New books on South Asia feature an updated book on the Kashmir conflict, a dictionary for Punjabi speakers, and a fascinating look at the religions of Pakistan.
As I write this, the contested valley of Kashmir is on lockdown again. “COVID cases have been rising,” a local resident told me. Unlike the lockdown in 2019, some Kashmiris have access to the Internet and electricity. This year’s lockdown is not a complete communications blackout.
A human rights activist and scholar Victoria Schofield contacted me recently to tell me about her updated book on Kashmir.
In an email, Victoria wrote:
The situation in the Kashmir valley is indeed dire and in all my 30 years of writing on the subject I am at a loss to know how things can ever get back to how they were and then improve. I was in the valley in 2019 just before the abrogation.. and planning to go back last
year but then COVID hit and we were unable to travel.
On April 15, Victoria will talk about Kashmir at an online event hosted by The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Libraries. You can register for free.
Victoria Schofield is an independent writer and historian specializing in the politics of South Asia. Her other publications include Kashmir in the Crossfire (1996), Afghan Frontier: at the Crossroads of Conflict (2010), Wavell, Soldier and Statesman (2006 & 2010) and The Fragrance of Tears: My friendship with Benazir Bhutto (2020). She is also the author of a two-volume history of The Black Watch, Royal Highland Regiment (2012 & 2017).
Event details can be found at Kashmir In Conflict
A new English – Punjabi dictionary is now available on Amazon. I watched my father, Afzaal Mahmood, work diligently on this book project. As a translator and linguist, he has gifted me the power of language.
Cover design by Maryam Ali
A new book by famed scholar in Pakistan, Dr. Amineh Hoti, explores religious traditions and practices. I met Dr. Hoti in the capital city of Islamabad years ago and applaud her work in multi-faith understanding (when she was Cambridge University) and her role as an educator. Recently, she organized an event in Pakistan, bringing together individuals and organizations, including the United Nations, to highlight Seerat un Nabi (Life of Prophet Muhammad). Her new book (featured below) will be on Amazon soon.
To learn more about Kashmir, visit www.farhanaqazibooks.com
