Indian Decade

Our Troubled Neighbour

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Indian Decade

Our Troubled Neighbour

The assassination of Salman Taseer is another reminder of how deeply divided Pakistan remains.

The assassination of Pakistani politician Salman Taseer was the umpteenth reminder that our neighbour is a country deeply ridden with rifts and what seem like irreconcilable inner differences.

The first thing I thought about when I heard of Taseer's death was his son and author, Aatish. In his brilliant debut novel Stranger to History, a book that lingered in my mind long after I read it, Aatish describes a mostly troubled, estranged relationship, with his father.

But in a brilliant essay after his father’s assassination – an event that has sent shockwaves through the country – Aatish gives us some glimpses of a man who loved Pakistan, but who Pakistan perhaps wasn’t able to love back.

It's a wonderful personal insight into what has been a national tragedy.