More than half a century later, the late Iskander Mirza’s memoirs are finally compiled and published in their totality. Laying open facts, historians and academics are free to read and judge the man who was a trusted lieutenant of Muhammad Ali Jinnah
2. ‘The Idle Stance Of The Tippler Pigeon’, Safina Danish Elahi, Neem Tree Press (UK)
The story of three adults who experienced a childhood trauma that left them divided and scattered. A journey of intrigue and discoveries as Zohaib, Misha and Nadia attempt to find resolution at last. A story of love, loss, trauma and healing against the backdrop of Karachi elites and class divides.
3. ‘The Return Of The Taliban: Afghanistan After The Americans Left’, Dr. Hassan Abbas, Yale Books (US)
In this groundbreaking new account, Dr Hassan Abbas examines the resurgent Taliban as ruptures between moderates and the hardliners in power continue to widen. Making considered use of sources and contacts in the region, and offering profiles of major Taliban leaders, Return of the Taliban is the essential account of the movement as it develops and consolidates its grasp on Afghanistan. Watch the book discussion here.
4. ‘Founder Puzzles’, Jawwad Ahmed Farid (Pakistan)
“It isn't so much about modeling as it is about answering awkward questions with simple analysis. Sort of like a puzzle. Hence Founder Puzzles. Problems that stumped me as a founder and others I worked with. Things that we think about and try and solve for in Excel. Some modeling required. Bring your laptops. Bring your thinking hats. Founder Puzzles is this founder's look at our journey. As we try and estimate market sizes, model revenues, debate product vs services, drive unit economics or figure out valuations and terms sheets,” writes Jawwad Ahmed Farid.
5. ‘D Generation’, H. Mehdi Leghari, Daastan (Pakistan)
Exploring the beautiful emotion of ‘moonjh’, a phrase belonging to the Seraiki belt encompassing a wide range of emotions, Leghari weaves a story set in a rural village, exploring the everyday lives of the peasantry and the mystical magic that defines their existence.
6. ‘Politics Of Hate, Religious Majoritarianism in South Asia’, Edited by Farahnaz Ispahani, Harper Collins (India)
In Politics of Hate, noted scholars-experts on the subject and the region-discuss their research on the role of the media and political leaders in deploying hatred for political advantage, covering developments in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. In an era of media incitement, orchestrated attacks on mosques, churches, and temples, and identity politics, this book serves as a timely study of the phenomenon of politically motivated religious and ethnic division.
7. ‘And Still The Earth Turns’, Muhammad Ali Bandial, The Book Guild (UK)
How far would you go for the one you love? Qasim and Asma, two people from opposite ends of society, are wrenched apart in the cataclysmic upheaval caused by the explosion. Spanning years and stretching from the busy streets of Lahore to the rugged and desolate mountains of Swat, each must chart a way through the wreckage and find their way back to each other.
8. ‘Someone Like Her’, Awais Khan, Simon & Schuster (UK)
Set in Multan, a young Pakistani woman is the victim of an unthinkable act of vengeance, when she defies convention for love, facing seemingly insurmountable challenges and danger as she attempts to rebuild her life.
9. ‘Civil Society and Pakistan's Economy’, Fayyaz Baqir, Routledge (India)
A novel analysis depicting macro-micro linkages of encroachment of socio-economic space by the power elites and effective strategies used for its reappropriation by the people.
10. ‘Slaughtered Without A Knife (Sixteen Years A Judge), Jawwad S. Khawaja
Written during the time he was a judge from April 21 1999 to September 9 2015, Jawwad Khawaja selects events that are personal and shows how these events shaped and impacted his life. To order harsukh.lahore@gmail.com
11. 'The Colonial And National Formations Of The National College Of Arts', Dr Nadeem Omar Tarar, Anthem Press
A treasure trove of information for researchers and students interested in the history of the National College of Arts with valuable insights into the colonial mechanisms and manipulation of art education in the Indian Subcontinent.
12. 'Imran Khan: Myth Of The Pakistani Middle Class', Nadeem Farooq Paracha, Vanguard Books
An examination of the political, social and historical factors that fuelled Khan's rise and fall while also scrutinising the political and social dynamics that formed Khan's core constituency consisting of the urban middle class.
13. 'Uljha Gham', Naveen Kishore (Translated by Hammad Rind), Zuka Books
A project initiated by Ananke, this is a translation of Knotted Grief (Speaking Tiger), award winning publisher Naveen Kishore's poetry that tenderly explores Kashmiriyet. Translated into Urdu by novelist Hammad Rind it combines imagery by Art Director Minhaj Ahmed Rafi.