He travelled with the armies of both countries and could study what is effectively the ground zero—the location where entrenched animosities as well as sudden surges of comradeship are enacted. This is one of the most fortified places on the planet.Jacob writes, "I was keen on getting into their world, the world of men in uniform, fighting each other and yet respecting each other. It was a curious world. It had breath-taking adventure, mind-blowing stories and unforgettable heroism. I loved it, and I was welcome."This vividly told, fast paced narrative brings the border area to life. Jacob was given unprecedented access by the Indian and Pakistani armies and he explores how the border is seen—both in the popular imagination and by those who exist in its shadow. He chronicles the lives of civilians and soldiers, their courage and resilience in the face of constant danger and the extraordinary similarities between the two sides.

     This is the true story of Samina Younis, born in Britain to a strict, religious Muslim family - a family that practices the tradition of forced marriage which they brought back with them from their village in Pakistan. One of seven sisters and two brothers, she was a bitter disappointment to her parents who desperately wanted a son; as a result she suffered terrible physical and mental abuse at the hands of both her mother and father; later she was to fall victim to continued abuse from her very own siblings. At the age of just sixteen, on a trip to Pakistan Samina was told that she must marry her second cousin, a boy she had met only once in her life and for whom she had no affection whatsoever. The writing of this book was Samina's only way of coming to terms with the life that she had been forced into, the mental conflict over her enduring love for a mother, now dead, who even on her deathbed was compelled to dominate and control her future. The book recounts her struggle against her family and her dramatic escape to a life of her own. The publishers and author wish to thank the thousands of people who have already read this book and made it such a success in raising awareness to cruel and archaic practices forced on women and men around the world.

    Millions displaced, thousands slaughtered, families divided and redefined, as home became alien land and the unknown became home. So much has been said about it but there is still no writer, storyteller or poet who has been able to explain the madness of Partition. Using the oral narratives of four generations of people - mainly Pakistanis but also some Indians - Anam Zakaria, a Pakistani researcher, attempts to understand how the perception of Partition and the 'other' has evolved over the years. Common sense dictates that the bitter memories of Partition would now be forgotten and new relationships would have been forged over the years, but that is not always the case. The memories of Partition have been repackaged through state narratives, and attitudes have only hardened over the years. Post-Partition events - wars, religious extremism, terrorism - have left new imprints on 1947. This book documents the journey of Partition itself - after Partition.

    After its birth, the idea of the nation had to be given a concrete identity and they cleverly used religion, despite several different languages and cultural mores. The Enigma of Pakistani Identity lays bare the process of fleshing out this very identity of a newly-constructed country. Brutally honest, incisive, and upfront, this book is a well-researched work by one of Pakistan’s most promising new writers, Haroon Khalid.

    Events, anecdotes and personalities drive its narrative to illustrate the cocktail of hostility, nationalism and nostalgia that defines every facet of the relationship. It looks at the main events through the eyes and words of actual players and contemporary observers to illustrates how, both in India and in Pakistan, these past events are seen through radically different prisms, how history keeps resurfacing and has a resonance that cannot be avoided to this day. Apart from political, military and security issues, The People Next Door evokes other perspectives: divided families, peacemakers, war mongers, contrarian thinkers, intellectual and cultural associations, unwavering friendships, the footprint of Bollywood, cricket and literature: all of which are intrinsic parts of this most tangled of relationships.

    Sneak onto a submarine full of hostile crew members. Sabotage a top-secret weapon. What could go wrong? "Had my heart in my mouth from beginning to end. There were twists in every chapter." - Shabnam "I believe that it would make a great movie." - Barbara "What a book it has been! Such a solid plot with new twists that keeps the page turning and your curiosity burning. This book is one of the best books I ever read." - Ayush "Finished cover to cover in one sitting. Gripping pace!" - Ankur "Full of surprises, suspense, and action." - Helen When a top-secret military program in Pakistan is discovered, the Indian Prime Minister launches a covert operation to neutralize it. The plan is simple. Infiltrate Pakistan, penetrate the heavily-guarded secret facility and sabotage the weapons. Veteran operative Armaan and his Covert Ops team are called into action. But such a daring mission was never going to be easy and as the Ops team find themselves outnumbered, outgunned and surrounded in hostile territory, will all be lost? Or will they be able to pull off the objective despite insurmountable odds, and the risk of discovery and execution? Armaan and his team are experienced field agents, but as their plan threatens to spiral out of control, they realize that they may not make it out of this one alive. Meanwhile in Afghanistan, the disbanded Al-Qaeda has regrouped and is more powerful than ever. They have conceived a blood-chilling attack that will make 9/11 pale in comparison. From the dense jungles of Bangladesh to Afghanistan's Desert of Death to the snowy peaks of Gilgit-Baltistan, Operation Deep Strike is a pulse-pounding adrenaline rush that will leave action thriller fans white-knuckled. Please scroll up and grab your copy now. Or continue reading below. Prologue Hunza Valley, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan Bang! Abdul knew he was about to die as soon as he heard the gunshot. Bang! The second gunshot was as loud as the first, reverberating in the tiny hotel room. Abdul watched in horror as his security guard who had opened the door crumple down on the floor. Two small holes blot red on his beige uniform. The body lay motionless. Dead. Abdul couldn’t see the assailant. He was in one corner of the hotel room and the half-open door blocked his view of the killer outside the door who had shot his guard. This also meant that the assailant hadn’t seen him. Yet. He only had a second before he too would be gunned down. Abdul’s eyes darted around the room searching for an escape route. The window. It was open. It was the only way. But he hesitated. “He should be in here.” He heard shouts beyond the door. Abdul glanced back. The assailant walked past the door. Abdul could see him now. A smoking 9mm was in his hand, the face masked by a black cloth. Only the eyes showed. Dark. Furious. Deadly. The killer’s gaze burned with such intensity, Abdul felt his soul shiver. “There.” More men poured into the room. All masked. All of them carried weapons. Abdul had seen enough. His decision was made. He turned and jumped through the open window. He fell through fifteen feet and landed on the snow-covered ground. His room was on the first floor of the hotel and the snow cushioned the impact of his fall. He was alive, but he wasn’t safe. Abdul scrambled to his feet and ran.

    withdraws from the longest war in its history.THE BROOKINGS ESSAY: In the spirit of its commitment to high-quality, independent research, the Brookings Institution has commissioned works on major topics of public policy by distinguished authors, including Brookings scholars. The Brookings Essay is a multi-platform product aimed to engage readers in open dialogue and debate. The views expressed, however, are solely those of the author.

    Recently he set out to travel through Pakistan, revisiting those places that meant most to him along the great Indus river, from its delta on the Arabian Sea to its headwaters in the Himalayas, by way of the mysterious ruins at Mohenjodaro, the plains of Sind and the Punjab, the Khyber Pass, and his home town of Lahore. Imran’s amusing anecdotes and acute observations provide a unique insight into the richly varied life of Pakistan’s past and present; a life vividly portrayed by the superb colour photographs of Mike Goldwater. The result is a sumptuous personal view of Pakistan seen through the eyes of one of its most illustrious countrymen.

    Those months saw the end of ninety years of the British Raj, and the effective power of the Maharajahs, as the Congress Party established itself commanding a democratic government in Delhi. They also witnessed the rushed creation of Pakistan as a country in two halves whose capitals were two thousand kilometers apart. From September to December 1947 the euphoria surrounding the realization of the dream of independence dissipated into shame and incrimination; nearly 1 million people died and countless more lost their homes and their livelihoods as partition was realized. The events of those months would dictate the history of South Asia for the next seventy years, leading to three wars, countless acts of terrorism, polarization around the Cold War powers and to two nations with millions living in poverty spending disproportionate amounts on their military. The roots of much of the violence in the region today, and worldwide, are in the decisions taken that year.   Not only were those decisions controversial but the people who made them were themselves to become some of the most enduring characters of the twentieth century. Gandhi and Nehru enjoyed almost saint like status in India, and still do, whilst Jinnah is lionized in Pakistan. The British cast, from Churchill to Attlee and Mountbatten, find their contribution praised and damned in equal measure. Yet it is not only the national players whose stories fascinate. Many of those ordinary people who witnessed the events of that year are still alive. Although most were, predictably, only children, there are still some in their late eighties and nineties who have a clear recollection of the excitement and the horror. Illustrating the story of 1947 with their experiences and what independence and partition meant to the farmers of the Punjab, those living in Lahore and Calcutta, or what it felt like to be a soldier in a divided and largely passive army, makes the story real. Partition will bring to life this terrible era for the Indian Sub Continent.

    

    

    Good tool for intellectual grooming.

    Drawing upon research in India and Pakistan, as well as historical sources, this book traces the origins of the state in the 19th century, the controversial "sale" by the British of the predominantly Muslim valley to a Hindu Maharaja in 1846 and the 20th century clashes between Muslim and Hindu interests now culminating in the threat of a major war.

    Drawing on personal anecdotes, meeting, off-the record conversations with Benazir Bhutto, and the emails that he exchanged with her just before her death, Amir Mir, one of Pakistan's leading investigative journalist, brings us a carefully documented reconstruction of the assassination that rocked the world.