But then I think, why should I not speak, or act, why should I not be free?
- Hasina Gul
I first saw Hasina Gul in the summer of 2011 at the launch for the book, Modern Poetry of Pakistan (Dalkey Press, 2011), at Kuch Khaas, a center for Arts, Culture and Dialogue in Islamabad. As the author of eight books in Pashto and a well-recognized literary figure in her province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (also known as the “Frontier”) as well as neighboring Afghanistan, Hasina has had a long career as a radio broadcaster and scriptwriter.
At the book launch, I listened to her read from her work, which is featured in the anthology, but was not formally introduced to her. I remember she seemed tall, reticent, and serious to the point of sadness; it was only later that I learned she had just lost the baby she had carried until almost full term.
Our next meeting was at the Islamabad Literary Festival (ILF) in April 2014. Standing in the courtyard at Margalla Hotel, she seemed to be enjoying the spring air and buzz among the book stalls around her. The following day, we talked informally between literary panels, and she told me something about her life. While she spoke, Hasina’s eyes often appeared far away, until she suddenly broke into a wide smile. She was alternately thoughtful, and serious, but sudden flashes revealed a lightness of spirit.
The interview that follows is based on a series of lengthy telephone conversations, in Urdu, with Hasina about her life and work. During her early years, Hasina received immense support as a young woman and budding writer in a conservative society. But events later in her life, triggered by the rise of terrorism, and personal tragedy, indelibly marked her. ‘In the past,’ she reflects, ‘there was conservatism but there was also cultural debate. Now there is terrorism. There are abductions and killings. I have challenged life many times…”
Despite these trials, Hasina is insistent that she loves her home and has no wish to ever leave the place where she grew up. Although she now lives in Mardan in the Swat Valley, she was born and brought up in a suburb of Nowshera, near the province’s capital of Peshawar, and still frequently visits her family there.
Let’s talk a little about your family. You mentioned in an earlier conversation that your father was a scriptwriter for Radio Pakistan. Did he encourage you to write?
Hasina Gul (HG): My father was a scriptwriter for Radio Pakistan from 1954 onwards. I learned much about scriptwriting by reading his work, as well as through active guidance from him later. More
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