Statement regarding ‘Lahore With Love’ from Alice Randel Pfeiffer, director of SU Press

Thursday, February 24, 2011, By News Staff

Alice Randel Pfeiffer

“In mid-2010, SU Press became aware that a character in “Lahore With Love” very closely resembled—by name and description—an individual citizen in Pakistan. Upon review, the press found the representation of the character in the book was virtually identical to this citizen, and that the portrayal raised very serious concerns of libel and defamation of character. 

“The press discussed these concerns with Dr. Afzal-Khan. She initially offered to revise the book, but later withdrew that offer. After ongoing discussions, both parties ultimately chose to end the contract, as often happens when authors and publishers have issues that cannot be resolved. 

“SU Press very much recognizes Dr. Afzal-Khan’s right to publish her book and the effort she undertook in authoring it. Indeed, SU Press offered to transfer full rights to the book, without cost, to her should she wish to obtain a new publisher. At the time, it was our understanding that Dr. Afzal-Khan was pursuing that route, and we wished her well moving forward.”