The Impact of Terrorism on Pakistani Urdu Fiction: An Analytical Study

پاکستانی اردو افسانے پر دہشت گردی کے اثرات: ایک تجزیاتی مطالعہ

Abstract

Terrorism is framed not merely as physical destruction but as an erosion of humanity’s "spiritual essence." Writers like Manto and Muhammad Hameed Shahid depict survivors as hollow beings—"living corpses" who breathe but lack inner vitality, symbolizing the annihilation of hope and moral purpose. Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi situates terrorism at the intersection of social fragmentation and moral decay, portraying it as a crisis of human identity. Manto’s characters navigate landscapes of fear and instability, where trust and relationships disintegrate Shahid illustrates how terrorism’s deep wounds seep into society’s veins, corrupting communal bonds and fostering pervasive distrust. Writers like Asghar Nadeem Syed and Noor-ul-Huda Shah amplify the hollowness and restlessness of urban life under terror. Their characters’ anxieties mirror the chaos of cities under siege, where terror infiltrates both physical spaces and mental sanctuaries. These short stories conclude that terrorism’s lasting damage is not material ruin but the extinguishing of humanity’s spirit. Qasmi uses geopolitical partition to symbolize fractured psyches and societal disintegration. Pakistani Urdu fiction reframes terrorism as a cultural autopsy, revealing how violence corrodes the soul long after physical battles end. This analysis underscores how Urdu literature transforms terrorism from a geopolitical narrative into a universal exploration of human fragility and resilience.