Adil Najam
We at ATP like books. Over the last many months we have featured and discussed a number of books that relate to Pakistan in various ways.
I must confess that I had always hoped that we would talk more about books than we have. I hope we will be able to do so in the future. As a step towards that goal, we would like to invite our readers to share with us your suggestions of books on Pakistan that are worth reading.
This is not a popularity contest. We have no awards to give. We merely want to collate a list of books on Pakistan that people consider to be interesting reads. Specially those that you would consider recommending to others for whatever reason.
We have only two criteria:
- First, that the books you suggest must be about Pakistan, and significantly so. We, of course, realize that many Pakistanis read many books that are not about Pakistan, but the focus of this blog is not only on ‘All’ Things Pakistan, but also ‘Only’ things about Pakistan.
- Second, for the purpose of this first exercise please restrict your suggestions to books in the English language. This is a pragmatic, and not an ideological, criteria. The universe of books in Urdu is much larger – especially when one includes works of fiction and poetry – and hopefully we will have a separate exercise on those. For now, we wish to start small by focusing only on English language books.
The plan right now is to make this post and list a standing feature and to keep adding to it as readers share their suggestions and ideas. Hopefully this will be a useful service to those interested in Pakistan and Pakistaniat.
Javed Miandad’s biography “Cutting Edge” (written by Saad Shafqat) is an entertaining read.All the controversies are here,so are his legendary deeds.Plenty of anecdotes and behind the scenes narratives.
Greg Mortensen’s book “Three Cups of Tea” remains a favourite of mine.The story of an American climber who made it his mission to build schools in the remote villages of Northern Pakistan.Compulsively readable.As a book it is great.As for the impact of Mortensen’s efforts,a judgement must await objective accounts by people other than Mortensen.
Raja Anwar’s book on the Life and Death of Murtaza Bhutto (1998 Vanguard Books,translated by Khalid Hasan).Raja Anwar claims to have lived with Murtaza Bhutto during his exile in Afghanistan.Al Zulfiqar operations are described in detail,including the 1981 hijacking of a PIA plane.There are plenty of details about the life and death of the hijacker Salamullah Tipu.The cast of characters includes Najibullah who later became the President of Afghanistan. The veracity of events described in the book is subject to debate.However, this book is compulsively readable as it gives an intimate portrayal of Murtaza Bhutto and the controversies surrounding his actions.
British journalist Sandy Gall’s “News From The Front.”
This book is not entirely about Pakistan,but the section it has on Pakistan makes for compelling reading.In the aftermath of the 1977 coup,the author visited Pakistan on the personal invitation of General Zia with whom he had a prior acquaintance.He interviews Zia and manages to meet Bhutto. His impression of Bhutto is less than favourable.
A few more words about the books I mentioned earlier.General Gul Hassan’s book gives his perspective on the 1965 and the 1971 wars when he held key posts in the GHQ.His account of his relationship with Bhutto is fascinating.
“Bubbles of Water” depicts the “human side of a very serious profession”,the Pakistan Navy. Some of the anecdotes are genuinely hilarious.It is also an informal history of the navy spanning over half a century.Highly recommended.
Kathleen Jamie’s “The Golden Peak” is a delight in its own right.A young Scottish woman travels alone on foot,jeep and bus through the wilds of Northern Pakistan in the early 1990s.She befriends local families and lives in their homes.Her commentary on their lifestyle is lively and her description of the beauty of the area is poetic.It is so witty,it reminded me of Emma Duncan’s “Breaking the Curfew.” The only trouble is this book is a little hard to find.