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Rating: 
Summary: A Satisfying Read
Review: Bennett-Jones uses his journalistic eye to present a wide-ranging account of Pakistan from 1947 to today divided into broad themes. Ordinary Pakistani friends of mine may not like his book since it is very harsh in places but overall he is a man who understands Pakistan well. He paints a picture of Pakistan that holds lessons for all policy planners in India - that the pillars of the Pakistan state are the Army, the Islamic lobby, the Mohajirs and the indigenous populations of Sindh, Baluchistan, NWFP and Punjab. In particular the Punjabi lobby and the role of the Army are well-explained. For Indians wishing to understand Pakistan it holds the answer to the conundrum of how we ought to deal with a difficult relationship - we ought to deal with Pakistan at different levels. The one element I did not see explored in detail is the cost to Pakistan of a consistently anti-Indian stance the Pakistan Army has foisted on the polity. Surely this has distorted spending, and apart from the obvious data related to defense spending no other implications (sociological, economic) are explored. Still, a very satisfying read.
Rating: 
Summary: Amazed at the reviewers ...
Review: From humble beginning Pakistan came to existence in 1947, for the first 55 years of its independence it was internationally regarded as an obscure muslim state and a pesky irritant neighbor to India. Only recently after September, the prevalent perception has not changed; but only with an addition that Pakistan is a frontline ally for the fight against terrorism. It is this event that caused a great desire for west to gain understanding of the region. The fight for Pakistan came from the people under the leadership of Muhammad Ali Jinnah; a dynamic savvy intellect and statesmen who placed the need for an independent muslim nation to the British colonizers. I claim Jinnah as dynamic savvy intellect not from a feeling of reverence; but more from the following two facts. Jinnah is the only leader who carved a nation peacefully without firing a bullet; also Jinnah is the only statesman to have created a nation without getting arrested. Interestingly Jinnah is an Oxford law graduate, who campaigned for Pakistan by applying British laws and customs against the British rulers and emerging with his objective.At its inception Pakistan was faced with the following issues:
1. Defense.
2. Kashmir.
3. Economy
4. Distance between East and West Pakistan.
5. Domestic divisions.
6. Immigrants from India. Defense and Kashmir are synonymous to the politics there; since its inception the state has felt threatened by India; lacking the strategic depth the government went all out to create a meaningful defense mechanism with its meager resources. This threat evolved the foreign policy of being a countering agent to India. Pakistan is analogous to a small puppy which to compensate its size barks at every threat. The defense of Pakistan is in a very complex way tied to the Kashmir issue; unsettled over the last 55 years. India with having more resources was able to close its differences and began a pre-partition diplomatic negotiations to gain the state of Kashmir, while Jinnah with an air of confidence would state that "Kashmir will fall in our lap" were caught off guard. This cause of contention still exists even after having fought three wars. The integrity of Pakistan was also threatened by the distance between the East and West; causing a central government nightmare. After the creation the East Pakistan was ethically divided into Sindhi, Pukhtoon, Punjabi and each group was more keen on self-autonomy than join the nation. This over time had caused considerable dissention, especially since the muslim immigrants from India were more educated and were able to fill the void of the beau racy vacated by the British. The locals treated them with utmost suspicion and without a political clout were unable to forward their views as debate in the assembly houses. This lead to a division along ethnic lines. Taking into perspective the lack of resources and structure prevalent at independence; Pakistan has come a long way but still further development has to be done. It still faces from a sense of insecurity from India and at present there is an irritant factor of fundamentalism.
Rating: 
Summary: the real story
Review: Most foreign correspondents never get to write the real story. Deadlines, impatient editors, lack of space and so forth all get in the way. This book tells you what is going on in a way that you will never read in the daily press. Bennett-Jones knows Pakistan from the mountains to the desert, and it shows. It's well-written, incisive, informative. It belongs on the bookshelf--or on the desk--of anyone with a serious interest in south Asia...
Rating:
Summary: Very Good and Timely Book
Review: One of the things I began to look for after September 11 was a readable book about Pakistan. I did not have much luck. There were few books about that troubled country on bookstore shelves and the ones that were tended to be dry academic bits of prose. That's why Owen's book is such a valuable and timely addition to the limited collection of books about Pakistan. The author spent two years there as a BBC journalist and was witness to some of the crucial events in that country's recent history. He also had access to many of the key players who make Pakistan tick. But it's the writing style that wins me over the most. Owens does not write like an academic, but he doesn't give us a boring travelogue filled with hard to visualize first person impressions. Instead, you could argue that his book is written as a primer for people who don't know much about Pakistan. In just under three hundred pages of lively writing, he surveys all the major problems and issues facing that country. Kashmir, the atomic bomb, the 1999 coup, the role of the army in Pakistani society, it's all covered. My only criticism is this: at one point the author implies that the Taliban was one of the mujahideen groups that fought the Russians. That is certainly not correct. The Taliban movement only formed after the Russians left Afghanistan. It had fighters from that conflict in its ranks, but the organization did not fight in the Soviet-Afghan war. A small error, but I am surprised that Ahmed Rashid, the author of a very good book about the Taliban and someone who endoresed Owen's book, did not catch and correct. So, if I could I probably would have rated this book 4.5 stars. Oh, well.
Rating:
Summary: College-level readers will find it involving
Review: Pakistan's turbulent history and military rule is treated to a scholarly and in-depth analysis which describes many of the problems of modern Pakistan with an eye to probing their historical roots. Jones assesses regional conflict and influence within the country and provides an important, scholarly assessment of Pakistan's underlying foundations. College-level readers will find it involving.
Rating:
Summary: Turthfull to the fullest
Review: This book is organized in some 9 articles and deals with the same issues which Robert Kaplan or Mary Anne Weaver talk about in their respective books. I just finished this one but I found second and eighth articles most interesting. Second article is a running commentary of the 1999 coup that happened in Pakistan thru which Mushy boy came to power. I think this episode can be a subject of a thriller Bollywood movie. Third article is about the Pakistan sponsored Terrorism in Kashmir and how this has it's roots in the mujahiddin movement of 1980s founded by Late Pakistani General cum president cum dictator Zia-Ul-Haque. The eighth article is all about Pakistani Army's (inevitable) role in Pakistani Polity. The army is a state within state. And ISI(the notorious Pakistani intelligence agency) is another state within the army. The seventh article is about a fictitious situation. Democracy in Pakistan. I could summarize this book in 4 lines -
Pakistan is the EpiCenter of Global Terrorism. The problem is that it has nuclear weapons which could fall in the hands of the terrorists. And this could be a nightmare for Democracies such as India and Israel.
Rating:
Summary: An amazing insight into Pakistani politics
Review: This book is without a doubt the best ever book one can find on Pakistani politics. It covers every aspect in detail from the 1999 Coup, the Kashmir Crisis-Kargil, Democracy in Pakistan as well as other internal issues. The author obviously through his decade long experience has got a great deal of insight knowledge from his experiences for reporting for the BBC for which he made the wise choice for publishing his thoughts in this book. If you're a student or even a curious reader liking books on Asian or especially Pakistani related politics, then look no further than this book as it is the best one out there. I read it all in 3 days and still do repeatedly as I've used it for reference for many university related projects.
Rating:
Summary: Definitely a good book.
Review: This is a very informative book on Pakistan.This book deals with Pakistan's problems in a very effective manner and analyzes them meticulously.The book evaluates Pakistan over the years, and deals with many different eras of the country.The sections on the Nuclear Program, The Kargil Crisis, Bangladesh, Kashmir, democracy are all well written.He presents everything in an orderly fashion, the way it should be presented.Definitely a book to read if you are interested in learning more about Pakistan, its history, culture and people.
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