Home #itscomplicated Edited by Saba Karim Khan Liberty Publishing ISBN: 978-627-7626-49-5 Over the years, numerous authors have written about identity: how people who do not have a clear identity find it difficult to navigate the world, and how they go to great lengths to latch on to one which provides satisfaction. In the modern world, where people are constantly moving, the idea of home, too, has become amorphous. A century ago, no one was confused about these issues. Men from England came to the Subcontinent, some never returned, but they were unequivocally British till death. And most Indians never left their home towns at all. Families lived close to each other and knew where they belonged. Similarly, the question about what constitutes Pakistaniat has been broached by many intrepid thinkers and writers. One example is What is Pakistaniat? by Javed Jabbar. Yet this topic remains elusive, since the answers are too diverse to be universal. Home #itscomplicated is a collection of opinions written by a cross-section of Pakistanis, pursuing a range of professions, to elucidate what is meant by identity, home and being Pakistani. Twenty-five authors are featured in this book, of which Saba Karim Khan, writer and filmmaker, is the editor as well as a contributor. Some of the pieces are penned by well-known authors, such as Omar Shahid Hamid and Dr Azra Raza. Some contributors are famous TV personalities, such as scriptwriter Bee Gul and actor and musician Khalid Anum, while columnist Nadeem Farooq Paracha can be read in Dawn every Sunday. An anthology of personal essays by a cross-section of Pakistanis about the meaning of identity and home varies in tone but is often thought-provoking Other contributors, such as medical doctor Dr Sameer Khan, Seher Fatima Vohra and Dur e Aziz Amna, the last two both writers, live and work in the US. Adeel Hussain and Saba Karim Khan reside in the UAE. Arsalan Athur, Sundus Saquib, Zofishan Umair, Awais Khan, Zebaish Cheema, Aisha Sarwari, Mohammed Ali Bandial, who are all writers and/or educators, are based in Pakistan, as are lawyer Dr Osama Siddiqui, consultant Farrukh Karim Khan and advertising executive Ruby Haider. Most of the authors who live in Pakistan have no doubts about their identity, but rail against the way the country is governed. The 77 years of its existence has seen the nation regress in countless ways. But they are awed by the resilience of the common man. Stories of success against all odds, like that of sportsman Arshad Nadeem, are narrated and lauded. Female writers are vociferously against patriarchy and societal pressures. Moreover, they assert, girls are not valued. A second or third daughter is left unloved and unwanted. Amber Zafar Khan writes poignantly about how her mother, a young widow with two minor daughters, was left at the mercy of the world, simply because her late husband had restricted her to the home. After his death, she was gypped out of her possessions and fell prey to financial scams. Some writers in Home #itscomplicated have mohajir ancestors. These forbearers, for reasons of their own, either share the stories of their earlier lives endlessly or keep completely mum about the time prior to 1947. Bee Gul writes that her youth was overwhelmed by her grandmother’s intense nostalgia for bygone days. That is what makes her determined to never become an immigrant herself. We learn the precise history of when and how Pakistan ideology was crafted in Nadeem Farooq Paracha’s work. He explains that the wording of ‘Pakistan ideology’ is purposely vague and malleable. Amazingly, he states that, even in the 1960s, only mohajirs called themselves Pakistani. Others were more connected to their ethnic or tribal roots. The prevailing conditions of the country have embittered Khalid Anum. His solution is to undo Partition and merge with India. Hopefully, he is writing tongue-in-cheek. Aisha Sarwari, on the other hand, having experienced state brutality in Uganda, is grateful to have a home and a country to call her own. Dr Osama Siddiqui waxes lyrical in praise of Pakistan. He talks of the romance and poetry of home, of the wit and hospitality of its people and the familiarity of the language around him. Omar Shahid Hamid’s letter to his son is written from the heart. The events of his life show the seamier side of Pakistani life. But even in the depths of crime and corruption, he finds sparks of hope. He compares Pakistan to the national cricket team, which often lets us down but then suddenly performs so well that hope is renewed. The same comparison is made by Aly Khan, a scion of the erstwhile royal house of Bhopal and a Dean at LUMS. Home #itscomplicated authors who live abroad harbour a different perspective of Pakistan. Dr Azra Raza finds strength in her heritage and culture and solace in Urdu poetry and considers it essential to pass these emotions on to the next generation. Junaid Zuberi feels Pakistani when he is in Canada and Canadian in Karachi. Dur e Aziz Amna urges us to be rid of the past and to invest in the future. She extols Islamabad‘s architecture because it has no vestige of the Mughal or colonial in it. The anti-colonial riff is dominant also in the piece by author Zain Saeed. The UAE-based contributors evince angst about home. They retain Pakistani passports but the distance between them and the country of their birth widens every year. The anthology Home #itscomplicated is a very timely undertaking. It makes available the views and sentiments of a group of literati and intellectuals who are connected to Pakistan. Many opinions may seem to be at loggerheads with the norm, but some wisp of truth in one piece or another will surely resonate with the reader. The writing styles of the contributors are distinctive even though the aim of all is to display their beliefs with honesty. The pieces by Dur e Aziz Amna and Omar Shahid Hamid are beautifully articulated. Dr Osama Siddiqui’s description of the Potohar is outstanding. On the other hand, closer editing is needed in Cheema’s piece. However, Home #itscomplicated remains a thought-provoking book. The compilation is accessible and easy to peruse, yet it nudges the reader to reflect on the myriad implications of home. The reviewer is a freelance writer, author of the novel The Tea Trolley and the translator of Toofan Se Pehlay: Safar-i-Europe Ki Diary Published in Dawn, Books & Authors, August 24th, 2025