The Faltering State Pakistan’s Internal Security Landscape By Tariq Khosa This book reviews the recent internal security challenges facing Pakistan. It is a timely and valuable addition to the literature on the subject of governance and the rule of law. It is based upon the author’s approximately four decades (1973–2011) of creditable public service and provides special insights into how Pakistan, as a state, has been mismanaged at all levels. Bringing a practitioner’s expertise, it will no doubt serve to inform the interested readership and stimulate debate on an issue that is of central importance to the survival of Pakistan as an effective state. Secular and Nationalist Jinnah By Ajeet Jawed Mohammad Ali Jinnah is the most misrepresented figure in the political history of the subcontinent. In Pakistan he is considered the saviour of the Muslims, and protector of Islam and the Islamic culture. In India he is dubbed as an evil genius, a die-hard communalist, opponent of the freedom struggle, ally of the British imperialists and the one man responsible for the partition of the country. The real facts about Jinnah are suppressed by both Indian and Pakistani historians.The truth is that Jinnah was an uncompromising enemy of foreign rule throughout his political career. He was a patriot, a secular nationalist, and an advocate of Hindu-Muslim unity. This book challenges many of the myths that have grown round Jinnah’s role in the freedom movement and reveals his true character to readers around the world. Pirani & Other Short Stories By Jamal Abro Pirani & Other Short Stories is an English translation of Jamal Abro’s collection of short stories published originally in the Sindhi language. Abro is considered to be amongst the best writers in Sindhi. The book comprises sixteen short stories that capture the essence of the land and the people of rural Sindh. The stories arrest the reader’s interest with its diversity, specific characteristics, and penetrating depiction of Sindh’s social order. These classic short stories are accompanied by an informative introduction exploring the background of the stories and appreciating the significance of the finer points of the plot and the rendition. The work also includes two enlightening profiles of the author. The translation remains faithful to the style and mode of the original Sindhi text and adds to the authenticity of the narrative. Risala Asbab Baghawat-e-Hind By Syed Ahmad Khan Edited by Moinuddin Aqeel Syed Ahmad Khan was serving as Sadr Amin in Bijnor when the Revolt broke out in Delhi on 10 May 1857. The events of 1857, directly or indirectly, not only shook the very foundations of British rule, ultimately resulting in an independent India, but also shattered the unity between Muslims and Hindus, and in particular the mindset of Syed Ahmad Khan. During the Indian Rebellion of 1857, he remained loyal to the British Empire. After the Revolt, he penned the book The Causes of the Indian Mutiny – a daring critique, at the time, of British policies that he blamed for causing the uprising. The events of the Revolt have been described in detail by Syed Ahmad Khan in his Tarikh-i-Sarkashi-i- (“Zila”) Bijnore or the History of 1857 Revolt and its causes (Asbab-e-Baghawat-e Hind or The Causes of the Indian Mutiny). Kaghazi Hai Pairahan The Paper Attire By Ismat Chughtai Translated by Noor Zaheer The book is an honest and compelling memoir of Ismat Chughtai, one of the most significant Urdu writers and thinkers of the subcontinent. Written in a fictional, non-formal style, it provides an authentic and delightful account of several crucial years of her life. It contains vivid descriptions of her childhood and her experiences of growing up in a large Muslim family during the early decades of the twentieth century. An intimate view is provided of the writer’s fierce struggle to find her own voice. She writes with passion and precision the visible and subtle tyrannies of contemporary society. Besides the book, essays written by Ismat Chughtai on some well-known Urdu writers have been included, along with sketches written on Ismat by Saadat Hasan Manto and Patrus Bukhari. These books have been published by the Oxford University Press Published in Daily Times, November 14th 2017.