Between the Great Divide by Anam Zakaria

 

HarperCollins India

 is proud to announce the release of

a tragedy that transcends borders

Between the Great Divide

by Anam Zakaria

 Releasing on 5th August 2018

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‘Anam Zakaria shines a bright light on the “other side” of Kashmir, bringing us first-hand accounts of people living on one of the most volatile “borders” in the world…Essential reading.’

MIRZA WAHEED, NOVELIST AND JOURNALIST

‘The book challenges both India’s and Pakistan’s official narratives on Kashmir and further fleshes out the story of one of the great tragedies of post-colonial history.’

ISAMBARD WILKINSON, FORMER PAKISTAN CORRESPONDENT, DAILY TELEGRAPH

 Seventy years ago, as India and Pakistan gained their independence, the region of Jammu & Kashmir also found itself divided, with parts of the territory administered by Pakistan ever since. Located by the volatile Line of Control and caught in the middle of artillery barrages from both sides, Pakistan-administered Kashmir was until over a decade ago one of the most closed-off territories of the world.

In a first book of its kind, award-winning Pakistani writer Anam Zakaria travels through Pakistan-administered Kashmir to hear its people – their sufferings, hopes and aspirations. She talks to women and children living near the Line of Control, bearing the brunt of ceasefire violations; journalists and writers braving all odds to document events in remote areas; political and military representatives championing the cause of Kashmir; former militants still committed to the cause; nationalists struggling for a united independent

Kashmir; and refugees yearning to reunite with their families on the other side.

In the process, Zakaria breaks the silence surrounding a people who are often ignored in discussions on the present and future of Jammu & Kashmir even though they are important stakeholders in what happens in the region. What she unearths during her deeply empathetic journeys is critical to understanding the Kashmir conflict and will surprise and enlighten Indians and Pakistanis alike.

‘First detailed human interest account of what it means to be Kashmiri and live in the middle of a battlefield.’

AHMED RASHID

 

About the author:

Anam Zakaria is a researcher, development professional and educationist with a special interest in oral histories and identity politics. She has also studied psychotherapy and has a particular interest in trauma and healing in conflict zones. Her first book, The Footprints of Partition: Narratives of Four Generations of Pakistanis and Indians (HarperCollins Publishers India), won the KLF-German Peace Prize 2017. Anam currently lives in Islamabad with her husband. This is her second book.

Another book by the author:

The Footprints of Partition: Narratives of Four Generations of Pakistanis and Indians

The Partition of British India and the subsequent creation of two antagonist countries is a phenomenon that we are still trying to comprehend. So much has been said about it but there is still no writer, storyteller or poet who has been able to explain the madness of Partition. Using the oral narratives of four generations of people – mainly Pakistanis but also some Indians – Anam Zakaria, a Pakistani researcher, attempts to understand how the perception of Partition and the ‘other’ has evolved over the years. The memories of Partition have been repackaged through state narratives, and attitudes have only hardened over the years. Post-Partition events – wars, religious extremism, terrorism – have left new imprints on 1947. This book documents the journey of Partition itself – after Partition.

For more information, please write to Aman Arora at aman.arora@harpercollins-india.com