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    Book Launch - 'An Isolated Incident' Debuts In Islamabad

    Written by: Amna Javed
    Posted on: January 09, 2015 |

    Author Soniah Kamal (right) with journalist Laleen Khan (left)

    Pakistani-American author Soniah Kamal unveiled her debut novel, “An Isolated Incident”, in Islamabad on Tuesday. In an interactive session held at Kuch Khaas, the author described her novel as a love story set against the backdrop of the Kashmir conflict. She has attempted to explore the themes of loss, love, silence and healing. The session was moderated by Laleen Khan, a journalist, who is also the author’s cousin. The event featured a book-reading session by the author, followed by a candid question and answer session.

    The two main characters of the novel, Zari and Billy, are both nineteen years old and are struggling to find themselves. Commenting on her characters, Kamal explained that Zari goes through a traumatic experience in Kashmir and ends up finding refuge at a distant uncle’s house in the US. “Zari’s quest is one of healing, and what it means to go through trauma,” Kamal said. Exploring the phenomenon of healing in great detail, she explained that through Zari, she has tried to investigate what it feels like to heal, to forgive and to come back to a world where one has suffered so much trauma that they do not know how to heal from it.

    Billy, on the other hand, portrays another type of trauma, which the author refers to as the trauma of “over-privilege”. The young boy has everything he could ask for, yet he has a fragmented identity. Brought up listening to the tales of his grandfather’s heroism, Billy is eager to live up to his grandfather’s freedom-fighting days, and he ends up in Afghanistan and Pakistan to become part of the Jihad.

    Speaking on her inspiration for the novel, the author mentioned that her family hails from Srinagar, and as a child, the stories that she had heard from her aunts about Kashmir had lived on with her. Soniah’s grandfather, who migrated from Kashmir, had also compelled her to write about the Kashmir conflict. “This novel is the fulfillment of that promise (to my grandfather),” she commented.

    Kamal conceived the idea for the novel while she was in High School; however, it took almost two decades for this idea to reach the bookshelves. The author also elaborated that for her, the writing process is two-fold: it involves thinking as well as writing, and the former takes a longer time.

    In a candid conversation about her future ventures, Soniah revealed that she is currently working on a short story collection as well as another novel.


    As the new year begins, let us also start anew. I’m delighted to extend, on behalf of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and in my own name, new year’s greeting and sincere wishes to YOULIN magazine’s staff and readers.

    Only in hard times can courage and perseverance be manifested. Only with courage can we live to the fullest. 2020 was an extraordinary year. Confronted by the COVID-19 pandemic, China and Pakistan supported each other and took on the challenge in solidarity. The ironclad China-Pakistan friendship grew stronger as time went by. The China Pakistan Economic Corridor projects advanced steadily in difficult times, become a standard-bearer project of the Belt and Road Initiative in balancing pandemic prevention and project achievement. The handling capacity of the Gwadar Port has continued to rise and Afghanistan transit trade through the port has officially been launched. The Karakoram Highway Phase II upgrade project is fully open to traffic. The Lahore Orange Line project has been put into operation. The construction of Matiari-Lahore HVDC project was fully completed. A batch of green and clean energy projects, such as the Kohala and Azad Pattan hydropower plants have been substantially promoted. Development agreement for the Rashakai SEZ has been signed. The China-Pakistan Community of Shared Future has become closer and closer.

    Reviewing the past and looking to the future, we are confident to write a brilliant new chapter. The year 2021 is the 100th birthday of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan. The 100-year journey of CPC surges forward with great momentum and China-Pakistan relationship has flourished in the past 70 years. Standing at a new historic point, China is willing to work together with Pakistan to further implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, connect the CPEC cooperation with the vision of the “Naya Pakistan”, promote the long-term development of the China-Pakistan All-weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership with love, dedication and commitment. Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the founding father of Pakistan said, “We are going through fire. The sunshine has yet to come.” Yes, Pakistan’s best days are ahead, China will stand with Pakistan firmly all the way.

    YOULIN magazine is dedicated to promoting cultural exchanges between China and Pakistan and is a window for Pakistani friends to learn about China, especially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. It is hoped that with the joint efforts of China and Pakistan, YOULIN can listen more to the voices of readers in China and Pakistan, better play its role as a bridge to promote more effectively people-to-people bond.

    Last but not least, I would like to wish all the staff and readers of YOULIN a warm and prosper year in 2021.

    Nong Rong Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of
    The People’s Republic of China to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
    January 2021