The Nine Lives of Pakistan: Dispatches from a Divided Nation

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The subtitle of the book is Dispatches from a Divided Nation and the author criss-crosses those political, religious, ethnic and generational fault lines, assembling a portrait of the vast country of 220 million people through his travels and the lives of the nine compelling protagonists. He seeks out oversized characters and makes sure not just to interview them, but to linger at their shoulder to experience Pakistan through their eyes and ears. The 73-year-old nation born of a bitter postcolonial divorce has heaved through humiliating defeats, careened from coup to coup and stubbornly endured despite relentless forces working to unweave it. In Chapter 3, Walsh explores how Muhammad Ali Jinnah founded Pakistan in 1947, however, he reads this from a fanciful depiction in a children’s book which also deliberately downplays the role of the crumbling British Empire and the destruction caused.

D; Elder, S; and Tyson, S (2021) ‘ A Line in the Mountains’, National Geographic, March 2021, 94-121. By the end of The Nine Lives of Pakistan, it seems almost unbelievable that the author himself has survived the experience.Very good non fiction work, especially for readers who are eager to know about multiple variables prevailing in this diversified region. An historic election is under way, the kind that promises to reshape the destiny of a nation, and this is the street music of democracy, Pakistani style.

For one thing, a towering man with a sullen face stands outside my room, preventing me from leaving. He confirms that Pakistanis are themselves fascinated with the American diplomats constantly featured in Pakistani media, with Pakistanis convinced that everyone in the US Embassy is a mover and shaker with great influence. On my phone, I scroll through scattered reports of election-day trouble: a gunfight outside a polling station in rural Punjab; a Taliban bombing in the port city of Karachi that killed eleven; and a clash between rival political factions in the restive province of Balochistan.

I much preferred the writing when he focused on the historical context or the dealings with ordinary Pakistanis, who are more remarkably varied than outsiders may think. Walsh has a rapier wit, a talent for skilfully sketched pen portraits and a sharp eye for tragedy, paradox and absurdity. MENASource offers the latest news from across the Middle East, combined with commentary by contributors, interviews with emerging players, multi-media content, and independent analysis from fellows and staff.

I do mention the phenomenon in the book, though, through the story of a former intelligence officer who approached me after I was expelled from Pakistan. The writing style is fluid and you can read through the entire book in one shot without not being impressed on the detials and content. On assignment as the country careened between crises, Walsh traveled from the raucous port of Karachi to the salons of Lahore, and from Baluchistan to the mountains of Waziristan. Dip Into NEW PAPERBACKS [jsb_filter_by_tags count="15" show_more="10" sort_by="total_products"/] A selection of recent paperbacks.An immersive and splendidly written portrait of Pakistan … Rich with incisive historical context, astute cultural analysis, and evocative language, Walsh’s account brings Pakistan’s contradictions to fascinating life. His travels across the country took him from the raucous port of Karachi to the gilded salons of Lahore to the lawless frontier of Waziristan, compiling a portrait of this land of contradictions through the people. Declan Walsh traces Pakistan's stormy trajectory over a decade of tumultuous change , combining powerful storytelling with insightful analysis to offer an arresting portrait of a fractured country --This text refers to the hardcover edition.

In Pakistan it is common to manufacture and believe in elaborate conspiracies to explain events with logical explanations. Interestingly, Walsh notes Jahangir told him how “you can’t be a self-respecting citizen in this country if you don’t go to jail” (p109) which underlines the importance of human rights developments not only in Pakistan but worldwide too. Even a reader who doesn’t follow Pakistani politics can clearly identify the instability resulting from previous political decisions. When exploring updates of lives of the people featured in the book in Chapter 11, Walsh quotes Ardeshir Cowasjee, a Karachi journalist, who was “tired and disillusioned with a country that just cannot pull itself together in any way” (pg 289) which Walsh seemingly agrees with.

This key driver for the book’s creation is reflected in the theme of tensions and divides and is highlighted through discussion of religion, politics, gender and class. One sees Walsh interacting with American diplomats from Washington and the Islamabad Embassy throughout the book. Manto is best known for his short story “Toba Tek Singh,” a powerful parable about the absurdities of Partition in 1947. Which is all the more disappointing as his book lacks depths and often reverts to well trodden western tropes of Pakistan.