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THE FRAGRANCE OF TEARS
In the summer of 1978, Victoria Schofield travelled to Pakistan to stay with her Oxford friend Benazir Bhutto, daughter of the former Pakistani prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. She was answering an invitation to visit Benazir during her father’s appeal against the death sentence following his trial for conspiracy to murder, brought by the military regime of General Zia-ul-Haq.
In the fevered and desperate context of Bhutto’s appeal and subsequent execution, Victoria and Benazir’s Oxford friendship grew into a deeper emotional bond that would last a lifetime until Benazir’s assassination in December 2007. As well as providing firsthand insights into Benazir’s transformation from Oxford undergraduate to political activist and the first woman prime minister of a Muslim majority country, Schofield’s memoir of their friendship sheds light on the troubled recent history of an increasingly turbulent region. Drawing on diaries and letters, she narrates the trajectory of her close and enduring relationship with one of the most charismatic and controversial figures in South Asian politics ‘ whose life and career were defined by tragedy.
‘The story of a remarkable woman, but not as history has already written it. This intimate account could only have been written by someone like Victoria Schofield, who stood next to Benazir in everyday and earth-shaking moments, both as an astute observer and loyal friend.
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THE FRAGRANCE OF TEARS
In the summer of 1978, Victoria Schofield travelled to Pakistan to stay with her Oxford friend Benazir Bhutto, daughter of the former Pakistani prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. She was answering an invitation to visit Benazir during her father’s appeal against the death sentence following his trial for conspiracy to murder, brought by the military regime of General Zia-ul-Haq.
In the fevered and desperate context of Bhutto’s appeal and subsequent execution, Victoria and Benazir’s Oxford friendship grew into a deeper emotional bond that would last a lifetime until Benazir’s assassination in December 2007. As well as providing firsthand insights into Benazir’s transformation from Oxford undergraduate to political activist and the first woman prime minister of a Muslim majority country, Schofield’s memoir of their friendship sheds light on the troubled recent history of an increasingly turbulent region. Drawing on diaries and letters, she narrates the trajectory of her close and enduring relationship with one of the most charismatic and controversial figures in South Asian politics whose life and career were defined by tragedy.
The story of a remarkable woman, but not as history has already written it. This intimate account could only have been written by someone like Victoria Schofield, who stood next to Benazir in everyday and earth-shaking moments, both as an astute observer and loyal friend.
ISBN: 9780190704315
Publisher: OXFORD -
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KASHMIR IN CONFLICT
Why is the valley of Kashmir, famed for its beauty and tranquillity, regarded by many political and military analysts as the most likely catalyst for unclear conflict in the 21st century? Why does the Kashmir separatist movement challenge the integrity of the Indian state and stability of Pakistan and pose a threat to a region of great strategic importance? Victoria Schofield’s updated revision of the highly acclaimed Kashmir in the crossfire examines the Kashmir conflict, from the period when the valley was an ancient independent kingdom to the most recent flare-up. Located on the borders of china, central Asia and the subcontinent, the state of Jammu and Kashmir in 1999 once again confirmed its status as a battle-ground for India and Pakistan, the worlds latest and most confrontational unclear powers.
ISBN: 1860645453
Publisher: I. B. TAURIS -
KASHMIR IN THE CROSSFIRE
Why has the valley of Kashmir, famed for its beauty and tranquillity, become a major flashpoint? Given the location of the state of Jammu and Kashmir on the borders of China and Central Asia, the insurgency in the valley threatens the stability of a region of great strategic importance, challenging the integrity of the Indian union and creating potentially disastrous tensions between India and Pakistan which may yet escalate into a greater regional conflict. Kashmir in the Crossfire offers a very readable, carefully documented but highly accessible account of the origins, development and implications of this contentious issue. Beginning with the early history of the independent kingdom of Kashmir, Schofield traces the origins of the modern state in the 19th century, including the controversial ‘sale’ by the British of a predominantly Muslim Kashmir to a Hindu ruler in 1846. She examines the implications for the people when in 1947 the Maharaja came to choose between joining Muslim Pakistan and secular, yet majority Hindu, India and shows why both neighboring countries, India and Pakistan, continue to argue over the status of Jammu and Kashmir which, according to recommendations passed by the UN, was to be determined by the will of the people. Drawing upon research in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, India, Pakistan, and a range of historical sources, Schofield analyses critically the actions of the key players who, throughout its history, have contributed to the current militarization of the valley. And with the help of numerous interviews she takes into account the hopes and fears of all the interested parties — Pakistan, India and the people of Jammu and Kashmir who are themselves divided, not only by their linguistic and cultural traditions, but also in their objectives.
ISBN: 1860641458
Publisher: I.B.TAURIS PUBLISHERS LONDON