Hajj: A Journey Back in Time

Safdar Nensey

The author of the book is a petroleum engineer by profession, who has worked in Pakistan and the Middle East for more than 36 years in both oil and gas exploration and the production sector. He has written several books that reflect his passion for travelling and collecting antiques. He also collects a range of items, from postcards to rare manuscripts and old coins. Collecting these, he pieces together histories. This book is a compilation of vintage and later era postcards and photographs, from the late 1800s to around the 1980s, of Hajj from the author’s personal collection. It offers a visual glimpse of the annual pilgrimage to Mecca.

Earthly Matters

Nasir Ali Panhwar

This book is a collection of 81 articles which were published in various newspapers including Dawn, The Express Tribune and The News International. The topics covered in these articles relate to the many threats to biodiversity in Pakistan due to climate change and the lack of public awareness, leading to pollution, deforestation, overgrazing, soil erosion, salinity, water logging, desertification, etc. Climate change here has also led to floods, droughts, tropical storms, heat waves and outward migration. The author, who has a Master’s degree in Sociology and over 20 years of work experience in the development sector, believes that global warming is more than just an environmental problem. It is also a serious threat to security and development worldwide. The future degree of warming is hard to estimate because of the enormous complexity of the Earth’s climate system and the uncertainty about how humans will reduce emissions. However, it is evident that the planet is heating up due to human activity.

Published in Dawn, Books & Authors, April 28th, 2024