From Empire to "Umpire": A Re-reading of A Passage to India in the Pakistani Context
Start Date
16-3-2024 3:00 PM
End Date
16-3-2024 3:45 PM
Description
In 2014, Pakistani cricketer turned politician, Imran Khan staged a four-month long sit-in in the national capital to oust the incumbent prime minister. During the sit-in, Khan evoked images from his cricketing days and cricketing parlance, especially that of the umpire officiating a cricket match raising his finger to give his decision that the batsman was out. He used the image to suggest that soon the ‘umpire’ would raise his finger to give the decision that the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif must be sent packing. It became an open secret that the ‘umpire’ referred to the Pakistan Military Chief, Raheel Sharif. This paper argues that in Pakistan since emerging as an independent country in 1947, the ‘Umpire’ has replaced the role of the ‘Empire.’
The paper, while focusing on E. M. Foster’s novel A Passage to India, posits that in contemporary Pakistan, the Pakistani generals ‘mimic’ the role of the ‘master colonizer’, that is, the Empire, as ‘umpires.’ The paper further argues that contemporary political situation in Pakistan reflects Foster’s presentation of the role of the Empire and its representatives in his novel.
From Empire to "Umpire": A Re-reading of A Passage to India in the Pakistani Context
In 2014, Pakistani cricketer turned politician, Imran Khan staged a four-month long sit-in in the national capital to oust the incumbent prime minister. During the sit-in, Khan evoked images from his cricketing days and cricketing parlance, especially that of the umpire officiating a cricket match raising his finger to give his decision that the batsman was out. He used the image to suggest that soon the ‘umpire’ would raise his finger to give the decision that the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif must be sent packing. It became an open secret that the ‘umpire’ referred to the Pakistan Military Chief, Raheel Sharif. This paper argues that in Pakistan since emerging as an independent country in 1947, the ‘Umpire’ has replaced the role of the ‘Empire.’
The paper, while focusing on E. M. Foster’s novel A Passage to India, posits that in contemporary Pakistan, the Pakistani generals ‘mimic’ the role of the ‘master colonizer’, that is, the Empire, as ‘umpires.’ The paper further argues that contemporary political situation in Pakistan reflects Foster’s presentation of the role of the Empire and its representatives in his novel.