Pakistan Books
recommended by novelists, analysts, poets and journalists
Last updated: February 28, 2025
Pakistan is an often misunderstood country. We have a range of interviews recommending books that explore the roots of Pakistan’s political instability, its social and political challenges, and the complex role of Islam within the country. They also look at Pakistan’s international position and the relationship with its neighbours, Afghanistan and India.
Anatol Lieven, an academic and a journalist, chooses his best books on understanding Pakistan, looking at the circumstances of the country’s creation and the roots of its political instability. Historian Iftikhar Malik takes on a similar theme, exploring Pakistan, Partition and Identity. Similarly, journalist and author Mani Shankar Aiyar, who served as an Indian diplomat in Pakistan, looks at Pakistan’s history and identity.
Fatima Bhutto, the niece of the former prime minister of the country (Benazir Bhutto), chooses her best books on the politics of Pakistan, while Hassan Abbas, an academic and a former government official in Pakistan, looks at reform in the country. Author Daniyal Mueenuddin and former CIA officer Bruce Riedel both choose their best books on the country itself.
Relatedly, Syed Ashfaqul Haque looks at Bangladesh and Gretchen Peters chooses the best books on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, while Paddy Docherty looks at the Khyber Pass.
Among the books chosen by more than one of our interviewees are Shame by Salman Rushdie; Reconciliation: Islam, Democracy and the West by Benazir Bhutto; and Descent into Chaos by Ahmed Rashid.
The Best Novels from Pakistan, recommended by Safinah Danish Elahi
Over the past five years, Pakistani novels have become much more focused on people’s lived experience in Pakistan—rather than just catering to the expectations of an international audience, argues novelist, lawyer and publisher Safinah Danish Elahi. She picks five of her favorite novels from Pakistan, four of them published very recently.
The best books on Understanding Pakistan, recommended by Anatol Lieven
For all its problems, Pakistan is not a failed state, says the academic and writer. He recommends what to read if we’re to grasp the nuances of this complex and potentially explosive nation
The best books on Pakistan’s History and Identity, recommended by Mani Shankar Aiyar
India’s first-ever consul general to Karachi says Pakistan is not a failed state. He is convinced that its middle class will save it from the Taliban, and that it can engage with India and set aside historic hostilities.
The best books on Reform in Pakistan, recommended by Hassan Abbas
The academic and former government official suggests which book to read if you want to grasp the dynamics of extremism, but says there’s a lot more to his country’s problems than terrorism
The best books on Pakistan, recommended by Bruce Riedel
Presidential adviser on Middle East and South Asian issues, former CIA officer and bestselling author chooses five books which explore the critical situation in Pakistan
The best books on Pakistan, Partition and Identity, recommended by Iftikhar Malik
The Pakistani author and professor describes the past and future of Pakistan, the influences of India, Britain, the US and Islam, via two seminal non-fiction works and three sweeping Pakistani works of fiction
The best books on The Politics of Pakistan, recommended by Fatima Bhutto
Author and journalist Fatima Bhutto says that to understand Pakistan you must first fully appreciate the devastating impact of American foreign policy on the young nation.
The best books on Drone Warfare, recommended by Hugh Gusterson
The introduction of drones “makes possible perpetual war without costs”, warns the anthropology professor and security expert Hugh Gusterson. Here he selects the best books that examine their ethical, psychological and political impact upon 21st century warfare.
The best books on Pakistan, recommended by Daniyal Mueenuddin
Pakistani writer Daniyal Mueenuddin explains that if you live somewhere as stable as England it’s very difficult to understand how quickly things are changing in Pakistan
The Best Transnational Literature, recommended by Mohsin Hamid
Beleaguered ‘citizens of nowhere’ will be pleased to know they have their own literary genre. For anyone who has ever wondered where they belong, or why, when you leave your home country, it’s never the same when you return, here are the best five books to read—including some by the greatest authors of the 20th century.
