A Literary Voice from Pakistan’s Frontier: A Conversation with Hasina Gul

Muftah speaks with poet Hasina Gul, author of eight Pashto books and a recognized literary figure in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Afghanistan, with a long career as a radio broadcaster and scriptwriter.

by Ilona Yusuf

Sometimes I wonder why I speak.

But then I think, why should I not speak, or act, why should I not be free?

- Hasina Gul

I first saw Hasina Gul in the summer of 2011 at the launch for the book, Modern Poetry of Pakistan (Dalkey Press, 2011), at Kuch Khaas, a center for Arts, Culture and Dialogue in Islamabad. As the author of eight books in P…