The year is 1971. After decades of military rule, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his Awami League has won a landslide victory in the first election based on universal franchise in Pakistan. But the euphoria is short-lived. Instead of handing over power to the winner, the military regime cracks down on the Eastern Wing of the country to crush the movement for the liberation of Bangladesh. A brutal conflict follows pittng West against East, turning neighbours against each other, dividing friends and families and igniting war between India and Pakistan. Two young men find themselves caught up in the tumultuous events of that year on opposite sides of the war. One is battling to preserve the unity of Pakistan, the other is fighting for an independent Bangladesh. Their paths cross in unpredictable ways in the chaos of war. As first one side and then the other gains the upper hand; at critical moments each man would hold the other’s life in his hands. What would they do? And what are the consequences of the choices they make?

The novella consists of 13 short stories with two being the author’s own translations. Written by Ibne Sa’id (better known as M.H. Askari), these literary compositions are unique in many ways. M. H. Askari started his career in the closing years of the Second World War as an officer in the public relations department of the British Indian Army. From there he got a ringside view of the War and the surrender of Japan. He also personally experienced the sensitivity of his Indian colleagues fighting for a power that had occupied their own country and forced the War on them. He also witnessed the start of the age of decolonisation and how these events led to the break-up of societies. Most of the stories are written against this backdrop and subtly capture the paradoxes and nuances of these extraordinary global developments. The author’s insight into politics, society and human nature is so profound that his writing is no less than prescient, considering that these stories were written more than six decade ago.

In the Land of the Pure is a geopolitical thriller set in Pakistan, the only Muslim country to possess an atomic bomb which worries the Western governments and secret services. Could one of the terrorist groups in the country use it to threaten the world at large? Anne le Guennec, a French woman reporter is sent to investigate these strategic questions. She discovers a beautiful and complex country quite different from the image it has outside. Alongside feudalism and obscurantism, she finds the country to be modern and sophisticated — with its art galleries, theatres, fashion shows and cafes. Not exactly the black hole populated by bearded men and veiled women that is portrayed to the world. She also discovers the ‘great game’ of the 21st century — a muffled yet ferocious conflict between the United States and China for supremacy in this region — at the crossroads of the principal petroleum routes and rich in rare metals. During her investigations, Anne meets colourful characters — an intrepid old begum, a dancer and activist for women’s rights and also Karim, an ambiguous theatre man who fascinates her. But while she seeks to penetrate fundamentalist groups and obtain an interview with a leader, she falls into a death trap. Will the mysterious Karim be able to save her? Karim who loves Pakistan madly and keeps a dangerous secret.

Iftikhar Malik’s Pearls and Shards seeks to redefine the genre by bringing together multiple campuses from various continents. Malik’s novel is not about financial constraints; he weaves together characters that belong to diverse backgrounds and are brought together by the campus which is as material as it is symbolic. Saleem Awan, the protagonist, moves around various campus worlds which are multicultural and multi-dimensional. He is a child of local and historical cultures, and his independent mind does not allow him to settle down in one place and [form a lasting] relationship because his universal personality would not afford him a single identity. After watching various actions on campuses across the continents, the reader realises that there may not be a line of demarcation between the campus and the world ‘out there’. A relationship is perhaps the greatest asset one can possess, at the same time, it is a delicate balance that can come apart unless cherished and protected. Pearls and Shards is a unique work in its ambition and scope. It certainly has set new standards in the genre.” Abbas Zaidi, Sydney, Academic at the University of New South Wales; author of ‘The Infidels of Mecca’.

Falling out of love in the time of pandemic. That is the underlying tension in Peerzada Salman’s somberly vivid remembrance of the early summer of 2020. His novella, Fever Log, artfully weaves the story of a disintegrating relationship into the larger tapestry of an epidemic in diary form. Like Salman, the protagonist is a journalist in Karachi. And it is a seamless blend of fiction with reality that constitutes a creative achievement.

The narrative of My Friend Maya centres on the complex friendship between two young women, Maya and Sehar, who crossed paths in their twenties. Maya is adventurous and feisty with a rebellious approach to life, while Sehar is calm and pragmatic, living her life according to an austere moral and ethical code. Their close bond, rooted in trauma, evolves into a tumultuous relationship marked by emotional turmoil and startling revelations. Sehar soon realises that there is more to Maya than her charming exterior. Their relationship gradually spirals into an abyss of deceit, manipulation and guilt. The story explores themes of narcissism, mental illness and substance abuse set in the 1990s Karachi, highlighting societal taboos and challenges faced by women. It addresses the stigma surrounding mental health and its impact on personal relationships.

Where Cicadas Sing is the first of the independent, but linked, novels of the Tomorrow and Tomorrow Quartet. The last of the tetralogy of novels, Second Coming won the nation’s highest prize for literature in English, the Patras Bukhari Award, Pakistan Academy of Letters.