Here is a collection of short stories and plays compiled by Justice Haziqul Khairi and published by Zain Publications, Karachi under the title Amna Nazli kai muntakhib Afsanay aur dramay.

But who is Amna Nazli? Syed Abul Khair Kashfi regarded her as a golden link in a golden chain, the golden chain being the renowned literary family she belongs to. This family now known as the Khairi family traces its literary origin from Allama Rashidul Khairi, the great exponent of feminism in the Muslim society of this subcontinent. Amna Nazli was his daughter-in-law being the wife of his son Raziqul Khairi, and the mother of his grandson Mr. Justice Haziqul Khairi, Chief Justice of the Federal Shariat Court of Pakistan.

Amna Nazli may be seen as a link of a golden chain in another way too. The female fiction writers coming in the wake of the feminist movement, which flourished in the early decades of the 20th century, seem to constitute a golden chain. Amna Nazli may be seen as the last link in this golden chain.

The feminist movement I am talking about had its main centres in Lahore, Delhi, Aligarh and Lucknow. The centres in Lahore and Delhi distinguished themselves, and perhaps made more of an impact because of their extensive publication programmes.

The two journals aimed at women, namely 'Tehzeeb-e-Niswan' of Lahore and 'Ismat' of Delhi came to be known as the two organs which effectively represented this movement and encouraged women to express themselves in writing. In the process of writing for these two journals those possessing creative talent turned to fiction and achieved prominence as novelists and short story writers.

Allama Rashidul Khairi was a prolific fiction writer and concentrated on the fate of women in the Indo-Muslim society. With his feministic novels and journal 'Ismat' he came to be regarded as a role model for female writers.
Justice Haziqul Khairi tells us in his introductory note that 'Begum Amna Nazli was encouraged to write by my grandfather and her father-in-law Allama Rashidul Khairi. Later, my father Maulana Raziqul Khairi encouraged her to go on writing.' She also assisted him in his editorship of the journal. After his death in 1979 she took up the editorship of the journal and did this job till her last days.

This means that Begum Amna Nazli was actively involved in the feminist movement. Her writings, including her short stories and plays, may be seen as a part of her feministic activities.

Begum Amna Nazli had started writing during the '40s. That was the time when a new generation of fiction writers — with a number of women writers in the forefront — had already made its appearance. These writers stand clearly apart from the outgoing golden chain of women writers.

What essentially differentiates one group from the other is the rebellious attitude of the incoming generation. The outgoing women writers were liberals of their times and believed in the betterment of the women, but they stuck to the social values prescribed for them by their elders. Begum Nazli started writing in the
shadow of this outgoing generation.

Most of the stories in this collection aim at depicting a culture, where the institution of the family still stands integrated and dominates the social structure. Here we see much regard for the elderly. The young souls in the family are found ever ready to serve the old man in the house. Even the idiosyncrasies he develops are treated with care and sympathy.

The daughter-in-law appears to be the most obedient person in the family. She serves everybody selflessly, more particularly her father-in-law, mother-in-law and husband. She does not react to the taunts inflicted on her by any one of them.

Such was the traditional culture of Delhi. Begum Nazli depicts it realistically in an objective way with no attempt to idealise it or malign it.

She loves to be brief in her descriptions, so much so that we hardly find a full-length short story. They are just glimpses of family life as lived in a traditional Muslim middle class house of Delhi in bygone days. And as she is careful enough not to cross the threshold of the house, so what has been portrayed is strictly a feminine culture carrying with it a flavour of Delhi's female idiom.

The male characters are generally obedient sons of dominating mothers, husbands of the most obedient wives, or they are aged grandfathers who have already mellowed over time. Begum Nazli writes in a lively way with ease and facility while enjoying perfect command over the language.