KARACHI: Ambassador of France to Pakistan Nicolas Galey has presented Bina Shah, a Karachi-based writer, editor and columnist, with the insignia of “Chevalier de I’Ordre Des Arts et des Lettres (Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters)”.
The award ceremony was held at the Alliance Francaise, Karachi, on Thursday.
Speaking on the occasion, the French ambassador said that the exceptional talent of Bina Shah has been praised by her peers in Pakistan and all over the world and proved a huge hit with the public in so many countries.
France wishes to pay tribute to her dedication as a writer and journalist, to her great talent, as well as to her attachment to the French language and culture, he said.
He said it is a privilege for him to present the award to Ms Shah, for which he is visiting Karachi for the first time as the French ambassador to Pakistan.
He said he is delighted to welcome Ms Shah to the Alliance Française, which is dear to her and which she chaired from 2017 to 2019 after having been a valuable member of its board for several years.
Bina Shah graduated from the Wellesley College and Harvard Graduate School of Education, Massachusetts, United States, and chose to come back to Karachi in 1995 where she got tremendous inspiration for her passion, literature.
A writer and an author, Bina Shah wrote between 2000 and 2018 no less than two collections of short stories and five novels among which are the bestseller Slum Child, published in 2010, and A Season For Martyrs, published in 2014. The first of the two novels was awarded in Italy and published in French by famous publishing house Actes Sud in 2016.
In fact, her literary works went around the world as they were published in Urdu and English but also in French and Italian, as well as Spanish, Danish, Chinese, German, Turkish and Vietnamese languages.
In parallel, Bina Shah contributed columns to the International New York Times, Al Jazeera, The Huffington Post, The Guardian, The Independent and she continues to write regularly for Dawn.
Her feminist commitment, her roots in the city of Karachi, which she describe so well in her books and essays, her internationally recognised literary career, and her dedication to the French language and culture are some of the reasons for honouring her, the ambassador said.
The ideas of modernity, creativity, diversity and tolerance that she defends are also those that France promotes and defends, he added.
Bina Shah’s writings, often iconoclastic and sometimes satirical, and the lucid views she has on major social issues, are more than necessary to understand the beautiful country that is Pakistan. Her commitment to girls’ education and women’s rights is particularly indispensable.
She recently reminded us of this by drawing attention to the plight and specific needs of women displaced by the tragic floods in Sindh and many other Pakistani regions. “Let me say at this point that this disaster has created immense emotion in France and a sentiment of great sympathy and solidarity,” he said. The French government has deployed significant humanitarian assistance to the affected populations, he added.
In her speech, Ms Shah thanked the French government for the award. She also thanked the French ambassador who came over to Karachi to present the award to her.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022
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