ne of the panels of conversation at Karachi Literature Festival last week focused on Omar Shahid Hamid’s book, The Prisoner’s Urdu translation by Inaam Nadeem. Nadeem, who translates works of literature to Urdu when particularly moved by one, had been requested by Maktabaa-e-Danyaal to produce the Urdu-language Qaidi.

By all accounts so far, Qaidi is well-translated, capturing the pace, humor, and nuance that marks Hamid’s prose. Why the book must be read - if Urdu is your preferred reading language - is simply for the story.

Omar Shahid Hamid, who has served on the Pakistan police force since 2003, began his writing career while on sabbatical from 2011-2016, following a death threat.

Punctuated with his own experiences while serving on the force, each book, mostly set in Karachi, borrows heavily from real events, and can really capture the essence of the city, its beauty, and that dangerous, sharp alter ego that one can clearly see flashing beneath the glossy cars and highrises.

The Prisoner begins with the capture of a foreign journalist in Pakistan, and Constatine D’Souza, a Christian police officer, is tasked with accompanying the only person who can help recover the captive. The catch is, Akbar Khan, the former cop who is the government’s final hope in averting this act of terrorism and the diplomatic crisis that is sure to follow, is himself imprisoned.

Hamid, apart from the experience and insider’s view, also has a way with words. You could have the world’s most interesting stories to tell, but if you don’t know how, you may as well never tell them. Because of the insight Hamid enjoys into both Pakistan police and various crimes and their perpetrators, he also lays down a network of characters in each of his books based on real personalities, which are most satisfying to figure out as you read.

Anyone interested in Pakistan’s politics and its politics of crime will definitely enjoy The Prisoner - or indeed, any of Hamid’s works, as will anyone with a taste for fast-paced crime thrillers.