Ikramullah says: "Unfortunately, my novel ‘Gurg-e-Shab’ came under fire during Zia era. The publisher and I were informed that there were sentences pertaining to divinity, which were inappropriate and, therefore, should be expurgated. In addition, that in some passages of the novel, parts of female anatomy had been described in graphic detail, which was obscenity of the highest order. The book was confiscated and removed from the market, and what appeared to be just an order by the government of the Punjab initially soon became the order of the entire country. What was banned in one province was to be considered banned nationally."
The novel is now published again.