Iskander Mirza’s Memoirs could not be published in book form earlier for various reasons and have been published now in their totality after over half a century. The Memoirs lay open the facts for academics, historians and, indeed, the people of Pakistan to judge the man who was a trusted lieutenant of Quaid-e-Azam. While in Indian Political Service, Iskander Mirza worked secretly with Jinnah (who recognized the invaluable potential in the young deputy commissioner of Peshawar) on the most challenging task of achieving Pakistan from the British. In all fairness, General Ayub Khan might not have been entirely behind what happened but sycophants were busy outdoing each other in casting aspersions on Iskander Mirza’s financial propriety, integrity and character. An atmosphere was created that structured the average Pakistani’s mindset of their first President negatively. It is hoped that this book can help change it or at least initiate a debate on the historical distortions, disinformation and withholding of important documented accounts that may not have gone down well with the government of the time.

In 1947, a young boy witnessed the horrors of Partition in the Punjab as he fled with his family from marauding mobs of bloodthirsty fanatics, leaving fire and fear behind them. Many decades later, he came to be one of the most consequential figures in the history of Pakistan. From the rugged and windswept coastline of the Arabian Sea to the quiet and dark halls of Westminster, Salman Faruqui’s varied and unique career has been filled with excitement, adventure, challenges and memorable encounters. His long and devoted service to Pakistan has led him to associate with the country’s leading figures at every stage of its development and, after working closely with them, he provides a unique insight into Pakistan’s unknown history. Along the way, he came to encounter the phenomenal and the absurd, the tragedy and the victory of a life lived in service to a cause that began in his childhood and continues to this day.