Tariq Ali

Tariq Ali is a Pakistani-British political activist, writer, journalist, filmmaker, and public intellectual. He serves as a member of the editorial committee for both Sin Permiso and the New Left Review. His journalistic work appears in publications such as The Guardian, CounterPunch, and the London Review of Books.

Early life and education

Ali was born on 21 October 1943 in Lahore, Punjab. He is the son of journalist Mazhar Ali Khan and activist Tahira Mazhar Ali Khan. His mother was the daughter of Sir Sikandar Hyat Khan, who served as the Prime Minister of the Punjab from 1937 to 1942. Because his father was away on military service in the Middle East for two years, Ali was born while Mazhar was abroad.

Political activism defined his teenage years as he opposed the military dictatorship in Pakistan. An uncle working in Pakistani military intelligence warned his parents that Ali could not be protected from the state. Consequently, his parents sent him to England to ensure his safety. He attended Exeter College, Oxford, where he studied Philosophy, Politics, and Economics.

During his time at Oxford, Ali joined the Oxford University Humanist Group. He was elected President of the Oxford Union in 1965. While serving in this role, he met with Malcolm X in December 1964. In 1967, he joined a group of 64 prominent figures, including the Beatles, to sign a petition for the legalisation of marijuana.

Career

Ali's public profile expanded during the Vietnam War through debates with Henry Kissinger and Michael Stewart. He testified at the Russell Tribunal regarding United States involvement in Vietnam. He also participated in a 1968 demonstration against the war by marching on the American embassy in London.

He has maintained long-standing associations with the New Left. In 1968, he joined the International Marxist Group (IMG) and eventually reached its leadership. He later became a member of the International Executive Committee of the reunified Fourth International. In 1981, Ali left the IMG to join the Labour Party in support of Tony Benn.

As an author, Ali has published numerous books covering diverse political subjects. His bibliography includes Pakistan: Military Rule or People's Power (1970) and Can Pakistan Survive? The Death of a State (1983). He also wrote Clash of Fundamentalisms in 2002 and Bush in Babylon in 2003. Other notable works are Conversations with Edward Said (2005) and The Extreme Centre: A Warning (2015).

His writing often critiques neoliberal economics and foreign interventions. He criticized NATO's actions in Bosnia and Herzegovina through his 1999 work, Springtime for NATO. In 2005, he attended the World Social Forum in Brazil and signed the Porto Alegre Manifesto. He remains a vocal critic of modern economic models.

In the field of screenwriting, Ali wrote The Leopard and the Fox. Originally a BBC screenplay from 1985, the work concerns the final days of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. Due to censorship issues, it did not premiere until October 2007 in New York. This premiere occurred one day before Benazir Bhutto returned to Pakistan after eight years of exile.

Ali has also engaged with contemporary geopolitical events. In 2020, he participated in the Belmarsh Tribunal to investigate United States war crimes. Regarding the conflict in Ukraine, he described media warnings of a Russian invasion in February 2022 as a highly orchestrated campaign. He has also expressed support for Scottish independence.

Personal life

Ali's family history is deeply rooted in political activism. His father, Mazhar, was invited to join the Pakistan Times by Mian Iftikharuddin and became sympathetic to the Communist cause. His mother, Tahira, joined the Communist Party and reportedly donated her entire trousseau to the organization.

Evidence from a British public inquiry revealed that Ali was subject to extensive surveillance. At least 14 undercover police officers spied on him over several decades. This monitoring began in 1965 during his presidency of the Oxford Union and lasted until at least 2003. He noted that this anti-democratic activity continued even under the Tony Blair administration.

Awards and recognition

Ali has been linked to several cultural icons through his political work. He is described as the alleged inspiration for the 1968 Rolling Stones song "Street Fighting Man". Additionally, John Lennon's "Power to the People" was inspired by an interview Lennon gave to Ali.