Reporting Pakistan

Meena Menon was The Hindu's correspondent in Islamabad till she was expelled by the Pakistani authorities in May 2014. In spite of her truncated stay, and the restrictions placed on her movements, Menon managed to write on a range of subjects covering swathes of life in Islamabad. She spoke to people from the persecuted Ahmadi community, covered protests, interviewed victims of bomb blasts, spoke to Partition survivors, visited the sprawling, crowded Afghan refugee camp on the outskirts of the capital, wrote about the Murree Brewery, and described political events, including the high-treason trial of General Musharraf.

'[Menon's] astute portrayal of the lack of professional freedom that she faced makes for a compelling reading for any journalist who wishes to write and understand Pakistan'-The Hindu'A fascinating narrative filled with sharp and witty observations'-Wire
'Engaging and evocative'-Open
'This is what makes this book so special: rising above both the pride and the prejudice that often overwhelm our perceptions of [Pakistan], [Menon] unhesitatingly presents both the warts and the astonishing resilience of a people fighting fierce odds'-Indian Express
'Reporting Pakistan is one of those rare books which introduces us to the unseen side of Pakistan'- Firstpost
'Menon has done an extraordinarily detailed and in-depth job of documenting her experiences during her relatively brief stint as an Indian reporter in Pakistan'-Herald
'Exciting and informative'-Free Press Journal
'Through Reporting Pakistan, Meena Menon makes a convincing case for a much broader media exchange between the two countries. It is time to distribute the book widely in both India and Pakistan'- The News

Meena Menon is an independent journalist and former deputy editor of The Hindu. She has been a journalist since 1984, starting out in Bombay Magazine and has worked for the United News of India, Mid-Day, the Times of India and The Hindu. She was the chief of bureau of The Hindu, Mumbai, before being posted to Islamabad from August 2013 till May 2014, when she was expelled, and was later based in New Delhi as environment correspondent till March 2015. She is the author of Riots and After in Mumbai, Organic Cotton: Reinventing the Wheel, co-author of The Unseen Worker: On the Trail of the Girl Child, and the forthcoming A Frayed History: The Journey of Cotton in India.