Pakistan- the Balochistan Conundrum
Page 43
Zia-ul-Haq, Gen.
Zikris
Zoroastrian
About the Book
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province, is a complex region fraught with conflict and hostility, ranging from an enduring insurgency and sectarian violence to terror strikes and appalling human rights violations.
In his third book on Pakistan, Tilak Devasher analyses why Balochistan is such a festering sore for Pakistan. With his keen understanding of the region, he traces the roots of the deep-seated Baloch alienation to the princely state of Kalat’s forced accession to Pakistan in 1948. This alienation has been further solidified by the state’s rampant exploitation of the province, leading to massive socio-economic deprivation.
Is the Baloch insurgency threatening the integrity of Pakistan? What is the likelihood of an independent Balochistan? Has the situation in the province become irretrievable for Pakistan? Is there a meeting ground between the mutually opposing narratives of the Pakistan state and the Baloch nationalists?
Devasher examines these issues with a clear and objective mind backed by meticulous research that goes to the heart of the Baloch conundrum.
About the Author
TILAK DEVASHER HAS TAKEN TO writing after he retired from the cabinet secretariat, Government of India, as special secretary in 2014. He is the author of two widely acclaimed books on Pakistan—Pakistan: Courting the Abyss (2016) and Pakistan: At the Helm (2018).
During his professional career with the cabinet secretariat, he specialized in security issues pertaining to India’s neighbourhood. Post-retirement, he has continued to take a keen interest in India’s neighbourhood, with special focus on Pakistan and Afghanistan. He has written articles for various national newspapers and magazines and has also appeared on TV shows on leading news channels like India Today, Times Now, CNN News18 and Rajya Sabha TV.
Devasher did his schooling from Mayo College, Ajmer, and studied history at St Stephen’s College, Delhi, at the undergraduate level and at the University of Delhi at the postgraduate level.
He is currently a member of the National Security Advisory Board (NSAB) and a consultant with the Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF).
Praise for Pakistan: At the Helm
‘Wisely leaving political theory and philosophy to the academics, [Devasher] has laid out a riveting narrative based simply on facts…I doubt [if] a Pakistani author could write such a penetrating book about India’s leaders.’
—Ahmad Faruqui, author of Rethinking the National Security of Pakistan in The Daily Times, Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore
‘Devasher writes with rare empathy. This … book reveals complex human emotions, peculiar weaknesses that bring men ‘to the helm’; and destructive strengths, the obduracy of will that brings them to ruin.’
—Ajai Sahni, executive director, Institute of Conflict Management in India Today
‘It is a book that any future leader of Pakistan ought to have by their bedside, simply because it is the sum of all that has gone before.’
—Mehr F. Husain, author and columnist in Dawn, Karachi
‘If there is a template of how not to rule Pakistan, Tilak Devasher’s latest book would offer him [Imran Khan] a useful guide.’
—C. P. Bhambhri, author and scholar in Business Standard
‘Tilak Devasher’s second book, Pakistan At the Helm, is as good a read, and as instructive, as his first—Pakistan: Courting the Abyss…. This book will give pleasure and insights to all kinds of readers.’
—Ambasador Vivek Katju, former secretary, Ministry of External Affairs in The Wire
‘The book is a series of speed biographies of each of Pakistan’s leaders, from M.A. Jinnah to Pervez Musharraf and Nawaz Sharif and everyone in between, told through such entertaining nuggets about them.’
—Nirupama Subramanian, resident editor, The Indian Express
‘[This] is an utterly compelling book that takes the reader down the tumultuous, often hilarious and ultimately tragic life and times of the diverse men and woman who have ruled Pakistan since 1947 … a joy to read…’
—Indranil Banerjie, security and political risk consultant in The Asian Age
Praise for Pakistan: Courting the Abyss
‘… easily the best book on Pakistan.’
—Khaled Ahmed, consulting editor, Newsweek Pakistan
‘This book explains how and why Pakistan often finds itself on the brink. Devasher writes with empathy and his book is full of facts that cannot be ignored by Pakistanis or the rest of the world.’
—Husain Haqqani, author and former Pakistan ambassador to the US
‘[Devasher] unpacks Pakistan with an empathy and familiarity that many Indian authors on the subject have so far failed to bring.’
—Suhasini Haider, diplomatic affairs editor, The Hindu
‘There is no hostility in Devasher’s must-read book for those who objectively wish to understand both the long-term challenges of Pakistan as well as the way forward.’
—Aparna Pande, director, India Initiative, Hudson Institute
‘Devasher’s book is one of the very few books written with great depth of information and analysis … a must-read for anyone who wants to understand Pakistan.’
—Satish Kumar, director, Foundation for National Security Research, former professor of diplomacy, JNU
‘… there are few books by Indian authors that have sought to interpret the prodigal neighbour in a holistic, informed and empathetic manner. Tilak Devasher is the exception to this norm’
—C. Uday Bhaskar, director, Society for Policy Studies, New Delhi
‘For any study of Pakistan and for anyone formulating India’s policy with respect to Pakistan, this book is a must-read.’
—Lt Gen. J.S. Bajwa, in Indian Defence Review
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First published in India in 2019 by
HarperCollins Publishers India
A-75, Sector 57, Noida, Uttar Pradesh 201301, India
www.harpercollins.co.in
This book is published in association with the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA), Sapru House, Barakhamba Road, New Delhi 110001
2 4 6 8 10 9 7 5 3 1
Copyright © Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA) 2019
P-ISBN: 978-93-5357-070-5
Epub Edition © June 2019 ISBN: 978-93-5357-071-2
The views and opinions expressed in this book are the author’s own and
the facts are as reported by him, and the publishers are not in any
way liable for the same.
The maps in this book are for representational purposes only. The maps are not drawn to scale and the international boundaries as shown neither purport to be correct nor authentic as per the directives of the Survey of India.
Tilak Devasher asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
All rights reserved under The Copyright Act, 1957. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this ebook on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins Publishers India.
Cover design: Saurabh Garge
Cover image: Getty Images
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