Life and Death on the Durand Line
Saleem Shahzad's book ("Inside Al-Qaeda and the Taliban", Pluto Press, 260 pages, available at Flipkart ) is a must read for anyone who is concerned about Islamist terrorism and an eye opener for the student of the murky politics beyond our western border. Going beyond the wealth of information that it presents, what is most remarkable about the book is the frank, no-holds-barred candour with which he presents his point of view from a near first person perspective and had he not been killed after the publication it may have been difficult to believe all that he has said. But his unfortunate murder – in the hands of those whom he had talked about – puts a seal of authenticity on the events, dates and characters that are described in the text. Most of us in India believe that Islamist terrorism – from Kashmir to Mumbai and elsewhere – is the handiwork of the all powerful Inter Services Intelligence unit, the ISI, of Pakistan and is nurtured in and unleashed from terror...