Reporting from Pakistan is considered one of the most difficult and exciting assignments in journalism, more so for an Indian.

As we turn the pages of a recently-released book Reporting Pakistan, it perfectly draws the picture of that Pakistan, which our news anchors have failed to show despite indulging in loud debates, where the only centre of discussion is Pakistan.

Author Meena Menon, who has tried to drop the veil between prejudice and propaganda, in her nine months of reporting from Pakistan for The Hindu has given a brief account of the ordeals an Indian, especially a journalist, has to undergo for Visa and getting followed by spies.

In her account, Menon writes how political leaders of both the countries provide through their deeds enough jokes that satisfy the humour deficiency of both sides.

In one of the chapters she writes how a delegation from Pakistan visited Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and was surprised that a leader, who has so much appeal on the National panorama, knew very little about Pakistan.

For a book which is titled, Reporting Pakistan, a reader would highly expect to know about terror camps and the opinion of the hostile country on the much debated Balochistan and Kashmir.

Narrating the ground realities of terrorism in Pakistan, Menon has perfectly summed up all the area of conflicts, which include killing of Shias, conflicts attached with Ahmadis, the security of minorities in Pakistan, mainly the Hindus, the Haqqani network, Kashmiri terror suspects and so on.

But overall, the major and the important part of this chapter is the one in which the author has written on how reporting became an ordeal in Pakistan after the horrific attacks of 26/11 in Mumbai.

On the other side of the panorama, this book also serves as perfect guide to the best-kept secrets of Pakistan, which include unheard tales of cities like Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad.

Narrating her midnight welcome in the markets of Islamabad, Meena writes, “Shops are open late and the salesman, looking for us, wanted to know where we were from.

On hearing that we were Indians, he smiled and said, ‘Welcome to Pakistan’. Finally I had crossed the real border.” Perhaps this chapter shines light on the untold and undiscovered attitude of Pakistanis towards Indians, which brings out the love that has always existed but remained silent.

Meena Menon’s account of the nine months she spent reporting in Pakistan before being sent home is a revelation.

This book is the author’s own lived experiences, which are sour and sweet at the same time. This book certainly fails to establish the true emotions between India and Pakistan but after 70 years of separation, no one from either side actually knows what the two countries want from each other.

Behind Kashmir and Balochistan there are still hidden elements, which have made the conflict more grave and to find out those hidden reasons in a short span of nine months is surely a tough job but Meena has tried her best. As she herself writes, “There are two states of mind in Pakistan, two states in that nation and the twain may not necessarily meet. These are only my experiences and they are not universal. I am not a Pakistan expert; there are too many around.”

About the book:

Reporting Pakistan by Meena Menon

Publisher: Penguin India

Price: Rs.599,

PP: 340