Maxu MasoodBorn in the ancient town of Sialkot, in Punjab, Maxu Masood obtained a master's in Pakistan Studies and then worked as a journalist in Islamabad and London. He co-authored The Khalistan Riddle with a Canadian social scientist, Dr Peter Stockdale. Setagainst the background of military operation in the Golden Temple of Amritsar and the subsequent assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, the book offered valuable insight into the rise of Sikh separatism in India. From 1987 to 1996, Maxu served as Political Assistant to the Australian High Commission in Islamabad. Functionally, the position aimed at watching, from a closer range, the march of current political affairs in the region at a time when the Soviet Union pulled out of Afghanistan and the Taliban took control of Kabul; there was militancy in Kashmir and Pakistan hurried to acquire nuclear capability. While Maxu toyed with the idea of returning back to journalism, his wife, a Molecular Geneticist, aspired to seek environment conducive to her career in scientific teaching and research. With their son, the couple migrated to Australia towards the end of 1996. Arrival and settlement in Sydney turned out to be an amazing voyage from the world defined by the coarseness of religious fervour into that of utter racism concealed beneath elegance of courtesy. Maxu survived the test by serving a spate of low-key unglamorous positions in public and private sectors.
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