Afrah Jamal

slightly Mutilated version Published in Daily Times The evening is a blur. Nothing works. Neither the mike - nor the trusty recorder. When the electricity bails – no one is really surprised. Karachi is here for a chance to witness M Hanif’s trademark irreverence, sample some delicious irony and get copies of his new book - ‘Our lady of Alice Bhatti’ - (and perhaps a dog-eared ‘Case of Exploding Mangoes’) signed in the bargain. So what if the world keeps collapsing around them. M. Hanif - an award winning author who also served as the head of BBC Urdu service is here for a book reading/discussion/interrogation. Unlike his highly acclaimed debut novel - ‘The Case of Exploding Mangoes’ – which features a military academy and a high profile cold case (President Zia’s crash) - this one is not drawn from memory. Hanif pleads guilty to being a cadet once. He denies being a nurse. Apparently he changed his mind about interviewing a real caregiver for fear of her forever looking for ...

PUBLISHED in THE POST FEB 09, 2008 Before details of the largest and most elaborate covert operation surfaced in 2003, men in suits were thought to be in charge in the real world while lone rangers saved the day in Hollywood. The new version of the Afghan freedom fighters struggle against the Russian occupation is one which author George Cirle believed “neither the United States government, nor the forces of Islam will want to be known”. This former producer of the CBS show ‘60 Minutes’, while covering the Afghan angle in the 1980’s, crossed paths with a maverick Congressman and went on to pursue what could have been the biggest expose of its time. His findings made the greatest story instead; one with all the makings of an epic. While the second coming of Afghan Mujahideen is neither romantic nor pleasant, back in the day however, a Texas Congressman’s personal crusade against Reds found expression in the Afghan Holy War and an unlikely partnership gave birth to the modern jihad ...

Reviewed By: Afrah Jamal PUBLISHED IN THE POST / OCT 13, 2007 Much has been written about the man who ushered in the end of the Cold War and survived the fallout of Iran-Contra scandal. And now it appears, as much has been written by the man himself in diaries he kept during his 8 year tenure as President of the United States. Presidential diaries are rare. Publicizing one is unprecedented. ‘The Reagan diaries’ are an abridged version of records Ronald Reagan kept from 1981-1989 which also served as reference material for his autobiography. Other than 6 pages redacted for National security reasons and some on Nancy Reagan’s request, these diaries are an edifying dramatization of Reagan’s presidential duties, private commitments, personal thoughts and high profile State visits. Edited by Douglas Brinkley, contributing editor Vogue and in-house historian CBS News, these posthumously published diaries are important on several levels and while they by no means ‘give away everything’,...