On the evidence of A Case of Exploding Mangoes, it is hard to imagine its author Mohammed Hanif as a whippersnapper young cadet in the Pakistan Air Force. But the book is very much a product of that experience "" even though Hanif makes feeble attempts to deny it. This work of political satire must be classed as first-rate from a writer of Pakistani origin, as it takes you into the heart of Pakistan's defence establishment. Hanif weaves his plot around the death of General Zia-ul-Haq in 1988. It may be early, but it is definitely not wrong to draw comparisons between this book and the iconic Catch 22. The similarities between Yossarian and Junior Under Officer Ali Shigri are hard to miss indeed. Hanif was born in Okara in Pakistan. He writes off his choice to join the PAF as a "typical teenage ambition, a childish urge", which he later found out was not for him. "The PAF was a part of my life for almost seven years, of which six years were spent training to be a pilot officer. I served for a year. It was like being in a very strict boarding school. The routine determines your life," he recalls with a sense of abruptness that suggests he doesn't want to delve further into the experience. Prod him further about whether one of the characters in his book could be based on himself, and he says: "You might draw parallels but it would be wrong." He lays the blame for any similarities on the fact that as an author you do draw inspiration from people you have met at some point and the period you use as a backdrop. The book is set during the twilight of General Zia's life in June 1988. After 11 years in power he is convinced that someone is planning to kill him, and he barricades himself into his official residence. The list of suspects includes everyone "" fellow generals, CIA, ISI, RAW and, yes, Shigri. Shigri wants to avenge the death of his father, a colonel who was General Zia's chosen man to run operations with the mujahideen against the Soviets in Afghanistan. The geopolitics of that period (the height is the visit of good old Osama bin Laden to a July 4 party thrown by the US ambassador in Islamabad) is prominent, along with homosexuality in the PAF, ISI torture and the sudden Islamisation of Pakistani society. The publishers make quite a pitch about homosexuality, especially since the reader is never far from the relationship that the main protagonist Shigri shares with fellow cadet Obaid-ul-llah. Hanif only shrugs at the "naivety" of the publishers using this for a sales pitch. He accepts same-sex relationships as commonplace in every system. "It just happens. It a friendship that is born out of being thrown into situations away from families. There is only one person you can completely share everything and rely on. Most boys do go through that phase at some point of time "" at military academies, madrassas or boarding schools." After the PAF, Hanif decided to purse a career as a journalist that led him to the doors of Newsline, India Today and the Washington Post. He wrote a critically-acclaimed drama for the BBC titled What now, now that we are dead? Having graduated from the University of East Anglia's creative writing programme, he now lives in London and heads the BBC's Urdu service. As a prominent commentator on current affairs in Pakistan, he says there is a disconcerting parallel between all three of Pakistan's military dictatorships. "We have had in Pakistan Zia-ul-Haq, Pervez Musharraf and, before that, Ayub Khan. They have all been around for about a decade. Musharraf, if he is there, will achieve that feat next year. Musharraf is in an unenviable position "" the West wants him to stay but the Pakistanis want him gone. Is it in our climate that these guys have to survive for a decade and then they have to go?" Throughout the book Hanif is clear in blaming General Zia for the Islamisation of Pakistan's society and armed forces. He says his country is still facing the fallout. Hanif uses the case of a woman called Zainab to mock Shariat law. Zainab has been accused of fornicating and must be stoned to death. But the truth is that she's a blind woman who has been brutally raped by four men. To turn from accused into victim, she must either visually identify her attackers or find four Muslim male witnesses of sound mind to testify to her innocence. An interesting fact that Hanif mentions is that the founder of Pakistan, Mohammed Ali Jinnah, never performed the Haj, while General Zia awards a medal to serving officers who undertake the journey. "Before General Zia, yes, we were a struggling democracy but a fairly secular state... There were problems before him, but nobody thought that bringing in religious laws would be the solution. They were imposed on Pakistan and we are still struggling with bizarre laws." Comparisons have been again made with Ayesha Siddiqa's Military Inc, which exposes the Pakistan defence establishment's foray into big business. Hanif remembers the harassment and threats meted out to that author. He admits to being edgy about his own launch, but says: "I have no desire to be banned "" one writes to be read." A CASE OF EXPLODING MANGOES | |||
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First Published: Jun 08 2008 | 12:00 AM IST
