and Lahore’s Culture, Journal of Punjab Studies, University of California Santa Barbara, USA, Vol. 19, Issue 2. [Foreign publication]
• October-December 2010: Community of the Marginalized: State, Society & Punjabi Christians, South Asian Review, University of Pittsburgh, USA, Vol. 31, No. 2. [Foreign publication]
• October-December 2009: Contextualizing Sectarian Militancy in Pakistan: A Case Study of Jhang, Journal of Islamic Studies, University of Oxford, Vol. 20, No. 1. [Foreign publication]
• Summer 2009: Politics of Elections and Autocracy in Pakistan: Apprising the Electoral Process during Zia ul Haq’s Regime, Journal of Political Studies, Punjab University, Lahore, Vol. XV. [Local publication]
• July-December 2009: Looking for Death: Genealogical Sociology of Sipah-i-Sahaba, The Historian, GC University Lahore, Vol. 7, No. 2. [Local publication]
• June 2009: Electoral Politics in Pakistan (1955-69), Pakistan Vision, University of Punjab Lahore, Vol. 10, No. 01. [Local publication]
• 2008: Activism of the Puritans: The Politics of Majlis-i-Ahrar, Pakistan Perspective, University of Karachi, Vol. 13, No. 2. [Local publication]
• January-June 2008: Young Turks Movement & 1908 Revolution, Pakistan Journal of History & Culture, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Vol. XXIX. [Local publication]
• 2007: The Unfolding Crises in the Punjab, March-August, 1947: Key Turning Points in British Responses, Journal of Punjab Studies, University of California Santa Barbara. [Foreign publication]
• 2006: Evolution and Impact of Deobandis in the Punjab, The Historian, GC University Lahore, Vol. 4: Nos. 1 & 2. [Local publication]
• April 2007: Punjab, Punjabi and Urdu: A Question of Displaced Identity, Journal of Punjab Studies. [Foreign publication]
• 2005: Punjab Through Ages, The Historian, GC University Lahore, Jan-July. [Local publication]
• January-April 2004: Sir Fazli Hussain aur Unionist Party, Tareekh. [Local publication]
• July-December 2003: The Struggle for Separate Representation in the Punjab Legislative Council: 1907-1913, The Historian, GC University Lahore, Vol. 2, No. 5. [Local publication]
• July 2003: The Punjab Legislative Council and Minto-Morley Reforms, Journal of Punjab University Historical Society, Vol. XXVI, No. 1. [Local publication]
• July-December 2002: Communal Antagonism in the Politics of the Punjab (1911-1916), The Historian. [Local publication]
• July 2002: Ranjeet Singh Kay Baad Intishar Ka Daur, Tareekh. [Local publication]
• April 2000: The Land Alienation and British Paternalism of the Punjabi Landlords, Journal of Research Society of Pakistan. [Local publication]
• July-October 2001: Jedo-jihad-i-Azadi Mein Punjab ka Hissa (Role of Punjab in Freedom Struggle), Tareekh. [Local publication]
• October-December 1996: Tareekh aur Adab ka Rishta (History and its Relationship with Literature), Irteqa. [Local publication]

Peer Reviewed Articles in Edited Volumns

• 2017: Chaudhary Rahmat Ali’s Pakistan National Movement and the Concept of the “Continent of Dinnia”, in Muslims Against the Muslim League, eds. Ali Usman Qasmi & Megan Eaton Robb, Cambridge University Press.
• 2015: Majlis-i-Ahrar-i-Islam: Religion, Socialism and Agitation in Action, published in an edited volume by Routledge. Joint editors: Virinder S. Kalra (University of Manchester) and Dr. Shahlani Sharma (Keele University).
• 2015: With Amir Khan Shahid, Shari‘a, Shi‘as and Chishtiya Revivalism: Contextualising the Growth of Sectarianism in the Tradition of the Sialvi Saints of the Punjab, in an edited volume on Shias in South Asia, Cambridge University Press.
• 2015: With Navtaj K. Purewal, Pakistan’s Religious Others: Reflections on the Minority Discourse on Christians in Punjab, in an edited volume by Routledge. Editors: Ian Talbot and Yunus Samad.
• 2015: The Politics of Exclusion in Pakistan: Case of Ahmadiya Community, in an edited volume published by Routledge. Edited by Prof. Shaun Gregory, University of Durham.
• 2011: Salafi Extremism in the Punjab and Its Transnational Impact, in Communalism and Globalization in South Asia and its Diaspora, edited by Deana Heath and Chandana Mathur, Routledge, UK.
• 2010: Contextualizing Sectarian Militancy in Pakistan: A Case Study of Jhang, reprinted in Islam in South Asia: Critical Concepts in Islamic Studies, Volume III, edited by David Taylor, Routledge, London.
• 2010/2011: Problematizing Iqbal as a State Ideologue, in Revisioning Iqbal, as a Poet & Muslim Political Thinker, edited by Gita Dharampal-Frick, Ali Usman Qasmi, and Katia Rostetter. Published by Draupadi Verlag (Heidelberg, Germany) and Oxford University Press (Karachi).
• 2009: Some Prominent Strands in the Poetry of Sultan Bahu, in Sufism in Punjab: Mystics, Literature & Shrines, edited by Surinder Singh & Ishwar Dayal Ghaur, Akkar Books, India.
• 2007: Islam, Urdu, and Hindu as the Other: Instruments of Cultural Homogeneity in Multicultural Societies, in Composite Culture in Multicultural Societies, edited by Bipan Chandra & Sucheta Mahajan, Pearson & Longman, India.
• 2006: Imagined Unity as Binary Opposition to Regional Diversity: A Study of the Punjab History as a “Silenced Space” in Pakistani Epistemic Milieu, in At the Crossroads: South Asian Research, Policy, and Development in a Globalized World, SDPI, Islamabad: Sama.
• 2005: Shifting Paradigms, Emerging Perspectives, and the Discourse of Orality, in Troubled Times: Sustainable Development and Governance in the Age of Extremes, SDPI, Islamabad: Sama.
• 2004: Problematic of Identity in the Educational Discourse of Pakistan, SDPI, Karachi: Oxford University Press.
• 2004: Punjab Mein Qomiyati Tazad, in Mazhab aur Siasat, edited by Choudhary Anwar, Lahore: South Asia Partnership.

Books

• 2024: Chequered Past, Uncertain Future: The Story of Pakistan (UK: Reaktion Books).
• 2016: With Ian Talbot, Lahore: A Portrait of a Colonial City (UK: Hurst & Co., London). Declared the best academic title of 2017 by CHOICE magazine.
• 2016: Co-edited with Edwina Pio & Jawad Syed, Deobandi Militancy & Faith-Based Violence in Pakistan (USA: Palgrave, New York, NY).
• 2009: Role of Election Commission in Pakistan Politics (Pakistan: South Asia Partnership, Lahore). (Also translated in Urdu: Jamhoriyat aur Tarz-i-Hukamrani (Pakistan: South Asia Partnership, Lahore)).
• 2008: Democracy and Governance in Pakistan (Pakistan: South Asia Partnership, Lahore). (Also translated in Urdu: Pakistan mein Jamhuriat aur Governance (Pakistan: South Asia Partnership, Lahore)).
• 2008: Co-edited, Critical Perspectives on Social Sciences in Pakistan (Pakistan: G.C. University, Lahore).
• 1993: Idea of History Through Ages (Pakistan: Progressive Publishers, Lahore).
• 1993: Tareekh-i-Pakistan: From 1707 to 1988 (History of Pakistan 1707-1988) (Pakistan: Majeed Book Depot, Lahore).

Translations

• 1996: Khizar Tiwana, Trans. of Ian Talbot, Khizar Tiwana (Pakistan: Fiction House, Lahore).
• 1996: Punjab: Ghulami say Azadi Tuk (1849-1947), Trans. of Ian Talbot, Punjab and the Raj (Pakistan: Takhliqaat, Lahore).
• 1996: Pakistan kay Muashi, Siasi aur Talimi Masail, Trans. of Abdus Samad, Problems of Governance in Pakistan (Pakistan: Fiction House, Lahore).
• 1997: Punjab mein baen bazoo kee Tareekh, Trans. of Dr. Ajit Javed, Left Politics in Punjab (Pakistan: Fiction House, Lahore).
• 1999: Kisan Aur Inqilab, Trans. of Hamza Alvi (Pakistan: Tareekh, 1999).
• 1999: Jagirdari aur Samraj, Anthology of Hamza Alavi’s sociological writings (Pakistan: Fiction House, Lahore).
• 2002: Pakistan - Raisat Ka Bohran, Anthology of Hamza Alavi’s sociological writings (Pakistan: Fiction House, Lahore).
• 2003: Ru Ba Taraqi Riyasat Ka Mazi Aur Mustaqbil, Trans. of Amiya Kumar Bagchi (Pakistan: Tareekh, April 2003).
• 2003: Punjab Mein Zarai Paidawar Aur Nau Abadyati Policy, Trans. of J. S. Grewal (Pakistan: Tareekh, October 2003).
• 2003: Aik Masa’la: Tareekh Ki Tahreer-I-Nau, Trans. of Niladri Bhattacharia (Pakistan: Tareekh, 2003).

Encyclopedia and Other Articles

• 2017: "Pakistan: A Failed State?", History Today.
• 2007: ‘Pakistan main Jamhoriyat: Aik Tareekhi Jaiza’, (Lahore: South Asian Partnership).
• 2006: ‘Sir Fazl-i-Hussain’ and ‘Sir Sikander Hayat’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford: Oxford University Press).
• 2006: ‘Sectarian Militancy in Pakistan’, Oxford Analytica.
• 2006: South Asian Islam and its Encounter with Modernity, translated into German by Bilger Wenzel, Fikr-wa-Fun (online journal).

Research Articles

• The Making of a Minority: Ahmadi Exclusion through Constitutional Amendments
• A Shift From the “Devotional” to the “Natural” in Nineteenth-Century Lahore’s Art Education
• Abul Sattar Edhi: The Modern Incarnation of a Pacifist Sufi
• HANJARWAL: A Village that Exists at the Social Periphery
• The Humanities in Pakistan (The World Humanities Report)

Academic Journals

• Journal of South Asian Studies (University of the Punjab, Lahore)
• Journal of Social Sciences & Humanities (Allama Iqbal Open University, Islamabad)
• Pakistan Perspective (University of Karachi, Karachi)
• Modern Asian Studies (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge)
• Oxford Journal of Islamic Studies (Oxford University Press, Oxford)
• Journal of Humanities

• Email Address: tahir.kamran@bnu.edu.pk
• Ext number: 303

• Prof. Tahir Kamran