Review: A Season for Martyrs

A Season for Martyrs by Bina Shah
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Author's understanding of crises haunting the paradoxical society of Pakistan is commendable. She is practical, straight-forward and funny when discussing these issues, not easy for a women in this country. I had some knowledge of her involvement in Feminist movement within Pakistan but somehow I underestimated her and her abilities in literature. So, all was well until author's support/inclination for a personality, faction or a party beyond an appropriate level starts to surface. Hence the three stars.

Author liked Benazir Bhutto. I get it. She was the first female prime Minister, a symbol of women struggle throughout the world. She wanted to follow her father. You liked her father. I get that as well although I am pretty sure back in 1965, it wasn't Bhutto who finalized the deal with Russia at Tashkent(as mentioned in the book). Bhutto was completely against it and that's when the rifts between Ayub and Bhutto started which became the motivation for Pakistan People's Party. Having said above there are no issues if author support anyone or any party but why use them in such a way. PPP has had a share of looting in this country. And a big chunk thanks to Zardari.

The book also depicts the lives of some famous personalities in the history of Sindh. How some intelligent Sindhi tried to stop the annexation of Sindh by imperialist British. There are some fictionalized diary entries which showed the level of 'Apartheid' state British were trying to build in sub-continent using all the Machiavellian techniques and the level atrocities which were unraveled upon the native people. Some glimpses on the lives of Khizr, G.M. Syed, Bhitai the Sufi poet etc. are given which actually add beauty to the book. The author's love for the beautiful and mystified province of Sindh is quite apparent.

"But if the West has done so much to make things bad for ordinary Pakistanis, why were they all so eager to abandon Pakistan and take up residence in Western countries?"

Main character is Ali, a young man facing the typical complexities of being a youth in Pakistan. Tough life, tough bosses, religion and high expectations. He takes a job to support his family, a job which he doesn't like very much and is getting fed up day by day living through the harsh conditions of daily life in Karachi (street crime is a specialty in this city). He finds a girlfriend, who is a Hindu, another problem added to the already full bucket. And then there is rising tensions, suicide bombings, people struggling for power. Year is 2007, a dictator not letting go and civilians doing everything to make him go. A major factor, America, is perplexed. On the one side there is Musharraf's help in War on Terror and on the other side are America's morals of supporting democracy which they have been selling the whole world for a long time. Ali, hopeless on the outside, is now struggling inside...

The decade of 2000s is quite important in the Pakistani history. It was like a mathematician function. We entered under dictatorship, came out as democracy (Not happening for the first time though, only 40 years in the 70 years since the independence!). The role of media has changed dramatically. It is utilized as a weapon now by the 'powerful' and interesting parties. Something Noam Chomsky told us in 80s but Pakistan has always been slow to pick up with rest of the world. Army has moved from government to governance.


Two major events of the above mentioned decade were '2005 earthquake' and '2007 Benazir Bhutto assassination'. On the day of Earthquake, I was taking haircut and suddenly everything starts to vibrate. My only worry was that this stupid barber might make a wrong cut on my hair and then take that as an excuse to give me a head-shave just like last time because the cut bestowed by him will look very very odd. Luckily, the barber stopped and by now vibration had increased even more. Soon we realized what was happening and we were running outside barefoot, we were in Lahore and there was no considerable damage but up North, it was a big disaster. Pakistanis were united in their help for the victims, even the Taliban, about whom government was doubtful whether they are good or bad, joined the struggle working alongside international NGOs. The unity and brotherhood was quite visible at that time which suddenly eroded away. The year 2007 played a major role in tha erosion. Government vs. Supreme Court.

"wishing he could tell the police that there were dangerous criminals being harbored inside City24 building, longing to call up the American consulate and say Kazim Mazhar knew where Osama bin Laden was hiding."

You will often find Pakistanis indulged in debates rather than actually doing something. And you will frequently find within that debate there is America, Israel and India. Somehow these countries have managed to do every bad thing in Pakistan. They might not have been able to hack Pakistan but they surely have hacked the minds of Pakistanis quite efficiently(America with Hollywood, India with Bollywood, Israel utilizing other means). Still people are trying hard to get an American visa. They study hard, stay out of bad habits, try not to be too religious and whatnot just so that they can have a better chance at American visa. But why? I can go on all day.

"everyone thought they knew what was good for the people of this country: a nuclear bomb; or Islamic law; or to join the War on Terror, because if they didn't, Pakistan would get bombed into the Stone Age"

Discussions, gossips, eating may be counted as the favorite hobbies of Pakistanis. Work might be the last priority even though we hang pictures of M A Jinnah in various places and who said, 'work, work and work'. Every Pakistani seems to have a pretty fair idea of every issue, thanks to never ending gossip. Everyone knows what exactly is right even if logic says its wrong. Musharraf justifies War on Terror with Bush, telling him we bomb Pakistan to stone age, after 9/11. Musharraf might be telling the truth because you can expect such things from the not-so-intelligent Bush. He just cared for Oil and Pakistan had none. So better go to Stone Age and start making or contributing as fossil...

"Ali murmured along with everyone else, wondering which fact was more depressing: that these rights had been snatched from them or that he didn't even known he possessed them in the first place."

"They didn't question him, either; Ali could see that they were frightening by the way he could draw shutters down and keep them out of his private world."

Every youth in Pakistan passes through some typical phases in his life. His parents want a safe and secure job, he want most beautiful most pious girlfriend. Big conflict there. He goes through a corrupt education system which teaches him how to be numb in a sophisticated way. Some stupid people like myself try to shake that numbness and become a source of bullies and laughter. It's so fun to be a Pakistani...

"He had never been to school, could not understand the grand designs of the men who wanted to rule the country."

We lost East Pakistan in 1971 which became Bangladesh. They have a literacy rate of almost 100 and Pakistan is struggling near 50. Who is to blame? Book-reading is considered something deviant. Some have been lucky to have parents who felt the importance of education during theri lives. They worked hard on their children, made them study course books, speaking for myself as soon as I was having a good job I bid my farewell to course books. Now my mother sometimes tell me to not read so many books, at times feeling that she might not have put enough effort in my formal education...

"No matter how macho everyone pretended to be in Pakistan, even the biggest muscle-bound buffoon was frightened of being taken to police thana."

Pakistan is a unique country to have variable laws. Laws are dependent upon your status, links, what you can offer etc. Those who have nothing much of the above end up in the hands of law enforcement agencies and receive beatings and punishment, even the share of the ones who have everything above. Interesting country!

"The country and its people were a whore to be used voilently and greedily until the users were spent and exhausted and could grab and take no more."

Coming back to the book, it was quite a good effort. Somewhere in between a connection was missing though. Maybe reading it after The Goldfinch has affected my judgement...

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