ahpara Safdar hardly needs any introduction; her voice graced our radio and television over several decades. That informs my bias for the star newscaster as I review her autobiography Mera Zamana, Meri Kahani (My Days, My Story). My father, an educationist, would fondly talk about his Sargodha colleague and Safdar’s father whenever she presented news on radio or television. Most of the people she worked with in the 1970s at Radio Pakistan, Lahore, were my colleagues a decade and a half later. And most of her associates in London at BBC, which she joined later in her life, have been my comrades in newspaper journalism here. Even the book’s editor, veteran journalist Aslam Malik, is a friend.

Over to the book now, objectively.

Mera Zamana, Meri Kahani is a collection of memories – sweet, bitter, purposeful and laughable. Divided into three parts, the book covers Safdar’s upbringing, education, marriage to poet and broadcaster Safdar Hamdani, son of the legendary broadcaster Mustafa Ali Hamdani, and her experiences in both Pakistan and the UK as she professionalises her interests from school days with remarkable success.

We see a girl child living in a loving household along with her parents and five siblings – all female. The cultural norm ascribing a higher status to men than women upsets her. So do the misogyny and harassment she faces while getting an education and doing her job. Pakistan has taken progressive steps towards the protection of human rights by ratifying most international human rights conventions and introducing pro-women legislation. However, while laws for women’s empowerment and protection from violence are in place, their implementation remains weak.

A society is what its woman think it is. Read the book to know how it is: women and men lamenting the birth of a girl, hindering her right to education and a job, suggestive and snide remarks and advances by men, and scandalising her even after marriage. Pity.

Besides shedding light on the social milieu of Pakistan, this captivating autobiography also offers valuable insights into the country’s social and political landscape in the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s. It captures the spirit of the times, narrating key moments in Pakistan’s history with vivid descriptions and a news bulletin-like precision to become a source of knowledge for anyone seeking to understand the country’s socio-political landscape during those tumultuous years. The autobiography provides a captivating narrative that combines historical context, personal anecdotes and valuable insights, making it a compelling and enlightening read. It uncovers significant historical moments, including the flogging of political opponents and journalists during Zia’s regime, and the covert suppression of the Pakistan National Alliance (PNA) movement in 1977, PTV’s compliance with directives from the head of state in incidents such as re-airing entire news bulletins to appease President Bhutto and the dress codes imposed under Zia, including the requirement for female news presenters to cover their heads and a short-lived ban on makeup.

Safdar deeply appreciates her parents, who supported her throughout her life and defied societal pressures and ingrained prejudice against women to ensure all their daughters received an education.

In recounting the days of dictatorships and democratic regimes with all their good, bad and farcical memories, Safdar does not rely on her own observation alone; to back her argument, she cites other writers and data as well. Only a journalist can be expected to do that.

To highlight the amount of caution the profession requires, Safdar narrates the case of a BBC reporter who mistakenly tweeted that the Queen had died after she saw an internal TV monitor which was running a rehearsal of how BBC might handle a royal death. A number of tweets were sent from her Twitter account. The first stated that the Queen was being treated in hospital. The second said the Queen had died. The tweets included a link to BBC World’s official Twitter feed. The journalist’s tweets were picked up by news outlets worldwide. Several incidents of the kind have been recounted in the book to show how to, and how not to, deal with a certain situation.

Society and politics are artistically woven into Safdar’s story as a news presenter, highlighting the challenges and censorship she faced, the cultural differences she encountered in the UK and the difficult interviews and assignments she did as a BBC Radio Urdu Service journalist, and then her obtaining a master’s degree in women studies from the University of London. The book is a source of inspiration and instruction for media students, especially girls.

Safdar does not hate people. She chooses her words well and is candid and definite in her description of people and events but does not name those who may have wronged her and have passed away. This makes the book an honest and highly readable account of her extraordinary professional and personal life.

She is deeply appreciative of her parents, who supported her throughout her life and defied societal pressures and ingrained practices towards women to ensure that all their daughters received an education. She also lovingly talks about her husband, who, to help her, never felt shy of doing the chores some call ‘unmanly’. She talks respectfully about colleagues who helped her achieve whatever she did.

The Pakistani society needs a transformation in mind sets concerning women and democracy. It is crucial to foster a culture that embraces gender equality, empowers women and recognises their invaluable contributions to society. Simultaneously, there is a need for a deep-rooted commitment to democratic principles, ensuring equal rights, representation and participation for all citizens, regardless of gender. Embracing these changes will not only lead to a more inclusive and progressive Pakistan but also strengthen the foundations of a thriving democracy.

Mahparas of today and of the future should not feel clipped. Let the world be liveable for women as well.

Mera Zamana, Meri Kahani

Author: Mahpara

Safdar

Publisher:

Book Corner, Jhelum

Pages: 464

Price: Rs 1,350

The reviewer is a print, broadcast and online journalist associated with Jang Group of Newspapers as Editor, Special Assignments