KARACHI: Renowned writer and journalist Zaheda Hina was given the Ahfazur Rahman Lifetime Achievement Award (2025) for freedom of expression on Friday evening at the Arts Council of Pakistan.

Ms Hina couldn`t make it to the event because of health issues. Her award was collected by her daughter, Fainaana, on her behalf.

In an audio-recorded message, Ms Hina said she and Ahfazur Rahman had spent a lot of time together during which they faced an oppressive time in Pakistan. If she had a chance, she`d write about those memories. Ms Hina was introduced to the audience by Mehnaz Rahman.

Fainaana in her speech praised her mother`s courage and creativity.

Dr Riaz Shaikh delivered a thought-provoking keynote address on how ne oliberalism has taken over the world. He began his speech by quoting from one of Mr Rahman`s poemsHamari hathkadi kholo, which he had penned on the passing of a bill that aimed to curtail freedom of the press.

The scholar then gave a historical background of the situation. He said J Habermas in his book The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere writes that the changes that came about in the 17th century laid the foundation for freedom of thought and expression.

In 1695, a law (act) against censorship was put into effect in Britain which later served the purpose of democracy and freedom of expression. Soon, in Britain, Germany and France new spaces for freedom of expression were formed. It led to the age of enlightenment.

Dr Shaikh said John Locke in the 17th century highlighted that human beings had certain fundamental rights and people had the right to remove any ruler who denied them those rights. The most important part of this journey was the French Revolution (1789) which gave the world three ideals: liberty, equality and fraternity. The revolution had great minds such as those of Jean-Jacques Rousseau behind it. If on the one hand thisawareness was coming about, on the other hand liberalism based on capitalism was coming to the fore.

A significant change occurred in the seventh decade of the last century when Chile`s dictator Pinochet, UK`s Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and American President Ronald Regan`s political steps made the world shift from liberalism to neoliberalism. One of its factors was that everything, including education and health, was now purchasable. This soon began to show its negative effects, he said.

Dr Shaikh shifted his focus to the 1990s when the Soviet Union disintegrated and argued two economic crises, in 1997 and 200708, shook the world, exposing the fault lines in neoliberalism. The neoliberals put the blame of their defeat on their political rivals.

The neoliberals faced threats from two sections: the media and the academia. It cleverly tried to divide the two.

Dr Shaikh gave quite a few examples from the contemporary world to back his arguments, taking names of Narendra Modi and Donald Trump who have tried to undermine and control the media.

He said authoritarian neoliberalism has changed the shape of human society. With reference to Pakistan, he said freedom of expression in the country had never been in danger as much as it is these days. `The need of the hour is to promote enlightened ideas andhumanism.

Earlier, Dr Jaffer Ahmed read out an essay by writer Sheen Farrukh, which the late writer had written on journalist and poet Ahfazur Rahman. In that essay, Ms Farrukh talks about Mr Rahman in a few scenarios or situations as she saw him.

During the event, Sanober performed three dances. One was based on Ahfazur Rahman`s poem, the second on the Indus River and the third on Rabindranath Tagore`s poem E kla chalo.