On 29 May 1989 Brigadier Tariq Mehmood, formerly head of Pakistan’s Special Forces, was taking part in a freefall demonstration in Gujranwala. His parachute failed and he crashed to his death in front of a large crowd that included his wife. TM (as he was always known) was the arche- typal Special Forces officer, almost recklessly courageous, colourful, bound very closely to his men, whatever their rank. The tragedy shook the Pakistan army.

This grim event is wantonly exploited by Mohammed Hanif in his comedy, A Case of Exploding Mangoes. The author has clearly had fun walking famous people — presidents, politicians, operators — through this re-imagining of events leading to the death of General Zia ul-Haq in August 1988. But the jollity turns ugly when the author manhandles the Brigadier. TM’s initials mean nothing to western readers and will not boost sales here. Those who did know him will only be angered by the profanation of an honest soldier’s name. Hanif tinkers with the date of TM’s death — in order to allow President Zia to witness it — and pruriently enters into the brigadier’s mind in the seconds before his death. Giving him a slightly different name — mentioned in passing — does nothing to excuse Hanif’s nastiness.

The abuse of Brigadier TM exemplifies the contempt for Pakistan that permeates Mohammed Hanif’s novel; he treats the Americans far more gently than his own countrymen. Hanif is now Head of the BBC’s Urdu Section, but in his youth he trained as a pilot. For the Air Force that schooled him he now expresses nothing but scorn.

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