Daily Times

 A Singular Voice

Conversation with Qurratulain Hyder

Jameel Akhtar

Translated by Durdana Soomro

This is the first comprehensive and full-length interview of one of the most well-known Urdu novelists, Qurratulain Hyder. Intimate and free-wheeling, this extended dialogue between two prolific writers, Qurratulain Hyder and Jameel Akhter, highlights Hyder’s lesser known biographical details and creative aspects. This rare venture provides a panoramic view of what constitutes Qurratulain Hyder work as it brings to light her other fields of interest such as music, journalism, filmmaking and of course literature.

Jamal Mian

The Life of Maulana Jamaluddin Abdul Wahab of Farangi Mahall,
1919-2012

Francis Robinson

This book relates the life of Jamal Mian Farangi Mahalli, a highly respected scion of Lucknow’s scholarly culture and a major leader of the Pakistan Movement. Based on the archives left by Jamal Mian, it explores his life as a member of Farangi Mahall, South Asia’s leading family of Islamic learning from Lucknow. The author covers the colourful life of a dynamic personality-from his education in the Dars-i Nizami and the spiritual traditions of his family to his rise to the Muslim League High Command, and his involvement in the campaign for Pakistan.

Memoirs of Riazuddin

A Physicist’s Journey

Edited by Fayyazuddin & M Jamil Aslam

This work brings to light Dr Riazuddin’s contributions to physics and the sciences in Pakistan. He was an eminent and prominent physicist, a student of Abdus Salam, specializing in High Energy and Nuclear Physics. He is considered to be one of the pioneers of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons and atomic deterrence development programmes. The book also provides insight into the development of institutions of higher learning and research, as well as the building of infrastructure for science and technology in Pakistan.

The Begum

A Portrait of Ra’ana Liaquat Ali Khan, Pakistan’s Pioneering First Lady

Deepa Agarwal & Tahmina Aziz Ayub

This book breaks entirely new ground. The use of an Indian and a Pakistani author to look at Begum Ra’ana Liaquat Ali Khan’s pre- and post-Partition life respectively has provided rare insights into her eventful life. The former part of the book deals with Ra’ana’s personal life, the second half her role as a public figure in Pakistan. Together they form a rare and unusual portrait of a remarkable and courageous woman; the wife of Pakistan’s first Prime Minister; and a pioneering women’s rights activist, diplomat and the first woman Governor of Sindh. Ra’ana contribution to women’s empowerment in Pakistan is felt to this day.

WAVELL

Soldier & Statesman

Victoria Schofield

Field Marshal the Earl Wavell was one of Britain’s greatest military leaders of the Second World War and, as Viceroy of India, a remarkable statesman. With extraordinary resilience he faced triumph and disaster in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Wavell’s appointment as Viceroy of India was even more challenging, as he began its arduous move to Independence. Yet behind such distinction lay an enigmatic man also celebrated for his unexpected silences, his prolific memory and his love of poetry.