Inside Story with Humphrey

Victoria Schofield is one of Britain’s leading authors on military history and South Asia. She has written widely on Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. Her first book Bhutto: Trial and Execution was published in 1978 about the death sentence and hanging of the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, for conspiring to kill a political opponent. Victoria became a close friend of his daughter Benazir who went on to become Prime Minister and was assassinated in 2007.  In 2020, Victoria published a tribute to their long friendship in The Fragrance of Tears, my friendship with Benazir Bhutto. Her other South Asian books include Afghan Frontier: At the Crossroads of Conflict and Kashmir in Conflict – the titles reflecting the political tumult of the region. She wrote a two-volume history The Highland Furies, The Black Watch 1739-1899, with a Foreword by HRH the Prince of Wales and The Black Watch, Fighting in the Front Line 1899-2006 telling the story of the famous Scottish regiment and a biography of Field Marshal Earl Wavell- Wavell: Soldier and Statesman – who was Viceroy on India before Lord Mountbatten too over to see through independence, leading to the ill-fated Partition. If you’ve ever wondered about Benazir Bhutto, Britain’s colonial past and the character who drove it, join Victoria, who will be talking to Humphrey Hawksley about her life’s work, her travels and her friendships in this remarkable Inside Story, Friday June 17th 2022.