Landscapes of Injustice: Ecological Imagery and Marginalized Voices in The Return of Faraz Ali

Abstract

This study explores how Aamina Ahmad’s The Return of Faraz Ali makes readers notice slow, everyday ecological harm in Lahore and invites a sense of shared responsibility for the city’s future. Using Lawrence Buell’s ecocritical framework, this research conducts a close reading of scenes where fog, polluted air, polluted water and decaying buildings shape the environment. Each passage is implied for the type and impact of ecological damage, then interpreted against Buell’s theoretical framework. The analysis shows that Ahmad consistently treats the non-human world as an active force, links environmental decline to social inequality with environment, and presents urban change as an ongoing process rather than a sudden disaster. By foregrounding marginalization of environment, the novel encourages early recognition of subtle ecological stress, a lesson with particular value for rapidly growing cities of the Global South. The project also extends Buell’s approach to contemporary Pakistani fiction, addressing a documented gap in the field.