The Long Read

The strange intimacy between Pakistan and Zohran Mamdani

Zohran Mamdani is not Pakistani, yet he has stirred a rare warmth in Pakistan. His comfort with Urdu and Hindustani, his visible Muslim identity and his wider South Asian cultural ease have made him feel less like a distant foreign politician and more like someone many Pakistanis instinctively understand.

Zohran Mamdani may not be Pakistani, but his public presence has struck a deep chord in Pakistan. His use of Urdu and Hindustani, visible Muslim identity and wider South Asian sensibility have made him feel culturally intimate across borders. — MICHAEL MCCALL FOR THE THURSDAY TIMES VIA BLOOMBERG
Published by Thursday Media International thursday.media