Writer/journalist Mohammed Hanif honored with Sitara-e-Imtiaz

KARACHI: Pakistan’s highly lauded author Mohammed Hanif has been honored with the Sitara-e-Imtiaz, the third-highest civilian prize in the country.

The highly acclaimed writer and journalist in a tweet publicized the news and expressed his exhilaration.

“Thank you all for your lovely messages. Now can someone please tell me how does one collect it because GoP is a bit coy on the subject, thrilled at the prospects of meeting fellow winners Fidel and Amanullah. Hope we all get to party with President Mamnun,” stated the tweet.

Born in Okara, Mohammed Hanif had enrolled himself in the Pakistan Air Force Academy and trained as a fighter pilot. After leaving the military, Hanif began his career as a journalist and moved to London in 1996. He returned to Pakistan in 2008.

His critically acclaimed novel ‘A Case of Exploding Mangoes’, was long listed for the Man Booker Prize, and shortlisted for the Guardian First Book Award. It went on to win the Commonwealth Book Prize in 2009.

Hanif’s second novel ‘Our Lady of Alice Bhatti’ was published in 2011. His next novel ‘Red Birds’ will be launched in September this year.

Besides writing novels, he has also written a feature film, ‘The Long Night’ (2002), a BBC radio play, ‘What Now, Now That We Are Dead?’ and a stage play ‘The Dictator's Wife’ (2008).