Articles

The News: A lesson in history
Jaswant Singh puts Jinnah, Gandhi and Nehru, amongst others, under the microscope in an attempt to clear the air surrounding the Partition

Newsline: Lights off, Diyas On

Newsline: Funny People

The News: Against all odds
Christopher Sandford’s new biography tries to decode the maze of contradictions that make up the charismatic Imran Khan

The News: “It’s a fallacious notion that Pakistan will cease to exist”
Nicholas Schmidle talks about his book To Live or To Perish Forever, learning Urdu and his time spent in Pakistan

The News: Aboard the Pakistani rollercoaster
To Live or To Perish Forever serves a fresh take on Pakistan

The News: No local connection
Azhar Abidi drowns a good plot line in cliches

Seminar: Against All Odds

Huffington Post: Swat Valley IDPs Continue to Suffer In Pak; Children Some Of The Worst Hit

The News: An old-fashioned world
Musharraf Ali Farooqi’s quaint tale of a widow exudes the charm of nostalgia

The News: Brevity for the soul
Two talented individuals try to help give creative minds in Pakistan a long overdue push with the ‘Life’s Too Short’ Short Story Prize

The News: In the aftermath of the Swat exodus
Playing host to migrants or refugees in every decade, it is now time for Karachi to make way for Swat refugees

The News: ‘All our dreams have been shattered’
IDPs come to Karachi hoping to rebuild the shattered fragments of their lives

The News: “My identity is that I am Pakistani and we are first class citizens here, no matter how pushed around we are.” — Sherry Rehman
There is nothing as attractive as a woman who knows what she wants and how to get it. There is also nothing as impressive as a person willing to give up power but unwilling to compromise on principle. Sherry Rehman is both

The News: Devastated Lives
Fiction does not need any justifications, Nadeem Aslam demonstrates in his latest book

The News: “There are no comparisons in a writer’s life.”
[Nadeem Aslam - Interview]

The News: “There’s only one rule with writing. If it works, do it”
Kamila Shamsie talks about her 18-month break from writing, her new book and her favourite authors

The News: The quest continues
Basharat Peer, the author of Curfewed Night, talks about Kashmir, independence and his book

The News: Introducing the muse behind Slumdog Millionaire: Vikas Swarup’s Q & A
As Slumdog Millionaire fever grips worldwide, and it picks up award after award and its share of Bollywood detractors, Instep takes a look at the book that formed the basis of the screenplay for the much-raved about film.

The News: Wonders in other rooms
For a debut novel, from a country that in this age is known more for its militancy and less for its literature, to be snapped up at the recently held Jaipur Literature Festival within hours is a remarkable feat. So who is the person behind the stunning debut novel In Other Rooms, Other Wonders.

The News: Inside the Magical World
Wonderful tales of crooked electricians and conniving servants [Review: In Other Rooms, Other Wonders]

The News: The dying art of Pakistani filmi billboards
The dying film industry combined with economic recession and technological development has made it next to impossible for Pakistani film billboard painters to make ends meet and carry on their trade that has iconic significance to south-Asian cinema.

The News: Amid books in Jaipur
A literary festival in India shows the possibilities and pleasures of dialogue and debate

2008

The News: A search for democracy… in all the wrong places
Sabiha Sumar’s ’subjective’ Dinner with the President leaves a bad taste in the mouth for an ‘objective’ journalist