As part of the 10-year anniversary celebrations of the re-opening of the British Council libraries in Pakistan, we are delighted to host a special book launch featuring Chasing Shadows in Borrowed Light by Safinah Danish Elahi. This event marks a decade of the library’s commitment to promoting reading, dialogue, and cultural exchange within the community.
The author will be in conversation with British journalist and TV host, Tanya Francis, as they discuss the plot and themes that inspired the new book, and the literature landscape of Pakistan. Spanning New York, Karachi, New Jersey, and Melbourne, the story follows four friends bound by a shared past that refuses to stay buried. At the heart of the story is Areen - a brilliant but troubled artist whose sudden silence draws her oldest friends back into her orbit, where each friend is forced to confront the lives they’ve built, the wounds they’ve carried, and the ties that still hold them together.
Event Details
Date: Saturday, 9 May 2026
Time: 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Location: British Council Karachi Library
Registration: Free of cost
Age: 18 and above
Register here
Prior registration is mandatory
Last date to apply is Thursday, 7 May 2026
Join us for an inspiring evening at the Karachi library.
Copies of the book will be available for purchase.
About the Author
Safinah Danish Elahi is a lawyer, novelist, and poet with an MFA from Emerson College, Boston. She is the author of three books, including Eye on the Prize (adapted into the TV series Dauur) and The Idle Stance of the Tippler Pigeon, which was shortlisted for the Asian Fiction Prize 2023. She is also the founder of Reverie Publishers and a former nominee for the International Writers’ Fall Residency at the University of Iowa. Chasing Shadows in Borrowed Light is her fourth book and third novel.
About the Moderator
The session will be moderated by Tanya Francis, a British journalist, TV presenter, and producer with over 15 years of experience in international newsrooms and television. She currently hosts Morning Asia, the flagship show on Asia One, Pakistan’s first English-speaking international TV station.
If you have any queries or concerns, please write to us at: librarykhi@britishcouncil.org.pk
Equality Policy:
We aim to create a safe environment, for adults and children who are potentially at risk for a variety of reasons, in which no child or adult will experience harm or exploitation during their contact with us. To find out more about our safeguarding policy visit: https://www.britishcouncil.org/.../policies/safeguarding