About the author:

Shuja Nawaz is a political and strategic analyst. He is younger brother of former chief of army
staff General Asif Nawaz. He is a graduate of the Columbia University Graduate School of
Journalism. He was a television newscaster and producer with Ptv from 1967 to 1972 and
covered the 1971 war with India on the Western front. He has worked for The New York Times,
the World Health Organization, IMF, International Atomic Energy Agency, and has widely
written and spoken on military and politico-economic issues on radio, television, and at Think
Tanks.. He is now Director, South Asia Center, The Atlantic Council of the United States.

His latest and very famous books are “FATA: A Most Dangerous Place” and “Journey”

Overview

Based on 30 years of research and analysis, this definitive book is a profound, multi-layered, and
historical analysis of the nature and role of the Pakistan army in the country’s polity as well as its
turbulent relationship with the United States. Shuja Nawaz examines the army and Pakistan in
both peace and war. Using many hitherto unpublished materials from the archives of the United
States, the United Kingdom, and the General Headquarters of the Pakistan Army, as well as
interviews with key military and political figures in Pakistan and the United States, he sheds light
not only on the Pakistan Army and its US connections but also on Pakistan as a key Muslim
country in one of the world’s toughest neighborhoods. In doing so, he lays bare key facts about
Pakistan’s numerous wars with India and its many rounds of political musical chairs, as well as
the Kargil conflict of 1999. He then draws lessons from this history that may help Pakistan end
its wars within and create a stable political entity.
Review
This book starts with an overview of strategic and geographical importance of this part of world
that we today called Pakistan, highlighting different eras of various Invaders and then eventual
birth of Pakistan with all its hardships and miseries. Writer then moves on and gives a
comprehensive overview of Kashmir Issue and first war with India in 1948 for the cause of
Kashmir. In this book writer tries to elucidate various key facts inherent in the history of
Pakistan unknown to common people but yet very interesting and eye widening realities.

For example while shedding light on Kashmir issue he gives an account of a very important
figure of this event, with whom most of us are not acquainted, Colonel Akbar Khan who was the
first person to whom people of Kashmir acceded for the first time as their savior after the
accession of Kashmir with India and under whose patronage an informal war was started in
Kashmir mostly with the help of civilians. Although his plan never met acceptance from decision
makers at GHQ, since they were afraid of having a full fledged war with India, but yet if
enforced it could have given a military edge in Kashmir war as per different analysts.

However the Kashmir war was failed given the following reasons:
  First of all a guerilla operation was launched without trained man power to direct and
control the tribal, and certainly without laying the ground for local support in the valley
of Kashmir.
 Secondly the military support from Pakistan army was severely constrained, with the
political leadership unable to come to terms with the fact that they were in fact fighting a
war.
 Thirdly, there was also a lack of bold and unorthodox thinking. Action plan of Akbar
Khan of infiltrating trained soldiers into Srinagar to render the air field useless, coupled
with a concentrated attack by the Pakistan army with adequate artillery and air support to
cut the Jammu road may have brought a check mate to the Indian Moves in Kashmir.

The failure of Kashmir war produced various after effects. It further strengthened the view that
Pakistan needed a strong political leadership. Akbar khan and his friends who aided the informal
Kashmir effort were to sow the seeds of discontent that later showed itself in the Rawalpindi
conspiracy case. And the intellectual distance between the army and the politicians was
heightened by the physical separation of the two. The end result was an unfinished war that
contributed to the political instability of Pakistan.

Coup d’état:

Moving on further writer gives an account of a staggering Pakistan government with turmoil and
agitation in the country. In its short life since independence in 1947, Pakistan had had eight
prime ministers before the system of Government collapsed and was replaced with military rule
i.e. the first coup d’état by the first chief of Army staff of Pakistan Field Marshal Mohammad
Ayub Khan. Ayub’s government flourished with a wave of dictatorship. Although Pak-US
alliance was strongly manifested during his tenure and Pakistan got various military aids from
USA, however his thought of acting like a fatherly figure with all might and decision making in
his hand paid him off in the end. His regime ended as a post war consequence of 1965.

War of 1965 was again fought for the cause of Kashmir. Pakistan had spent Rs.7.6 billion on its
defense establishment since the military takeover in 1958, averaging close to 53% of total
government expenditure in the period from 1958-1965. Both sides claimed victory. In fact both
had failed in their military objectives and the immediate effort was to put best face on the
difficult situation.

Shuja nawaz writes that the major turning point in 1965 war with India which became one of the
reasons for the loss of war was the replacement of General Akhatr malik with General Yahya
Khan at 7th division in Chamb sector due to bad communication between the military heads.
With this change of command the attack virtually came to a halt as Yahya got his commanders
together to think through is action plan. With this unexpected pause, the Indian forces regrouped
and strengthened the defenses around Jaurin and Akhnur and thus got a military edge over there..

In the end, what we portrayed as a magnificent victory over India by Ayub Khan’s propaganda
machine produced only disillusionment and catalyzed his eventual fall from grace.
Ayub handed over Government to General Yahya khan who tried to absolve his powers by
having elections in the country. Two parties ruled the election with awami national party of
Sheikh Mujib ur rehman and Pakistan Peoples Party of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. Awami national
party won 161 out if 163 open national assembly seats in East Pakistan, but no seat in west
Pakistan where Bhutto’s PPP swept away majority with 88 seats.

As per the results Sheikh Mujib was to be elected as the Prime minister of Pakistan. But Bhutto
was not ready to sit in the opposition and as a result no clear decision was taken resulting in
agitation and hostility in East Pakistan which led to military invasion of Pakistan forces there.
India took advantage of this political turmoil and came to rescue East Pakistan.

Contrary to popular belief 1971 witnessed not one but three major conflicts in the subcontinent;
one was a civil war within Pakistan with Yahya and his regime using military power to force east
Pakistan to accept a united Pakistan; another with India with Indira Gandhi’s Government taking
advantage of the turmoil to launch an invasion of East Pakistan in support of Bengali freedom
and third one a Pakistani riposte from west Pakistan.

Shuja Nawaz writes in this book that one of the most obvious reasons for the failure of this war
was again a lack of strategic planning and management on the part of political and military
heads. It was decided that to control Indian attack on East Pakistan a separate attack will be
launched on Indian borders from the western side. But the Plan took so much time from its
approvers and executers that it lost its significance and momentum and consequently no serious
damage could be made to India there. Pakistan army lost the war and signed a cease fire
agreement with India and more than 90,000 soldiers of Pakistan army in Bangladesh became
prisoners of war.

And then a tug of war started between politicians and army chiefs for ultimate power. From
Bhutto to General Zia ul Haq to Pakistan Peoples party and Muslim league Nawaz Sharif and
then to General Pervez Musharraf. Pakistan faced different conspiracies and foreign pressure
specially from USA.

Taliban movement, Kargil conflict and consequences of 9/11 gave a serious Jerk to Pakistan’s
identity and stability. And finally the second largest regime of a military dictator put last nail in
the coffin, the consequences of which are still evident in current situation with a week political
Government of PPP.

Conclusion:

This book presents a profound reality of a military hierarchy having feeling of superiority
towards its political leadership, and a belief in itself as the best instrument of governance. It
covers all major events from pre independence era till today focusing mainly on the influence of
Pakistan army in its politics, different wars and their reasons of being fought and their aftermath
consequences. . It presents logics with reasons based on realities without giving any final verdict
on assumptions. It is free from all political or personal biases and it gives a very clear picture of
Pakistan in its internal and international scenario.
The decision processes that go into making national policies concerning major events in
Pakistan’s history are a strong part of the book. Emergence of Bangladesh, the Afghanistan-
Taliban-ISI play, and a struggle to restore democracy provide a hitherto unavailable insight
through interviews and close observation.

In all this book provides fairly considerable and authentic data for every reader and in my
capacity I recommend this book to all of you if you want to have a close and profound insight of
Pakistan’s history.