Book Review: "The Battle for Pakistan – The Bitter US Friendship and a Tough Neighbourhood" by Shuja Nawaz
The author, Shuja Nawaz, is a Washington-based
analyst, and has also written several books. Among those books, “Crossed swords”
holds special significance.
In this book- The Battle for Pakistan- the
author has revealed some astonishing facts, infuriating some sections of the
country. It was a chief reason why its launch was blocked in the country by the
authorities. On the other hand, it has drawn worldwide attention, as he has
touched upon sensitive issues.
Shuja calls the U.S-Pakistan relationship abusive
in nature. Both countries are locked in confrontation without breaking a new
way. Nonetheless, he argues that Pakistan can play a significant security and
development part in South Asia along with USA partnership, while maintaining
good relations with its immediate neighbors, specifically China. He argues that
USA cannot simply ignore Pakistan’s apprehensions and reservations about India,
urging USA policymakers not to dismiss Islamabad’s India-centric approach as
mere paranoia.
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He ends by looking at the future of US-Pakistan
relations: “History has taught us that crises will continue to erupt in the Arc
of Instability that extends from Turkey to Indonesia. Who knows when the U.S.
may need Pakistan on its side again?”
He also discusses China-Pak relations in
detail. There is a growing perception of a boss-client relationship, which he
asserts as untrue, therefore he underscores the need for both countries to dispel
the impression that most of China’s investments in Pakistan are loans. Shuja gives a piece of advice to Islamabad that it must not present China as an alternative to the
USA and the West, and reshape its regional and global alliances in accordance
with such relationship needs.
He also throws light on the Mumbai
attacks of 2008. He remains overly careful in analyzing attacks. Without blaming
any side, he quotes ISI then Chief Ahmed Pasha as saying, “these were our guys
but not our operation”
The book also surfaces a startling
revelation about covert coup de’tat, planned by then DG ISI, Zaheer-ul-Islam, in 2014. However, such operations need support from the top hierarchy, but he could
not get such. Hence, such efforts failed.
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In the last, the book also advises Islamabad to
understand that in the long run, only economic development, and social and
political progress will strengthen its security. It means that Pakistan has to stop being a security state. It must pay attention to other avenues in order to build a relationship of trust with India, such as trade, and culture.
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