Why did readers connect Tohir Malik’s Shaytanat with political life in post-Soviet Uzbekistan?

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Bābur inspecting a garden, portrait miniature from the Bābur-nāmeh, 16th century; in the British Library. — Uzbek literature Bābur inspecting a garden, portrait miniature from the *Bābur-nāmeh*, 16th century; in the British Library.

Readers connected Tohir Malik’s novel Shaytanat (1992–96; "Devilry") to the political climate of post-Soviet Uzbekistan because of its portrayal of criminal behavior. Many readers identified the novel's "heroes"—who operated as criminals—with the country's local political leaders, often referred to as "new Uzbeks," whom the public perceived as acting with similar lawlessness.1