In 2021, a Pakistani literary landscape packed with promise

A combination of photos of six most interesting fiction picks of year 2021.
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Updated 25 January 2021
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In 2021, a Pakistani literary landscape packed with promise

  • There are many reasons to be excited about 2021 (coronavirus vaccines!) but chief among them are new works of fiction by Pakistani authors
  • From books by journalist-turned-actor Mira Sethi and academic and documentary filmmaker Saba Karim Khan, these are Arab News Pakistan’s picks for the new year

Rawalpindi: There are so many reasons to be excited about 2021 (coronavirus vaccines!) but chief among them are exciting works of fiction by Pakistani authors — from journalist-turned-actor Mira Sethi to academic and documentary filmmaker Saba Karim Khan. 

Here are Arab News Pakistan’s six most interesting fiction picks of the coming year, which offer something for every reader: 

Mira Sethi — Are You Enjoying?




This is an undated photo of Mira Sethi: actress, model, and author of the book — Are You Enjoying? (Photo courtesy: Mashable Pakistan website)

Expected to hit shelves in April this year, journalist-turned-actor Mira Sethi’s debut collection of short stories “Are You Enjoying?” has been named one of the most anticipated books of 2021 by Vogue, as well as made it on Refinery29’s 50 books to read in the coming year. 

Vogue called Sethi an “assured storyteller” with a powerful book that has a light touch, and Refinery29 described her stories as “raucous and bracingly sharp,” full of characters that Sethi treats with fun, sensitivity and passion. There are the best friends who agree to marry in order to keep their sexual identities a secret; a divorced man who has an affair with his diplomat neighbor; and a young actress negotiating power dynamics on and off set — all stories about the pains of negotiating longing and desire in a place as complicated as Pakistan. 

“My stories are about the comedy and heartache of what it means to transgress in a society that demands conformity,” Sethi told Arab News in a phone interview, saying she was both “excited and terrified” about her book’s May release by Bloomsbury.
Saba Karim Khan — Skyfall




This is an undated photo of Saba Karim Khan: documentary filmmaker, writer and author of the book — Skyfall (Photo courtesy: Saba Karim Khan)

Released in the last few days of 2020, Abu Dhabi-based instructor and documentary filmmaker Saba Karim writes the vivid story of Rania, a resident of Pakistan’s once famed Red Light District in the central city of Lahore who fights to take her life into her own hands. 

Renowned author of the Ice-Candy Man, Bapsi Sidhwa, has described Karim’s debut as a “soulful and timely debut.” Karim herself described “Skyfall” as a “complex coming of age story” that navigates the pains of being an immigrant, of feeling trapped by one’s place and position of birth, and of the complicated relationship with sexuality, home and family. 

“It is part surreal, part relief, and part numbness — that’s how I felt when I clutched and smelled and felt ‘Skyfall’ in my hands for the first time,” Karim told Arab News. “I don’t think that feeling has gone away yet.” 
Taha Kehar and Sana Munir — The Stained Glass Window: Stories of the Pandemic from Pakistan




This is an undated photo of Sana Munir: co-author of the book — The Stained Glass Window: Stories of the Pandemic from Pakistan (Photo courtesy: Mashable Pakistan website)

In “The Stained Glass Window” Stories of the Pandemic from Pakistan,” released in late 2020, Taha Kehar and Sana Munir compile the stories of 27 Pakistanis, and become “caretakers of these unique literary voices,” co-editor Kehar told Arab News over the phone. 

“This compilation was fueled by a curiosity to understand how the pandemic impacted the individual arcs of people’s lives in Pakistan,” she said. The tales cover feelings of isolation in lockdown, anxieties triggered by the virus, and musings about how to escape COVID-19 restrictions. 

Using the medium of fiction, Kehar said, “seemed more appealing — and less depressing — than the cold facts that were doing the rounds about the nature, duration and intensity of the virus.” 

Kehar has also written Typically Tanya and Of Rift and Rivalry, and Munir’s other works include The Satanist and Unfettered Wings: Extraordinary Stories of Ordinary Women.
Osman Haneef — Blasphemy: The Trial of Danesh Masih




This is an undated photo of Osman Haneef: author of the book — Blasphemy: The Trial of Danesh Masih (Photo courtesy: COLBY Magazine website)

Osman Haneef’s debut novel tells the story of a young Christian boy accused of blasphemy — a crime punishable by death in Pakistan — and a young lawyer named Sikander Ghaznavi who returns to Pakistan after many years abroad, and takes on the defense of the boy. Haneef told Arab News he was inspired to write the story because of the real case of an illiterate 11-year-old boy named Salamat Masih who was wrongly accused of blasphemy in Pakistan in 1993.

“The injustice of an obviously innocent young boy wrongfully convicted stayed with me. I couldn’t write anything else,” Haneef said over email. “The biggest advantage of fiction is that an author can shift points of view and reveal the underlying true motivations and insecurities of a character. When done well, it can feel truer than the most well researched non-fiction ... It is ironic, but the best way to communicate something that is true and authentic, is to make up a story.” 

Haneef’s book was published in April 2020 by Readomania.

Sonya Rehman — Wolfie




This is an undated photo of Sonya Rehman: author of the book — Wolfie (Photo courtesy: Sonya Rehman/ Facebook)

Journalist Sonya Rehman, originally from Lahore and currently living in Islamabad, decided to use her time in quarantine to write a book for kids aged 8-10 years about an issue close to her heart: the treatment of stray animals in Pakistan. “Wolfie” is a semi-autobiographical work about her own rescue pup of the same name. 
“It’s such an exciting genre to be in as a writer; you can change minds and bring so many lovely, wonderful, magical things to young readers,” Rehman said about writing for children. Her book is being published by the independent Pakistani publishing house Zuka Books and will be available in Fall 2021.
Sabdezar Irfan’s — Grey Matter




This is an undated photo of Sabdezar Irfan: author of the book — Grey Matter (Photo courtesy: Sabdezar Irfan)

Sabdezar Irfan’s graphic novel “Grey Matter” tells the story of a week in the life of a girl called Fera who suffers a major loss and has to find herself again. 
“It’s a love letter to myself without being entirely autobiographical,” Irfan, a 22-year-old visual communications designer, told Arab News over the phone. “It has been incredibly cathartic to write and read.” 
Grey Matter is being published by Zuka Books and comes out in February 2021.


Pakistan’s defense minister rejects claim ex-PM Khan being pressurized to accept ‘deal’

Updated 2 min 53 sec ago
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Pakistan’s defense minister rejects claim ex-PM Khan being pressurized to accept ‘deal’

  • Chairman of Khan’s party this week said cricketer-turned-politician was being kept in jail so he would agree to a “deal” with the government
  • Khan, who has been in jail since August last year after multiple convictions, has vowed not to agree to a “deal” with his political adversaries

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif on Thursday rejected claims that former prime minister Imran Khan was being pressurized to accept a “deal” and come to the negotiating table with the government. 

Khan, who was prime minister from 2018-2022, remains jailed in multiple cases, including a 14-year jail sentence for him and his wife for the illegal sale of state gifts. Khan fell out with Pakistan’s powerful military after he was ousted from office via a parliamentary vote in Apr. 2022. 

Asif was responding to PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan’s interaction with reporters on Tuesday when he said that the way the former prime minister and his wife were being kept in jail, “these are all [forms of] pressure that Khan somehow agrees to a deal.”

Speaking exclusively to Independent Urdu, Asif rejected claims Khan was being pressurized to come to the negotiating table. 

“There is no such thing,” Asif said, claiming that PTI leaders were issuing such statements to stay relevant. “That is why these statements are being issued. There is no truth to them.”

Asif said senior members of the PTI had given statements recently rejecting the possibility of a deal with the government. 

“Now if their leadership is issuing contradictory statements themselves, then what comment do we give on it,” he said. “I think their contradictory statements are validating our point.”

Khan’s multiple convictions mean he is banned from holding public office and ruled the 71-year-old out of general elections earlier this year. Arguably Pakistan’s most popular politician, Khan says all cases against him are motivated to keep him out of politics.


Elephant Madhubala to be shifted to Karachi’s Safari Park in May— state media 

Updated 25 April 2024
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Elephant Madhubala to be shifted to Karachi’s Safari Park in May— state media 

  • Madhubala has been in solitary confinement since April 2023 when her companion, elephant Noor Jehan, died 
  • International animal rights organization warns solitary confinement has taken a toll on Madhubala’s mental health

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani elephant Madhubala, who has been in solitary confinement at Karachi Zoo since last year, will be shifted to Karachi’s Safari Park in May where she will be in the company of two other elephants, state-run media Associated Press of Pakistan reported on Thursday. 

Madhubala, one of only three captive elephants alive in Pakistan, was brought to the South Asian country with three other elephants from Tanzania in 2009. However, has been in solitary confinement at Karachi Zoo since April 2023 after her companion, elephant Noor Jehan passed away from illness. 

International animal rights organization FOUR PAWS, which has been involved in efforts to have Madhubala relocated to Karachi Safari Park, said last week the solitary confinement has taken a strong toll on her mental condition, with boredom being her biggest stressor.

Animal rights activists have long campaigned against the plight of animals in Pakistan, especially elephants, and demanded they be shifted to “species-appropriate” locations such as the Safari Park. 

“According to Zoo administration, the arrangements for the transfer have been completed,” APP said. “Madhubala will join two other elephants, Sonia and Malika after relocation to Safari Park.”

A FOUR PAWS spokesperson said the organization was thrilled to see Madhubala finally getting the treatment she deserves. 

“Her story is a testament to the power of collaboration and the importance of animal welfare,” the spokesperson was quoted as saying by APP. 

FOUR PAWS says the elephant enclosures at Safari Park would have water elements for bathing, skincare and thermoregulation. Enrichments such as hay nets, varying substrates like soil, sand, clay, and sawdust will be provided for Madhubala to dust bathe while the area is secured by elephant-proof fencing. 

Madhubala will be carried from the Karachi Zoo to the Safari Park in a huge transport crate. The elephant is currently being trained to enter and exit the crate by herself and sit inside it. 


‘Politically motivated’: Pakistan rejects US State Department report on rights abuses

Updated 25 April 2024
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‘Politically motivated’: Pakistan rejects US State Department report on rights abuses

  • Annual assessment identified arbitrary detentions, extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances
  • Pakistan government and state agencies deny involvement in missing persons cases, other rights abuses 

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan said on Thursday it “categorically” rejected the 2023 country report on human rights practices issued by the US State Department, saying the report was politically motivated, lacking in objective evidence and followed an agenda of “politicization of international human rights.”

The annual human rights assessment released earlier this week identified arbitrary killings, extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearance, torture and “cases of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment by the government or its agents” in Pakistan last year.

The report also said the government “rarely took credible steps” to identify and punish officials who may have committed rights abuses.

“The contents of the report are unfair, based on inaccurate information and are completely divorced from the ground reality,” the Pakistani foreign office said in a statement, adding that the assessment used a “domestic social lens to judge human rights in other countries in a politically biased manner.”
 
“This year’s report is once again conspicuous by its lack of objectivity and politicization of the international human rights agenda. It clearly demonstrates double standards thus undermining the international human rights discourse.”

The foreign office said it was “deeply concerning” that a report purported to highlight human rights issues around the world was ignoring or downplaying the “most urgent hotspots of gross human rights violations” like Gaza and Kashmir. It also called on the US demonstrate the “requisite moral courage” to speak the truth about all situations and play a constructive role in supporting international efforts to end human rights violations.

“In line with its constitutional framework and democratic ethos, Pakistan remains steadfast in its commitment to strengthen its own human rights framework, constructively engage to promote international human rights agenda, and uphold fairness and objectivity in the international human rights discourse,” the FO added. 

Political leaders, rights groups and families of victims have long accused the government, the army and intelligence agencies of being behind cases of arbitrary detentions, extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances, among other rights abuses. Families say people picked up by security forces on the pretext of fighting militancy or crime often disappear for years, and are sometimes found dead, with no official explanation. Pakistani state agencies deny involvement in such cases. 

On Tuesday, Pakistan’s law minister said the government would reconstitute a committee to address enforced disappearances, hours after the release of the US report.

“Now the work is being initiated on this again on the directives of the prime minister. A committee is going to be reconstituted, there will be parliamentary presence in that committee,” Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said. 

“There is no lack of seriousness on the government’s part to resolve this issue.”


Pakistani court bars ex-PM Khan, wife from issuing statements against state institutions

Updated 25 April 2024
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Pakistani court bars ex-PM Khan, wife from issuing statements against state institutions

  • Accountability court directs media personnel to confine reporting to proceedings of the trial only 
  • Khan widely believed to have fell out with army, leading to ouster from PM office in 2022 

ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani accountability court judge recently barred former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, from issuing “derogatory” or “inflammatory” statements against state institutions and their officials. 

Khan, who was PM from 2018-2022, remains jailed in multiple cases, including a 14-year jail sentence for him and his wife for the illegal sale of state gifts. Khan was first imprisoned after being handed a three-year prison sentence in August 2023 by the Election Commission for not declaring assets earned from selling gifts worth more than 140 million rupees ($501,000) in state possession and received during his premiership. In January, Khan and wife Bushra Bibi were handed 14-year jail terms following a separate investigation by the country’s top anti-graft body into the same charges involving state gifts. 

Khan blames Pakistan’s powerful military, which has ruled the country directly for over 30 years, for colluding with his rivals to remove him from office via a parliamentary vote in April 2022 and subsequently cracking down on his supporters. The military denies his accusations and has repeatedly said it does not interfere in political matters. 

On Friday, accountability court judge Nasir Javed Rana heard Khan’s petition requesting a fair trial. The PTI founder had sought the removal of glass and wooden structures erected at the Central Prison in Rawalpindi, where an appeal against his conviction is being heard. He had also alleged that reporters were not being allowed to attend proceedings, saying that the actions violated the principles of an open trial ordered by the court. 

“The accused persons shall refrain from making any political, inflammatory and/or derogatory statements vis-a-vis state institutions and the officials insinuating anything to them,” a copy of the order, seen by Arab News that emerged on Thursday, read. 

“The media personnel shall confine their reporting to the proceedings of the trial and shall not publish/report any statements in the trial proceedings, as witness or as counsel,” it added. 

Khan’s convictions mean he is banned from holding public office and ruled the 71-year-old out of general elections earlier this year. Arguably Pakistan’s most popular politician, Khan says all cases against him are motivated to keep him out of politics.

Tensions between Khan and the military escalated in May 2023, when angry supporters of his party took to the streets in response to his brief detention, and torched government buildings and ransacked military installations in many parts of the country. 

The army cracked down on Khan’s supporters and leaders following the attacks. Khan denied he had incited his supporters to protest violently, saying he was in detention when they erupted. 
 


Pakistan eye comeback against New Zealand in fourth T20I today

Updated 25 April 2024
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Pakistan eye comeback against New Zealand in fourth T20I today

  • A second-string New Zealand squad beat Pakistan by seven wickets on Sunday in Rawalpindi 
  • Skipper Babar Azam says pacers Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah have ability to make comeback

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will be eyeing a comeback today, Thursday, in the fourth match of the T20I series against New Zealand in Lahore after suffering a defeat at the hands of a second-string Kiwi squad last week. 

Pakistan will head into today’s match against Michael Bracewell’s squad without star batter and wicketkeeper Muhammad Rizwan, who has been pulled from the series after he felt discomfort in his right hamstring. 

New Zealand are missing key players including Trent Boult and skipper Kane Williamson as they opted to play in the lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL) while pulled out of the Pakistan series due to injuries. 

Despite that, the Kiwis managed to beat Pakistan on Sunday by seven wickets in Rawalpindi, shocking the 2009 T20I world champions on their own turf. 

“We did not lose because of any two or three players,” Pakistan captain Babar Azam said at a press conference in Lahore on Wednesday night. “We lost as a team. In the batting, bowling and fielding [areas] we did collapse a little.”

Pakistan’s premium fast bowlers Naseem Shah and Shaheen Shah Afridi failed to impress against New Zealand in the third T20I. However, Azam backed both bowlers, describing them as Pakistan’s “best” bowlers. 

“They know how to make a comeback, even if it [bad performance] happens in one game. It is part of life,” he said. “It can’t happen that one person performs every single day.” 

The series is an important one for both sides as they gear up for the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 in the West Indies and USA scheduled to be held in June. 

The last match of the Pakistan-New Zealand series will be played in Lahore on May 27. Pakistan and New Zealand have both won one match against each other so far, with the first T20I fixture washed away by rain. 

The match begins at 7:30 p.m. Pakistan Standard Time.