{"title":"VBL AD June 2026 - Biographies \u0026 Mem","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"general-agha-mohammad-yahya-khan","title":"GENERAL AGHA MOHAMMAD YAHYA KHAN","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"van-product-description\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eAlthough this book is about General Yahya Khan's personal trajectory in the Pakistan Army, yet it most importantly offers a historical insight into key political events from 1947 to 1971. The author, popularly regarded as Yahya Khan's important PR-man, throws new light on the 1965 war and the still mysterious change in command in mid-offensive during that war; Yahya Khan's take-over of power from Field Marshal Mohammad Ayub Khan; army action and surrender in East Pakistan, and other issues considered contentious to-date. Moreover, this book offers an analysis on the Pakistan Army's ideological positioning—in its Introduction, 'The Pakistan Army and an Anatomy of Jihad'—throughout these years which help us understand the nature of armed conflicts within and without, the infiltration of the jihadi ethos against conventional professionalism of the army, as protectors of the homeland.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhile most of the failings in the higher military and political command and that of the civil servants and politicians, of that time are well-known, and covered in a number of retrospective books, memoirs, and the Hamoodur Rehman Commission Report, this book holistically questions and analyses those alleged failings since the author presents his first-hand, objective account as a witness to essential developments in 1965 and 1971 wars and the events leading to both periods. Therefore, as an former Army PRO, Brigadier Siddiqi's is an inside account and he does not hesitate to speak his mind.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Vanguard Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42609570578468,"sku":"9780190701413","price":865.0,"currency_code":"PKR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0739\/4823\/3764\/files\/9780190701413-1.jpg?v=1757580676"},{"product_id":"zulfi-bhutto-of-pakistan","title":"ZULFI BHUTTO OF PAKISTAN","description":"\u003cp\u003eNo individual in the history of Pakistan—indeed, few people in modern history—have achieved greater popular power or suffered so ignominious a death as Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Bhutto’s political rise and fall was so meteoric that his name became a legend in the land he once ruled.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis volume traces the life of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, from the colourful days of his feudal ancestors to his imprisonment and hanging at the hands of a military dictator.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBhutto was a charismatic and contradictory man. He climbed the heights of power with amazing swiftness, winning a seat in the central Cabinet of Pakistan at the unprecedented age of thirty. Wolpert weaves Pakistan’s turbulent politics and repeated wars with India together with Bhutto’s ambitious manoeuvring, tracing his rise as Foreign Minister, to the founding of his own political party, the PPP, and finally, leadership of the nation. The story of Bhutto’s sometimes inspiring and sometimes quixotic career is a fascinating one and Wolpert tells it brilliantly through Bhutto’s triumphant years in the mid-1970s, the military coup in 1977, and his treacherous imprisonment and execution in 1979.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWolpert’s intensively researched, engagingly written account captures the scheming, the grandeur, and the contradictions of one of modern history’s most fascinating figures.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Vanguard Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42609572315172,"sku":"9780190704278","price":1160.0,"currency_code":"PKR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0739\/4823\/3764\/files\/9780190704278.jpg?v=1757580686"},{"product_id":"jinnah-of-pakistan","title":"JINNAH OF PAKISTAN","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"van-product-description\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMohammad Ali Jinnah was for Pakistan what Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru combined were for modern India—inspirational father and first head of state. Jinnah began his career as the Indian National Congress's 'Ambassador of Hindu-Muslim Unity' but ended it forty years later as the architect of the partition that split Pakistan away from India. This authoritative and uniquely insightful biography explores the fascinating public and private life of this eminently powerful but little understood leader who changed the map of the Asian subcontinent.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Portraying Jinnah's story in all of its human complexity. Wolpert begins in the late nineteenth century with Jinnah's early life as a provincial country-boy in Karachi and follows him to London where he studied law and became a British barrister. Returning to India in 1896, Jinnah rapidly ascended the dual ladders of Indian law and politics, climbing to the top rung of each. By the 1920s, however, it appeared that Jinnah's political career was at an end, superseded by the rise of Gandhi's leadership and the movement of India in a more revolutionary direction. Yet, Jinnah was to remain a pivotal figure in the turbulent decades that followed, as India struggled for independence from British rule amid growing Hindu-Muslim antagonism.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWolpert vividly recounts how the tragic clash of personalities and party platforms that initially pitted Jinnah against Gandhi escalated from a personal rivalry into a conflict of national and international proportions. Wolpert shows how Jinnah's shrewd and skillful leadership combined brilliant advocacy and singular tenacity to win his suit for the creation of Pakistan on behalf of the 'Muslim nation'—his sole client during the last, lonely, pain-filled decade of his life.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Vanguard Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42609577394212,"sku":"9780195774627","price":1445.0,"currency_code":"PKR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0739\/4823\/3764\/files\/9780195774627-640x996-1.jpg?v=1757580717"},{"product_id":"the-charismatic-leader","title":"THE CHARISMATIC LEADER","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"van-product-description\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eBased on the concept of charisma formulated by Max Weber and developed by recent writers, this second revised edition concentrates on 'personality-related' and 'situational' factors that led to the emergence of Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah as the charismatic leader of Muslim India and sustained and strengthened him in that role to help create the separate state of Pakistan. While a few authors have dubbed Jinnah as a charismatic leader, hardly any one has defined or discussed the concept of charisma methodically or employed it systematically to analyse his charisma and charismatic leadership. In this sense, the present study is distinct and makes an original and unique contribution to the scholarly literature on Jinnah's political leadership. Dr Roger D. Long, a distinguished American historian on South Asia, thus acknowledged: 'Dr Hayat's analysis of Jinnah as a charismatic figure fills an important lacuna in the field'. Hence, this study will help interested, informed readers to see Jinnah in a new, fuller, and refreshing light. They will see a new Jinnah: The Charismatic Leader! \n\nThe first edition of the book received the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan's 'Best Book Publication Award' in Social Sciences and Humanities (2011).\n\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Vanguard Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42609581457444,"sku":"9789697342747","price":1155.0,"currency_code":"PKR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0739\/4823\/3764\/files\/9789697342747-f.jpg?v=1757662809"},{"product_id":"a-promised-land","title":"A PROMISED LAND","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"van-product-description\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the stirring, highly anticipated first volume of his presidential memoirs, Barack Obama tells the story of his improbable odyssey from young man searching for his identity to leader of the free world, describing in strikingly personal detail both his political education and the landmark moments of the first term of his historic presidency-a time of dramatic transformation and turmoil.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eObama takes readers on a compelling journey from his earliest political aspirations to the pivotal Iowa caucus victory that demonstrated the power of grassroots activism to the watershed night of November 4, 2008, when he was elected 44th president of the United States, becoming the first African American to hold the nation's highest office.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eReflecting on the presidency, he offers a unique and thoughtful exploration of both the awesome reach and the limits of presidential power, as well as singular insights into the dynamics of U.S. partisan politics and international diplomacy. Obama brings readers inside the Oval Office and the White House Situation Room, and to Moscow, Cairo, Beijing, and points beyond. We are privy to his thoughts as he assembles his cabinet, wrestles with a global financial crisis, takes the measure of Vladimir Putin, overcomes seemingly insurmountable odds to secure passage of the Affordable Care Act, clashes with generals about U.S. strategy in Afghanistan, tackles Wall Street reform, responds to the devastating Deepwater Horizon blowout, and authorizes Operation Neptune's Spear, which leads to the death of Osama bin Laden.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA Promised Land is extraordinarily intimate and introspective-the story of one man's bet with history, the faith of a community organizer tested on the world stage. Obama is candid about the balancing act of running for office as a Black American, bearing the expectations of a generation buoyed by messages of `hope and change,` and meeting the moral challenges of high-stakes decision-making. He is frank about the forces that opposed him at home and abroad, open about how living in the White House affected his wife and daughters, and unafraid to reveal self-doubt and disappointment. Yet he never wavers from his belief that inside the great, ongoing American experiment, progress is always possible.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis beautifully written and powerful book captures Barack Obama's conviction that democracy is not a gift from on high but something founded on empathy and common understanding and built together, day by day.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Vanguard Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42609589190692,"sku":"9780241491515","price":4225.0,"currency_code":"PKR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0739\/4823\/3764\/files\/9780241491515-1.jpg?v=1757580929"},{"product_id":"benazir-bhutto","title":"BENAZIR BHUTTO","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"van-product-description\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eBeautiful and charismatic the daughter of one of Pakistan s most popular leaders -- Zulfikar Ali Bhutto hanged by General Zia in 1979 -- Benazir Bhutto is not only the first woman to lead a post-colonial Muslim state she achieved a status approaching that of a royal princess only to be stripped of her power in another example of the bitter political in-fighting that has riven her country.From her upbringing in one of Pakistan s richest families the shock of the contrast of her Harvard and Oxford education and subsequent politicisation and arrest after her father s death Bhutto s life has been full of drama. Her riveting autobiography first published in 1988 and now updated to cover her own activities since then and how her country has changed since being thrust into the international limelight after 9\/11 is an inspiring tale of strength dedication and courage in the face of adversity.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Vanguard Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42613171781668,"sku":"9781847390851","price":1795.0,"currency_code":"PKR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0739\/4823\/3764\/files\/9781847390851.jpg?v=1774434482"},{"product_id":"jinnah","title":"JINNAH","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"van-product-description\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMohammad Ali Jinnah has been both celebrated and reviled for his role in the Partition of India, and the controversies surrounding his actions have only increased since his death. Ishtiaq Ahmed places Jinnah's actions under intense scrutiny to ascertain the Quaid-i-Azam's successes and failures, and the meaning and significance of his legacy. Using a wealth of contemporary records and archival material, he traces Jinnah's journey from an Indian nationalist to a Muslim communitarian, and then from a Muslim nationalist to, finally, Pakistan's all-powerful head of state. How did the ambassador of Hindu Muslim unity become the inflexible votary of the two-nation theory? Did Jinnah envision Pakistan as a theocratic state? What was federalism? Asking these crucial questions his position on Mahatma Gandhi and against the backdrop of the turbulent struggle against British colonialism, Jinnah is a path-breaking examination of one of the most controversial figures of the twentieth century.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Vanguard Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42613258780708,"sku":"9789694026329","price":3370.0,"currency_code":"PKR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0739\/4823\/3764\/files\/9789694026329-2.jpg?v=1757659129"},{"product_id":"friends-not-masters","title":"FRIENDS NOT MASTERS","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAyub Khan in his own words (about this book): \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"This is essentially a spoken book.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAfter I had defined the broad scope and outlines of the book I asked some friends to prepare questions on the theme of different chapters.The question-and-answer sessions began in June 1964 and continued till the end of the year. The tape-recordings of these sessions came to nearly thirty hours and the transcript covered more than 9oo pages. I got the transcript some time in 1965. Since then I have been going over it and revising it from time to time.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Vanguard Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42987455283236,"sku":"9789699880551","price":1705.0,"currency_code":"PKR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0739\/4823\/3764\/files\/9789699880551.jpg?v=1764753763"},{"product_id":"waiting-in-the-wings","title":"WAITING IN THE WINGS","description":"\u003cp\u003eMarch 1947.\u003cbr\u003eA four-year-old Salima Hashmi is witness to the Sikh leader, Master Tara Singh and his many followers denouncing the demand for Pakistan.\u003cbr\u003eSoon, the sub-continent is partitioned and Salima, her sister Moneeza, her English mother Alys, and her father, the renowned Urdu poet and leftist intellectual, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, are citizens of the nascent Pakistan.\u003cbr\u003eLife in the newly formed nation is full of ups and downs, the lowest points being Faiz’s imprisonment in 1951 on charges of sedition and his subsequent self-exile from Pakistan in 1960. Even as the family struggles to cope, life is not without its highpoints. There are picnics and outings with her cousins, Salma, Mariam and Billoo. The family home is frequented by writers, artistes and political figures and Salima is privy to their conversations and arguments. And through it all, Salima finds her footing in art which becomes her life’s calling.\u003cbr\u003eWaiting in the Wings, the first part of her two-volume memoir, is the account of the first two-and-a-half decades of Salima’s life. It is as much a portrait of a young nation as it is the account of the author’s own life.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEnter Stage Left\u003cbr\u003eReturning to Pakistan in 1970 after a spell in England, Salima and her husband, Shoaib Hashmi, plunge into Pakistani cultural and political life. Along with her teaching at the National College of Arts, Lahore, where she pioneered a new system of art education, Salima also found time to dabble in photography, advertising and television.\u003cbr\u003eIn 1972, Shoaib and Salima conceived, scripted and acted in the pathbreaking Akkar Bakkar on Pakistan TV (PTV). Akkar Bakkar ran for six months and became the first Pakistani television programme to win an international award. Such Gup and Taal Matol, both hugely popular programmes, soon followed. It was a time of creativity and innovation.\u003cbr\u003eDuring this time, Salima and Shoaib also became parents to Mira and Yasser. This period of Salima’s life came to an end with the ascent to power in 1977 of Gen. Zia-ul-Haq. Amidst a programme of Islamization and a clampdown of dissent, Salima also had to deal with her father Faiz’s second spell of self-exile to Beirut between 1979 and 1982.\u003cbr\u003eEnter Stage Left, the second of Salima’s two-volume memoir brings us up to date with events in Salima’s and Pakistan’s life until the present day.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Vanguard Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43206491766820,"sku":null,"price":5245.0,"currency_code":"PKR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0739\/4823\/3764\/files\/9789694027081.jpg?v=1769415868"},{"product_id":"pakistan-13","title":"PAKISTAN","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBorn only five years after Pakistan was created in 1947, Imran Khan has lived his country's history. Undermined by a ruling elite, and unable to protect its people from the carnage of regular bombings from terrorists and its own ally, America, Pakistan has for years suffered from instability. Now Imran Khan and his own political party, the Tehreek-e-Insaf, offer a real political alternative for the people of Pakistan at a time when tension between Pakistan's government and the powerful military has reached dangerous new levels. How did this flashpoint of volatility and injustice come about? \"Pakistan: A Personal History\" provides a unique insider's view of a country unfamiliar to a western audience. Woven into this history we see how Imran Khan's personal life - his happy childhood in Lahore, his Oxford education, his extraordinary cricketing career, his marriage to Jemima Goldsmith, his mother's influence and that of his Islamic faith - inform both the historical narrative and his current philanthropic and political activities. It is at once absorbing and insightful, casting fresh light upon a country whose culture he believes is largely misunderstood by the West.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Vanguard Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43558907281444,"sku":null,"price":1885.0,"currency_code":"PKR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0739\/4823\/3764\/files\/9780857500649.jpg?v=1770978572"}],"url":"https:\/\/vanguardbooks.com\/collections\/vbl-ad-june-2026-biographies-mem.oembed","provider":"Vanguard Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}