Journalist-turned-author Fatima Bhutto is irked.
The Kabul-born beauty and daughter of the slain Pakistani politician Mir Murtaza Bhutto (and niece of the late Benazir Bhutto) is ‘angry’ at the constant telecast of the ongoing controversy about Sania Mirza’s marriage to Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik.
She says, “On Monday there were several blasts in Peshawar but the Shoaib-Sania marriage was everywhere. While the media reported on random people, they didn’t tell us what happened in the blasts.”
Apart from this, Fatima is also annoyed at the fact that people from both sides of the Line of Control are curious to know about each other, but cannot do so due to complicated visa procedures. She says, “I was in Bangalore two days ago and met two people who told me their visas were rejected for going to Karachi. We all go to London, America and Canada, but it is so difficult to visit our respective countries that are so close.”
Over the last few days the 27-year-old has been constantly flitting between cities promoting her new book Songs of Blood and Sword. She made sure that she draped herself in stunning sarees for the book launches in this country. Fatima laughs, “I grew up with my grandmother who came from Mumbai and always wore a saree. My Mumbai friends got me to wear a bindi too.”
Her book paints a horror picture of her aunt Benazir Bhutto and her husband conspiring to bring her father down. But even then ‘fear’ seems to be an elusive word for Fatima, who might run a risk of irking the positions of power in her home state through the revelations in her book. She says, “Fear does not come to mind; instead survival instincts kick in.”
Born to an Afghan mother, Fatima prefers to call Murtaza’s Lebanese second wife Ghinwa her own. She even excitedly shows off her new blue blouse that Ghinwa bought for her, especially to wear while on her trip to India. Breaking into a wide grin, she says, “My mother is a fantastic cook. We also love reading and watching historical dramas. I beg her to come with me when I go shopping for fabrics.”
