Best of
Pakistan

2020

The Nine Lives of Pakistan: Dispatches from a Precarious State


Declan Walsh - 2020
    His electrifying portrait of Pakistan over a tumultuous decade captures the sweep of this strange, wondrous, and benighted country through the dramatic lives of nine fascinating individuals.On assignment as the country careened between crises, Walsh traveled from the raucous port of Karachi to the salons of Lahore, and from Baluchistan to the mountains of Waziristan. He met a diverse cast of extraordinary Pakistanis—a chieftain readying for war at his desert fort, a retired spy skulking through the borderlands, and a crusading lawyer risking death for her beliefs, among others. Through these “nine lives” he describes a country on the brink—a place of creeping extremism and political chaos, but also personal bravery and dogged idealism that defy easy stereotypes.Unbeknownst to Walsh, however, an intelligence agent was tracking him. Written in the aftermath of Walsh’s abrupt deportation, The Nine Lives of Pakistan concludes with an astonishing encounter with that agent, and his revelations about Pakistan’s powerful security state. Intimate and complex, attuned to the centrifugal forces of history, identity, and faith, The Nine Lives of Pakistan offers an unflinching account of life in a precarious, vital country.

Daughters of Partition


Fozia Raja - 2020
    In the backdrop, the British Raj in India is coming to an end and a line of partition is being proposed between India and Pakistan. Taji and her husband, Indian Sikhs, find themselves on the wrong side of the border. Amidst the ravages of riots and bloodshed, they make a desperate attempt to cross a mountainous region to reach India; but the journey is far from straightforward.This is a heart-wrenching, real-life story of borders, civil unrest, loss, migration, religion and incredible bravery, told through the eyes of one woman who lived through these tragedies.

Shahr-e-jaanaan: The City of the Beloved


Adeeba Shahid Talukder - 2020
    As the speaker maps her romances onto legends, directing their characters perform her own tragedy, their fantastical metaphors easily lend themselves to her fluctuating mental state. Cycling between delirious grandeur and wretched despair, she is torn between two selves— the pitiable lover continually rejected, and the cruel, unattainable beloved comparable in her exaltation to a god.

The Bhutto Dynasty: The Struggle for Power in Pakistan


Owen Bennett-Jones - 2020
    But politics has cost the Bhuttos dear. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, widely regarded as the most talented politician in the country’s history, was removed from power in 1977 and executed two years later, at the age of 51. Of his four children, three met unnatural deaths: Shahnawaz was poisoned in 1985 at the age of 27; Murtaza was shot by the police outside his home in 1996, aged 42; and Benazir Bhutto, who led the Pakistan Peoples Party and became Prime Minister twice, was killed by a suicide bomber in Rawalpindi in 2007, aged 54.   Drawing on original research and unpublished documents gathered over twenty years, Owen Bennett-Jones explores the turbulent existence of this extraordinary family, including their volatile relationship with British colonialists, the Pakistani armed forces, and the United States.

Another Kind of Concrete


Koushik Banerjea - 2020
    It’s 1977 and the Queen’s Silver Jubilee and, along with the pomp, it’s punk that’s in full swing. South of the river, the polyester-clad natives are in uproar. They don’t like the kids with colourful streaks in their hair, and they most certainly don’t like the ones with colour in their skin. K. is one of those kids, marooned with his family in a sea of hostility. His parents, both refugees, view that as a small price to pay for starting over after the mayhem of Indian Partition. When threats are made and bricks start to fly, long-buried demons of the past resurface. And as summer wears on, unresolved issues culminate in a grim local dance of law and disorder. If England was dreaming, it’s wide awake now. Festooned with streamers and safety pins, while in its shadows something primal has begun to stir. London in extremis. Just below the surface, and sometimes not even that far, Another Kind of Concrete.

Big Capital in an Unequal World: The Micropolitics of Wealth in Pakistan (Dislocations Book 29)


Rosita Armytage - 2020
    In doing so, it reveals the daily, even mundane, ways in which elites contribute to and shape the inequality that characterizes the modern world. Operating in a rapidly developing economic environment, the experience of Pakistan’s wealthiest and most powerful members contradicts widely held assumptions that economic growth is leading to increasingly impersonalized and globally standardized economic and political structures.

Jinnah: His Successes, Failures and Role in History


Ishtiaq Ahmed - 2020
    Ishtiaq Ahmed places Jinnah's actions under intense scrutiny to ascertain the Quaid-i-Azam's successes and failures and the meaning and significance of his legacy. Using a wealth of contemporary records and archival material, Dr Ahmed traces Jinnah's journey from Indian nationalist to Muslim communitarian, and from a Muslim nationalist to, finally, Pakistan's all-powerful head of state. How did the ambassador of Hindu-Muslim unity become the inflexible votary of the two-nation theory? Did Jinnah envision Pakistan as a theocratic state? What was his position on Gandhi and federalism? Asking these crucial questions against the backdrop of the turbulent struggle against colonialism, this book is a path-breaking examination of one of the most controversial figures of the twentieth century.

The Brown Anthology, Language


Sofia Amina - 2020
    The story about a grandma with her blue shoes matching her blue sari, lost in the जंगल (jangal). Not to forget Urdu preventing the poet from abandoning her courtyards.The Brown Anthology series is about historical, present and future Brown, without the need or prerequisite to explain, justify or create art to suit the perception of Brown. The first theme is language and it features poems, short stories, an essay and illustrations by South Asian writers and artists from India, Pakistan, the UK and the USA. This is a declaration to push the boundaries of literature.

Comb


Shadab Zeest Hashmi - 2020
    Cover and inside art by Egyptian/British artist and art historian Salma Ahmad Caller.

Secrets of the Kashmir Valley


Farhana Qazi - 2020
    In this new, special edition, Qazi takes you inside the world's most militarized zone to meet the women--peaceful protestors, political activists, and the prime victims of a brutal war. Discover Kashmir, a place of great beauty and immense tragedy. This book is not about the politics of war, but the people living inside it. Qazi shares the true, emotional, personal stories of women, who struggle, sacrifice, and survive against all odds. And to survive, women (and men) hold onto secrets or they die.Kashmir is an active conflict. It is unsettling and unpredictable. Every day, someone dies. Someone is detained. Or someone disappears. The valley of death is also described as ‘Paradise on Earth.’ But in this land of magic and myth, there are madmen and militaries that trample on Kashmir’s beauty. After seven decades of war, Kashmiris go on living. They go to school. They fall in love. They get married. Many have children. They do what seems normal, despite the protests, politics, and paranoia of living in a place that is not free. Qazi uses powerful storytelling to reveal the secrets of conflict. This book is a heart-breaking reminder that military occupation must end to allow the Kashmiri people to be free.PRAISE FOR THE BOOK"A brilliant read. This book reveals why human security is a global issue." — U.S. AMBASSADOR PRUDENCE BUSHNELL"Qazi brings the colors, smells, people and politics of Kashmir to life. The only thing more enlightening would be to travel there yourself." — PORTER FOX, EDITOR OF THE AWARD-WINNING NOWHERE MAGAZINE"Farhana Qazi, a Texan of Pakistani descent, has written a shimmering book about her encounters with the women of Kashmir, starting with her own mother, who joined the Pakistani Army to fight for Kashmir. Qazi travelled to this land of haunting beauty to interview activists and advisors, protestors and politicians, mothers and martyrs, educators and entertainers, and more. The result is a moving journey through what has been called "the most beautiful prison in the world."
— DEBORAH SCROGGINS, AWARD-WINNING JOURNALIST“An American woman sets out on a journey to understand one of Asia’s longest running wars and the role of women within it. Farhana’s bravery, open-mindedness, intelligence and tenacity take her into danger, real lives, raw emotions and ultimately discovery. This is a book that must be read by those who wish to deeply understand the motivations, lives and thoughts behind women in Kashmir." --ROBERT YOUNG PELTON, AUTHOR AND DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKER“Farhana Qazi's brilliant book combines her unique personal experience with her deep knowledge of the region, its people and its culture to tell us a story far more informative about today's events than any intelligence brief. And it is beautifully written--a joy to read.” --BRIAN MICHAEL JENKINS, COUNTER-TERRORISM EXPERT“Secrets of the Valley is an important book that unveils the quintessential role of women in one of the most contested areas of the world. It is a deeply touching and personal story that pulls us closer to the women and men in Kashmir.”--SETH G. JONES, DIRECTOR, TRANSNATIONAL THREATS PROJECT, THE CENTER FOR STRATEGIC & INTERNATIONAL STUDIESgives us an extraordinarily different perspective with a focus on women. For anyone who wishes to understand this land of poets and mystics, this is essential reading.” --AKBAR AHMED, AUTHOR, PLAYWRIGHT & FORMER DIPLOMAT“Qazi gives us insights into rarely visible Kashmir. Her powerful narrative and sensitive, brilliant storytelling, reveal her personal background and in-depth research experiences in Kashmir. A highly skilled writer, Qazi also provides a heart-and-soul connection for the reader that has been featured in organized panels at the United Nations.” --LOIS A. HERMAN, UNITED NATIONS