Pakistan Failed State and Its Effect on India

Shiv rightly stated that most books on Pakistan assess it from a western perspective. This book does it from an Indian perspective. For me, many parts of the book were an eye-opener. I have watched Pakistan over the years but have learnt much for from Shiv Sastry than from most other write ups on Pakistan. Despite facing multiple problems, Pakistan remains a nuclear state and our neighbour and hence anything happening there will always be of interest to us.

Am sure, this book will clear much about Pakistan. My kudos to Shiv Sastry for a well-researched book.

Dr. Shiv Sastry has been a well-known surgeon, but for long he has been an avid watcher of geo-strategic and aerospace domains. An author of repute, he is very clear-headed and articulate. As a Pakistan watcher, he has written on Indo-Pakistan wars most contemporary issues. "Pakistan Failed State and its Effect on India", is a subject that has attracted attention of not only the security establishment but also analysts in think-tanks. In this book, Dr Sastry has covered every aspect of Pakistan's raison d'etre, politics, economy and power structure. This easy to read, and comprehend, book will be a great asset for both the uninitiated and those in the serious business of national security.

I first published this as an e-book after years of collecting reports about Pakistan, and reading all the literature that I could lay my hands on about that country. When I started my research, there were very few insightful books about Pakistan, but during the course of my work a few useful new books and papers were published. Perhaps the best among these was the late Stephen Cohen's "The Idea of Pakistan". However most literature was from a western viewpoint and said little about India and it's relationship with Pakistan from an Indian perspective. My e-book was well received, but it was written fifteen years ago. Since then much water has flowed under the proverbial bridge. My earlier book pre-dated the Mumbai attacks of 2008 and the killing of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan in 2011. It was also written before much of the US action in Afghanistan that provided so much support to Pakistan, but ended with a whimper in 2021, with the Taliban returning to power, cheered by a failing Pakistan. The world has changed and power equations have changed, but Pakistan has not collapsed or broken up as many had predicted, or at least hoped. In fact it has nimbly hopped from one godfather, the United States, to another, China. Nevertheless all is not well in Pakistan. Pakistan has an uncanny way of surviving, even thriving, despite what Pakistanis claim are insuperable odds. A number of my friends and well wishers requested me to update and publish a book on Pakistan as it is now. Despite adding several new chapters in this work, including chapters on how Pakistan has affected India and how India might have to deal with it's troubled western neighbour, many of the earlier chapters remain valid and relevant even today, and have been retained with appropriate edits. As time passes, younger generations must know the past as it was and some things must not be forgotten. To that extent I believe this work is necessary, and hope that it enlightens those who read it.

"Pakistan, failed state and its effect on India," by Shiv Sastry, is an extremely well researched book. A take-off from his earlier e-book published in 2007, this moves forward by leaps and bounds, tracing problems faced by Pak. A historical analysis into every issue concerning Pakistan including impact of Jihad, terrorism and its economic collapse alongside their linkages with India makes the book an interesting read. Shiv has added quotes from articles, books and known Pakistan watchers, bringing forward multiple perspectives.

Shiv rightly stated that most books on Pakistan assess it from a western perspective. This book does it from an Indian perspective. For me, many parts of the book were an eye-opener. I have watched Pakistan over the years but have learnt much for from Shiv Sastry than from most other write ups on Pakistan. Despite facing multiple problems, Pakistan remains a nuclear state and our neighbour and hence anything happening there will always be of interest to us.

Am sure, this book will clear much about Pakistan. My kudos to Shiv Sastry for a well-researched book.

**Contents and Sample Pages**