Mohammed Hanif

Mohammed Hanif is a British-Pakistani writer and journalist. He has contributed work to The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The New Yorker.

Early life and education

Hanif was born in Okara, Punjab, in November 1964. He initially pursued a military path after graduating from the Pakistan Air Force Academy as a pilot officer. He later decided to leave that profession to seek a career in journalism.

He is a graduate of the University of East Anglia. This academic background preceded his transition into professional writing and reporting.

Career

His early journalistic work included roles at Newsline, India Today, and The Washington Post. In 1996, he moved to London to begin working for the BBC. He eventually served as the head of the BBC's Urdu service in London before returning to Pakistan in 2008.

During his time in Karachi, he worked as a correspondent for BBC News. He also wrote the script for the 2002 feature film The Long Night. His literary output includes several notable novels and stage works.

His debut novel, A Case of Exploding Mangoes, was published in 2008. He followed this with Our Lady of Alice Bhatti in 2011. Other published novels include The Baloch who is not missing and others who are (2013), Red Birds (2018), and Rebel English Academy (2026).

Hanif writes for the stage as well. He wrote the radio play What Now, Now That We Are Dead? and the play The Dictator's Wife, which was staged at the Hampstead Theatre in 2008. He is currently collaborating with composer Mohammed Fairouz on an opera titled Bhutto.

Critics sometimes compare his writing style to that of Salman Rushdie. Hanif has expressed disagreement with this specific assessment. While he admitted that many writers of his generation wanted to emulate Rushdie, he noted he would not want to be hunted around the world.

Personal life

Hanif is married to the actress Nimra Bucha.

Awards and recognition

A Case of Exploding Mangoes earned several honors. It was longlisted for the 2008 Man Booker Prize and shortlisted for the 2008 Guardian First Book Award. The novel also won the 2008 Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize and the 2009 Commonwealth Book Prize in the Best First Book category.

His second novel, Our Lady of Alice Bhatti, received further recognition. It was shortlisted for the Wellcome Trust Book Prize in 2012 and the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature in 2013.

Hanif previously held the Sitara-e-Imtiaz award. He returned this award following a protest march in Islamabad on 20 December 2023. This action was taken in opposition to the police crackdown and the persecution of the Baloch people.