DefinePK

Abstract

<jats:p>Politics as theory and practice of the power, and the existence of authoritative structures for the governance of a country remains among the staple contents of imaginative literature. The catastrophic incident of 9/11 at the turn of the new millennium has not only impacted the international politics but also resulted in the proliferation of political ideas in the literary writings. Glut production of fiction on War on Terror exposes the readers to the wide range of ideological constructions regarding the issue. Compared to the theoretical discourse, fiction serves as a better medium to persuasively depict the emotional and psychological traumas of the local population whose lives continue to suffer years after the 9/11 tragedy. In particular, Fatima Bhutto’s novel The Shadow of the Crescent Moon (2013) counters the fixed ideas about War on Terror. By portraying the social and political relationships and institutions within which this evil conflict thrives, she draws into our imagination the understanding and reality of the War on Terror, and to those who are its worst victims. For Bhutto, the psychological understanding of the worst victims of war on terror reveal that neither West nor the Pakistani state has suffered those dire consequences that the youth of the tribal areas face. As a consequence of this unending war, their fate is sealed as ‘lost generation’, both as a result of denial of justice, and the destruction caused by war on terror.</jats:p>