About The Author
Nafisa Hoodbhoy was staff reporter for the English daily Dawn newspaper from 1984-2000. As the only woman reporter under Gen Zia in Karachi, Pakistan, she went on to write thousands of news reports and lead articles on the nation’s transition to democracy, alternately spear-headed by civilian leaders Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif. During this period, she researched and featured in video films on women..... Read More
Customer Reviews
Aboard the Democracy Train
A Journey through Pakistan’s Last Decade of Democracy
2011 Edition
Reader Comments on Good Reads
“The author was a journalist for the Pakistani newspaper Dawn during the 1980s and 90s.It is a memoir of the time when General Zia ruled Pakistan,and it was later followed by Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif playing musical chairs,as prime ministers.” – W.
“Anyone who wants to understand the complexity, diversity and resilience of Pakistani society, must read ‘Aboard the Democracy Train’ (2016 Edition). The briliance of Nafisa’s writing takes the reader on a journey of magic realism on every page.” – Samina Nazir
“A thrilling tale that follows the death of Zia on 1988 and folllows much of Pakistan’s history till the shahadat of Benazir Bhutto. The book gives a close acccount of what goes behind the scene in the political landscape and how specific events change the functioning of democracy in Pakistan.” – Kaustubh Kirti
“Light on character development and providing few insights into the why? of deeply ingrained cultural traditions that superficially at least appear discriminatory, running contrary to values held dear by liberal “westernized” elites from democratic societies.” – Steve Edwards
“I thoroughly enjoyed reading this personal – impersonal blend of style and somewhat a biographical account of Nafisa Hoodbhoy.” – Peter Jacob
Aboard the Democracy Train
Pakistan Tracks the Threat Within
2016 Expanded Edition
Cover Reviews
Shuja Nawaz
Author and Director South Asia Center
‘A powerful and courageous voice that represents the best of Pakistan’s emerging journalism…
Karen Frillmann
Managing Editor - Newsroom, New York Public Radio
‘Nafisa Hoodbhoy’s detailed reporting helped me look at the complex world of Pakistani politics differently. Hoodbhoy’s proximity to key players ...
Hassan Abbas
Author and Quaid-i-Azam Chair Professor
‘A story of a courageous journalist who defied conventional norms during times when very few other women were in this profession, and the country’s ...
Frances Stead Sellers
Deputy National Editor, Health, Science and the Environment, The Washington Post
‘It was her fierce independence and commitment to her country that inspired [Hoodbhoy’s] decision to become a newspaper reporter the only female...
Karen McFly
2013
‘Unputdownable! Required reading for anyone who is interested in how Pakistan came into being, developed into the country that it is today and what it was like in between being the only women journalist during dictator Zia ul Haq's military rule. Nafisa Hoodbhoy is a an extremely brave and defiant woman and a great writer whose storytelling qualities enable one to live through the different times as she has. Certainly worth reading a second time.‘
Vikas Datta
2015
‘Another perceptive look into an embattled country and where Ms.Hoodbhoy scores is starting much earlier in a more dangerous decade which has however not got its adequate share of attention due to the lesser outward manifestations of violence, save in benighted Karachi and Sindh.‘
Kaustubh Kirti
2018
‘A thrilling tale that follows the death of Zia on 1988 and folllows much of Pakistan's history till the shahadat of Benazir Bhutto. The book gives a close acccount of what goes behind the scene in the political landscape and how specific events change the functioning of democracy in Pakistan.‘
