Sanam Maher's 'The Sensational Life & Death of Qandeel Baloch' shortlisted for Shakti Bhatt prize

Journalist Sanam Maher's The Sensational Life and Death of Qandeel Baloch has been shortlisted for India's Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize 2018.

The First Book Prize was set up by the Shakti Bhatt Foundation in 2008 to encourage authors from the sub-continent. The prize is a cash award of INR200,000 and a trophy.

She has been shortlisted alongside five other authors, including Preti Taneja (We That Are Young), Sujatha Gidla (Ants Among Elephants), Deepak Unnikrishnan (Temporary People), Aanchal Malhotra (Remnants of a Separation) and Shreevatsa Nevatia (How to Travel Light).

In the nomination announcement, Maher's Qandeel Baloch is described as "a testimony to the short, incandescent and courageous life of this Pakistani social media personality, murdered for the family’s honour by her brother. Through the story of Qandeel’s life and death, Maher shows us what it means to be a woman who defies convention in a patriarchal society."

The prize winner will be announced in November.