Afrah Jamal

Published by Global Affairs / Aug 2017 Raymond Davis is a champ. A team player, who puts the needs of his comrades in arms before himself. He is savvy. He is a man of integrity - a survivor - a trooper. Ray, the epitome of courage runs headlong towards danger and into a minefield - literally. He is all this and more. This is his story after all. 6 years ago, he was a trained Special Forces SF, undercover ‘contractor’, forced to navigate the cramped alleyways of Lahore on a routine mission – the details of which remain a mystery. His book ‘The Contractor: How I Landed in a Pakistani Prison and Ignited a Diplomatic Crisis’ with Storms Reback, revisits the scene of the crime to solidify his innocence and along the way take a few potshots at random players who helped secure his release. It’s a hair-raising ride. His style is conversational, his demeanor - amiable. The case is still fresh in people’s minds and his intent to set the record straight ignites yet another round of controve...

Published in SHE Magazine / March 2013 Edited by : Bapsi Sidhwa Reviewed by : Afrah Jamal Bapsi Sidhwa is an award winning author, essayist and playwright who recently edited an anthology that takes a sweeping view of the ‘ Paris of the East ’ which is a time traveler’s guide through Lahore based on the recollections of several narrators. The montage shows the city, a survivor of world wars, under a monarchy, occupation or Raj, between dictators, a victim of pillaging and partition, and beyond. These excursions provide wonderful snapshots of Lahore - ‘ a city of untold monuments ’ at different junctures. Their collective musings used to commemorate a great city are housed within a structured format, divided into seven parts – each holding a precious set of testimonials from various eras. It is the Lahore of yore. Kipling, Faiz, Manto and Iqbal hail passerby’s - Ismat Chughtai relives the days when her book was put on trial - Manto joins the hilarious charade. Kris...

Published in Daily Times Saturday, February 11, 2012 Reproduced on Claudine Le Tourneur Dlson's Website Translated from French by Priyanka Jhijaria Reviewed by Afrah Jamal A programme about Hira Mandi did the internet rounds a couple of years ago. It claimed, among other things, that the sons of the ‘dancers’ reportedly end up as lawyers, doctors, artists — a few join politics and some even reach the military. These outrageous statistics may be one of the reasons the documentary was banned from the mainstream media. That and its primary premise — the plight of the fallen women — would prompt the conservatives to howl with dismay before scurrying off to bury any evidence in the backyard along with other bodies. Claudine Le Tourneur d’Ison embeds such wrenching moments in a bold narrative where its doomed protagonist can hail the brave new world and its genteel patrons from an extraordinary vantage point. The expedition to the underworld with the unfortunate progeny and ...

Thanks to Liberty Books for the review copy Published in Daily Times under the heading: Lahore Durbar in free fall Reviewed by Afrah Jamal After the Mughals exited, but before the British arrived, the Lahore Durbar was presided over by Maharaja Ranjit Singh Bahadur, affectionately known as the ‘Lion of Lahore’, who makes a brief appearance in Amarinder Singh’s narrative, but leaves a lasting impression on his history. Ranjit Singh, who has been described in the book as a great man and an outstanding military commander, was a mass of contradictions. For instance, he was against the death penalty but not averse to robbing widows, believed treaties were meant to be broken but treated the vanquished with kindness, and thought nothing of inviting guests only to divest them of their most prized possession — like the Kohinoor diamond. He may have spent the better part of the day leading military campaigns, yet he did not always harbour territorial designs and is said to have waged a...

PUBLISHED IN THE POST JAN 24, 2008? The good news; terrorists are on the run in Swat . The bad news? See the good news . Does achieving the military objective signal an end of terrorism? Or just imply a break in a long winded terror campaign . The latter seems more probable, considering 2 suicide attacks which were only 3 days apart in Swat and Lahore in the first 10 days of 2008 and terror that struck Karachi 5 days afterwards. Which is why reports of successful operations in Swat meant to foster long term stability, at least in that particular region, fail to raise hopes about the short term security in the rest of Pakistan. Especially when certain cities have once again been placed on high alert after intelligence indicated the entry of more potential bombers. The January 17, 2008 attack on Peshawar demonstrates the accuracy of this intelligence without altering our growing susceptibility to terror. Interior Minister Hamid Nawaz wants citizens to cooperate with police ...