The liaison officer

Outer characterization

The liaison officer is one of the main characters in the inner story of “The Dutiful Daughter” by Saadat Hasan Manto. He is also the narrator of this part of the story. The narrative offers few details about his identity. He is a mediator between two parties – in this case, India and Pakistan – and working towards the benefit of both. As he spends his time in India looking for Pakistani women who were abducted, the man is most likely Pakistani. 

Inner characterization

The liaison officer’s inner characterization reveals that he is involved in his work and that he works with volunteers to search for missing women (p. 279, ll. 38-40). When he meets the old Pakistani woman, he is told that the woman “had lost her mind because her only daughter had been abducted during the riots in Patiala” (p. 280, l. 3-4). However, the liaison officer is rational an...