Intelligence is sexy, period By Daily Post

SUKANT DEEPAK

No talking about her skin-hugging jeans or the lovely black boots. Not a whisper about the way her long fingers caress her hair and make you so glad to be alive the moment you’re in front of her.

“Why is your guy taking so many pictures?” she asks. You die. Why can’t there be a holy war against those who take her pictures?

Author Fatima Bhutto can easily overshadow anyone on the third day of the Jaipur Literature Festival. Oprah Winfey included. And she wants to talk serious. Only serious.

A young, intelligent woman like her in the Pakistani society which seems to be falling apart — rising inflation, starvation, an army which may take over anytime... Is something wrong in the state of Denmark? The celebrated author offers a fascinating smile, “It must be understood that in the Pakistani society, the gulf between those in power and the ones who are being ruled has been widening at an alarming rate, with the former choosing to be absolutely insensitive towards the issues concerning the masses. Do you know, millions are starving, there is a tremendous energy crisis. In my country, people stand on one side. Power stands on the other. Sad, but true.” But there must be a silver lining. “Of course there is, interesting things are happening. People are trying to make themselves heard. Judiciary is waking up. However, the real issue still remains — people. Read the newspaper headlines in Pakistan; they all scream of who will get the power. Why do we fail to understand that power doesn’t ‘belong’ to anyone. It is very complex phenomenon.”

Mention the never-before role being played by the civil society in Asia in recent times, like Anna Hazare’s crusade against corruption in India, and the lawyers’ protest in Pakistan, and Fatima is quick to respond, “Who is the civil society? Do you know that most people in Pakistan may not even know about the protests being held, thanks to the fact that there isn’t enough electricity to feed their television. And also, why do we take only Lahore, Islamabad and Karachi into consideration while talking about Pakistan? Again, the issue of ever-growing gulf emerges. The most important issues including food, health, land reforms, energy aren’t taken up by the civil society. The problems being faced by far-fetched parts of the country are being ignored. Why aren’t we being sensitive to the needs of the majority? It’s so surprising!”

Now they say that for young Pakistani, India is no longer the enemy… “Yes, America tops the list. That’s because their occupation of Afganisthan is illegal and unjust. The drone attacks inside Pakistani territory are testing our patience like never before. I really wonder how many more Pakistani soldiers will need to be sacrificed at the American hands for us to realise that we don’t need them.”

As an educated young woman, does she feel that feudalism, still a dormant part in the Pakistani society also has a lot to do with the present-day chaos in Pakistani, though she also belongs to a huge landed family. “Sure, it is one of the factors, but then in every sphere- be it the industry, political power or any other institution, only a handful have all the power in that country.”

She has already made it clear that she would not join politics but remain a “critic”. So, how does she perceive the rise in former cricketer Imran Khan’s popularity? “Yes, he does have a personality. The question is whether he’s any different from the other politicians? The guy has always made it clear that he’s pretty cozy with dictatorship. He supported Zia, he has defended Musharraf. And yes, as a woman, I will worry if he comes to power. If you know, he has voted against the woman’s bill and his views with regard to the fairer sex are very orthodox. Don’t forget, that in 2009, he voiced that he was in favour of the Shria law.”

Bring up Kashmir, and she’s quick to respond, “It would not be fair to comment on this issue as there is no Kashmiri in attendance…”

Signing an autograph for a Canadian fan, she whispers, “Also, don’t you think internal borders restrict us to a great extent…?”

Source:http://www.dailypostindia.com/news/10234-intelligence-is-sexy-period.html

Books: Fatima Bhutto Q & A

Iman Qureshi, Thu 15 Jul 2010

28-year old Fatima Bhutto, progeny of the Pakistan’s famous political dynasty, is an author and journalist in her own right. As well as contributing to numerous publications including The Daily Beast and the New Statesman, she has published three books. The latest, Songs of Blood and Sword, documents the saga of the ill-fated Bhutto family, and has elicited both praise and controversy across the world.

What were your motivations and intentions behind writing Songs of Blood and Sword?

To break the silence that surrounds the culture of political violence in Pakistan and to preserve the memory and the history of that violence in an amnesiac nation.

Why the title?

It's from a poem by the Iranian poet Khusro Golsorkhi that I love. Golsorkhi, who was a great critic of the monarchy's corruption, feudalism and violence, was executed by the Shah's regime and I came across the poem again while I was writing and it resonated.

What was the process you went through writing this book – both research-wise, and on an emotional level?

It was a six-year-long journey. I travelled all over Pakistan, across Europe and America, cold-called strangers, sat in foreign libraries and trolled through archival material. That process of research was very important to me. It was a comfort too, because it gave me some space from what I was writing about in some instances. Emotionally, it was gruelling but intensely liberating.

What would you say to people who accuse you of being unashamedly partisan in Songs of Blood and Sword?

I can't divorce myself from my family. I am writing about people I knew, lived with and loved. That said, I was critical of my grandfather, Zulfikar, where I felt he deserved it—as in the case of the state's interference in Balochistan, among other issues for example—and the same for my father and aunt. I'm nobody's keeper. To understand why my family met such violent ends I had to take a critical look at them. Where I felt they thrived, I spoke clearly in their defense. But nothing is ever black and white.

How do you feel you fit in to the Bhutto dynasty?

I was born a Bhutto. It's a last name. That's how I see it. Others clearly disagree.

In what ways would you consider yourself political?

In every way, but one – I have no interest in participating in government.

I had a little giggle over your tweet: “It's Afghanistan. And Pakistan. They're not the same, Richard." I take it you’re critical of US involvement in Pakistan?

Afpak is such a moronic term, so wildly simplistic and so indicative of how American foreign policy works. I'm not a fan of Richard Holbrooke and his meddling in my country, no.

In past interviews with and articles about you, people seem fixated on the Bhutto family, and really seem to speak of little else. Do you get sick of speaking about the family?

I think all discussion is constructive so long as we're talking on political grounds, not personal ones. That said, I talk about a lot of things—women's rights in Pakistan, election laws, the freedom of the press, the war on terror—but I understand that people are curious about the family.

You seem very interested in British politics — you’ve been tweeting about Yarl’s Wood immigration removal centre, you write regularly for the New Statesman, and wrote a very funny letter to David Miliband. What are your thoughts on UK-Pakistan relations?

I think the British government has played a negative subsidiary role in Pakistan's politics, with David Miliband supplementing Secretary Clinton or Holbrooke's strong-arming. However, because of our colonial history British interference in Pakistani politics has a more sinister feeling. And the longer 10 Downing supports corrupt and criminal leadership in Pakistan, from the dictator General Musharaff to Zardari, that political resentment will remain. However, I love that the anti-war movement in Britain means something and that there is a true multitude of voices and opinions being heard in the realm of British politics.

How do you feel about the intermingling of politics and religion?

I think they should be separate.

You’ve moved around a lot – where is home for you?

Pakistan, always. But I have family from my mother's side in Lebanon, so I feel very at home there too, and Syria was where I grew up so I have always felt a belonging there too.

What do you miss about Pakistan when you’re away?

Oh, everything. I miss the sound of the motorcycles with their obnoxiously loud exhausts, the smell of the sea, fresh coconut water, the people... I could go on. I'm perpetually homesick.

What do you enjoy reading?

I just finished reading Herta Muller's The Land of Green Plums, which I found very moving and terrifying, and it has left me in a panicked search for more of her work in English. Before that I was reading The Memory of Love, Aminatta Forna's latest. She's a huge inspiration, I'm a huge fan. Janine di Giovanni's The Quick and the Dead on the fall of Sarajevo was another recent read. I'd been looking for it for some time and finally found a copy in a small bookstore in London. As for papers, I always look out for Henry Porter and Simon Jenkins. And I love A A Gill.

Source:

http://fest.theskinny.co.uk/article/99730-books-fatima-bhutto-q-a

Out of Station- Candid Photographs

Fatima Bhutto, Author

‘Cuba was memorable since two friends came with me’

This photograph is from a trip to Cuba in 2008. I was there to write about health-care and life after the Revolution but it was a memorable vacation because I spent time with two great friends who went with me. The photograph was taken in Santa Clara where Che Guevara secured victory, ending the dictator Fulgencio Batista’s regime.

How many times do you travel in a year: This year I've been to New York, Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai, London — all for work. Most expensive holiday: The Ubud Literary Festival in Bali was luxurious. Cheapest holiday: Driving with friends across Sindh in 2007. We stopped at Thatta, Hyderabad and Hala along the way. It was a ridiculous amount of fun. The holiday you hated: I’m not going back to Istanbul any time soon.

Source :

http://www.tehelka.com/story_main45.asp?filename=Ne290510my_favourite.asp