Mission to Kabul

Mission to Kabul presents an authentic picture of the rich cultural world of aristocratic Muslim life in British-ruled India, and it sensitively portrays men and women who are caught up in political and romantic intrigues. ‘This novel reveals striking insights from a long-time observer of South Asia, and it’s a crackling good story as well.’ – Carl Ernst, Director of the Carolina Center for the Study of the Middle East and Muslim Civilizations, University of North Carolina. Mission to Kabul is a story of passion, trust, betrayal, love, political intrigue, and espionage, set against an authentic historical canvas accurately depicting life in 19th-century South Asia. Muslim custom dictated that the eldest son inherited the father’s responsibility for the family. In this story, Mahmoud, the elder brother, steps into the younger one’s love affair to protect him. As a consequence, Mahmoud is jailed and later forced to undertake a secret mission to Afghanistan, whose mountains are the pivot of Great Power intrigue. On his trek through the mountains to return to India, he is attacked by the Waziri tribe, with surprising results. The story of Hamid, the younger brother, weaves in and out of Mahmoud’s. It includes accounts of the life of women in purdah and various family and religious customs.