Pakistan: Courting the Abyss

by Tilak Devasher

Recent writings on Pakistan have tended to focus on the role of the Pakistan Army, the nuclear programme, terrorism, Pak-Afghan and Pak-US relations and, of course, Indo-Pak relations. Courting the Abyss goes beyond sensationalist headlines and current crises like terrorism and tensions with India, to the deeper malaise that afflicts the nation. The book examines issues like identity, the looming water crisis, the perilous state of education, the economic meltdown and the danger of an unrealized 'demographic dividend' that have been eating the innards of Pakistan since its creation. It looks back at the Pakistan movement, where the seeds of many current problems were sown - the opportunistic use of religion being the most lethal of these. Courting the Abyss questions the flawed prescriptions and responses of successive governments, especially during military rule, to these critical challenges that have brought Pakistan to an abyss where it risks multi-organ failure, unless things change dramatically in the near future.

Genres: Pakistan, Nonfiction, Politics, History

576 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 10, 2016

Reviews

[Zaki Khalid · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Pakistan - Courting The Abyss" is an individual perspective into Pakistan's entire history and state apparatus by Tilak Devasher, a former Special Secretary in the Cabinet Secretariat, Government of India (more precisely known as "Special Secretary Research & Analysis Wing (RAW)").

It is evident from Devasher's multi-dimensional approach to Pakistan's tumultuous history and faultlines that he was a Pakistan expert during his career (intelligence agencies with external components tend to have various country specialists). I personally believe that it is the author's academic qualifications in History as a subject which add weight to his comments. The series of assertions, hypotheses and deductions and, to some extent, conjectures, placed after thorough statistical assessments of Pakistan's core national issues provide valuable insight for the ordinary reader.

In my personal opinion, this is perhaps the only book which can inform an Indian citizen of exactly what Pakistan is and who "Pakistanis" are.

One of the reviewers of the book, former Pakistani Ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani, remarked that Devasher wrote it with a touch of "empathy"; a few comments by the author also try to suggest such a thing, but it is made clear throughout the book that the ulterior motive is to generate discourse among the "secular" and "moderate" voices in Pakistan (whatever that means) and the international community so that Pakistan can be compelled for change through non-kinetic coercive means (my personal assessment).

I prefer analysing observations which are backed up by statistics; the author has extensively quoted Pakistani government sources to validate his notions. In some cases, I found them to be irrelevant and grossly exaggerated. However, readers may decide for themselves which part of the book they found it hard to digest.

On a personal level, I admire Devasher's non-aggressive use of words for a country which is accused of conspiring to inflict "a thousand cuts" on India. Some of the rhetoric regarding certain individuals and tragic incidents which have so far not been proven could have been avoided. However, the overall contents of the book make it a must read for enthusiasts of International Relations, Strategic Studies and Diplomacy in Pakistan (even in India).

While the book will prove more valuable for the ordinary Indian reader, it also offers a fresh perspective from India for analysts based in Pakistan.

I've been fortunate to read Kautilya's Arthashastra earlier on and couldn't help myself from smirking in between some passages as most of the author's observations seemed to juxtapose themselves on the legendary Indian strategists' worldview (the "I-know-where-you-are-coming-from" feeler).

I am not an authority to rate books but I'll definitely recommend it for people with the requisite IQ level and objective mindset to give it a read.

It is definitely not recommended for jingoists and bigots.

[Pranay Kotasthane · Rating 4 out of 5]

My review for Pragati

The Pakistani state has an unenviable reputation. It is a complex run both by the military and by jihadis. It is a prominent exponent of rent-seeking behaviour. It is a basket case of military supremacy with a diplomatic veneer. And yet, there is one reason to be pleased that it exists.

Over the last decade, there have been many excellent books and doctoral theses about this fascinating state. So many, in fact, that it has become hard to write about Pakistan and find something new to say. This is precisely why Tilak Devasher’s Pakistan: Courting the Abyss sets itself apart.

Devasher’s book is a comprehensive handbook to Pakistan that goes beyond the typical clichés of civil-military relations, jihad under the nuclear umbrella and the Indian-Pakistan conflict. Instead, it discusses structural problems plaguing Pakistan’s economy, environment, education system, and demography. There have been many explorations of the Pakistani state’s self-defeating behaviour, so Devasher turns his attention to the vulnerabilities of Pakistani society.

The book is divided into seven sections. It begins with a summation of the ideological streams that created Pakistan. It shows how the legacy of the Pakistan movement was to leave Pakistan with more problems than solutions. There were four aspects to the dominant narrative: Islam as the underlying ideology, a centralised state to curb fissiparous tendencies, the imposition of Urdu as the national language, and India’s placement as an irreconcilable adversary. Devasher discusses in great detail how each of these methods has gone on to further weaken the idea of Pakistan.

The middle sections of the book contain well-narrated and extremely well-referenced chapters on the essential ingredients of any Pakistani political recipe: the army, Islamisation, and terrorism. But it is Section V, which has chapters on water, education, economy and population, that makes the book stand out.

As a lower riparian state to both India and Afghanistan with no exclusive major water sources of its own, Pakistan’s water vulnerability feeds its strategic discourse far more than what it is credited with. The Indus Water Treaty is often spoken about, but the book goes much beyond this by highlighting Pakistan’s problems vis-a-vis the nine rivers it shares with Afghanistan.

The education story is also a disturbing one. A striking data point for me was this: the literacy rate in Pakistan declined in nominal terms, from 60 per cent in 2012-13 to 58 per cent in 2013-14. First with a subject called Islamiyat, and later with Nazaria-i-Pakistan, even formal education became more of a tool of socialisation and less a tool to equip students to participate in a modern economy.

Devasher captures Pakistan’s fall from one of the fastest growing economies in the 1960s to a ‘security state’ in 1977 where ‘economic development ceased to be a primary agenda of the state.’

Another interesting section focuses on Pakistan’s major bilateral engagements: with US, Afghanistan, China, and India. I would’ve loved to see a chapter on Saudi Arabia as well. The chapter on China is detailed and will interest many geopolitical analysts, as China displaces the US as a major sponsor of the Pakistani Military-Jihadi Complex. Devasher’s key observation is this: Pakistan would find the Chinese far harder taskmasters than the US.

Devasher concludes with a discussion on what might force Pakistan to transform. This is the $46 billion question and I would’ve liked a more detailed and nuanced discussion. Perhaps this question deserves a complete book to itself.

Finally, one cannot help but notice that Pakistan serves as a solemn reminder to all of us in India that unless we guard our state against religiosity, and our society from majoritarianism, India may follow Pakistan into the abyss.

[Monita Mehra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was given the book to read by my mentor and was in 2 minds whether I should read it or not but finally decided to give it a try and didn't stop till I didn't finish as it was interesting and in-depth in its knowledge about Pakistan & helps understand well the reason for today's situation in Pakistan.
Tilak has clearly been able to identify the reasons for the country to be under military for these many years and how non acceptance of past errors and mistakes are still haunting the nation. Military rule will ensure they are perpetually at war as then only can they do justice to their existence.
I was not aware of the Shia and Sunni divide in the country and reading has helped me understand the competition amongst the two sects and how it is impacting the country.
Country needs a sensible and forward looking leader who is ready to accept the past errors for their ancestors and rectify the same.
In case one is interested in getting in-depth information on Pakistan, its economy, politics, ideology, education, religion, population, etc, etc. a read as he has consolidated everything in a single book.

[Nitin Thakur · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pakistan is a classic academics subject of the 21st century. Erudite scholars find it interesting because of the number of failure titles she has earned to herself. Mr. Devasher presents a very profound statistical and analytical study of the facts which is continuously pushing Pakistan towards the abyss. From Political crisis, Army's muscle power (seem so), Islamic radicalisation and rising Fundamentalism, looming education or water or economic disaster, and the most salient one its obsession with India.

For years, since independence, Pakistan thought she was serving its National Interest. With no doubt, all countries whether UK/US/Russia/China seek to fulfil theirs. Well yes, Pakistan had been successful to earn its short sightedness interest but paid the cost of its own future.

Book is full of statistics, legitimate references, and enormous research work. One should definitely read it as it is a complete pack to understand Pakistan foreign policy in 21st century.

[Shiv · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author has deep insight into Pakistan,history,culture,politics,ethos,,he has covered it all. Brilliant analysis,if you wish to know what is happening in Pakistan and why,read this book. I have read a whole lot of books on this country,I think this is the book to read if you want to know why it is where it is and what is the future

[Sumit · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must for Pakistan watchers..

A fairly comprehensive coverage of the mind and mentality that was and is Pakistan. Responsible and well-rounded citations render a high degree of credibilty to the facts. The analysis is simple and straightforward making it easily comprehensible. An apt read to develop an understanding of Pakistan..

[Vikas Datta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a balanced, though ominous judgment by an author who performs due research and analysis..

[Preetam Chatterjee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those books on International relations, that doesn’t merely inform you; it rearranges the furniture inside your understanding of a nation that has, for decades, stood at the crossroads of destiny and self-sabotage.

Reading it feels like walking into a dimly lit archive room where files are stacked high with whispers, regrets, missed opportunities, and the persistent hum of a country obsessed with defining itself through negation: ‘not India’, ‘not secular’, ‘not stable’, ‘not uniform’, ‘not yet what it promised itself it would be’.

And in that tension between dream and dysfunction lies Devasher’s central insight — that Pakistan has repeatedly, almost compulsively, courted the abyss, mistaking proximity to collapse for a form of political vitality.

If ‘Pakistan: At the Helm’ was about personalities, ‘Courting the Abyss’ is about structures — the deep, almost tectonic layers that produce crisis after crisis. It’s like Devasher switched from biographical portraiture to geological excavation. Here, the emphasis is on the systemic habits, ideological trajectories, economic misadventures, and institutional compulsions that keep pulling Pakistan back from the brink just enough to stagger again.

And reading it today, when Pakistan is once again dancing dangerously close to financial default, political fragmentation, and identity turbulence, the book reads not as analysis but as prophecy.

At the heart of Devasher’s argument is the idea that Pakistan’s statecraft is trapped in cycles — recurring loops of denial, militarisation, religio-political excess, proxy adventurism, and self-created insecurity.

And this is where the ‘Geeta’ slips into the analysis with serene ruthlessness. Krishna says, “As a person puts on new garments, giving up old ones, similarly the soul accepts new material bodies.”

But the Pakistani state, as Devasher shows, does the opposite: it keeps stitching together new crises from the tattered remnants of old ideologies, never quite shedding the fabric of fear, rivalry, and grievance. Instead of reincarnation, it performs a kind of political reenactment — the past endlessly replaying itself, altered only slightly in tone.

Shakespeare, ever the chronicler of self-engineered tragedy, would have gazed at Pakistan and said, “This way madness lies.”

Not in the sense of mental disarray, but in the sense of a logic so inwardly spiraling that every attempt at correction seems to amplify dysfunction.

The state courts the abyss not because it desires collapse, but because collapse has become familiar terrain — a known gravitational pull. Devasher��s brilliance lies in showing how decisions that appear irrational from outside Pakistan actually make sense within its internal ideological architecture.

Take the army, for instance — the omnipresent father figure, the disciplinarian guardian, the reluctant Caesar, the permanent charioteer dragging the national cart through muddied terrain. Kautilya would look at this and say, “The state is that possession which alone can enable the king to exercise authority.”

In Pakistan, the army understands this principle far better than its civilian rulers ever did. It has positioned itself not merely as an institution but as the state’s spine, claiming legitimacy through performance: crisis management, war preparation, ideological supervision, and “national security narratives” that cement its indispensability.

Devasher’s writing lays bare the paradox: Pakistan’s civilians attempt democracy, but the military curates destiny. The system isn’t broken; it is engineered to behave this way. And this engineered instability has profound international implications. In 2025, as the world’s geopolitical map is being redrawn — U.S.-China rivalry sharpening, Russia’s shadow war strategies expanding, Middle Eastern blocs realigning post-Abraham Accords, African resource corridors heating up — Pakistan finds itself at a dangerous crossroads. The abyss is no longer internal; it is geopolitical.

China, once the extravagant patron through CPEC, has begun to tighten its belt — not out of displeasure, but necessity. Its own economic slowdown has made its cheque-book diplomacy leaner.

Devasher’s analysis of Pakistan’s China-dependence reads chillingly accurate in hindsight: the loans, the infrastructure obligations, the security entanglements, the growing discontent in Balochistan, the debt traps that have cornered Pakistan into an economy with no sovereign breathing room. Shakespeare’s line from ‘The Merchant of Venice’ rings out: ‘“A pound of flesh.”‘ And though China isn’t Shylock, the metaphor still stings. Pakistan mortgaged too much of its future for too little current stability.

Meanwhile, the U.S. — once addicted to Pakistan’s geo-strategic utility — has recalibrated its global priorities. The Taliban’s return in Afghanistan, which Pakistan once thought would give it strategic depth, ended up giving it strategic migraines: refugees, militant spillover, cross-border tensions, diplomatic embarrassment. Devasher’s commentary on Pakistan’s selective approach to terrorism feels devastatingly validated.

Groups once treated as “assets” have become Frankenstein’s monsters, unpredictable and ravenous. The abyss, it turns out, has teeth.

And then there is India. Devasher avoids the simplistic binaries. He doesn’t indulge in triumphalism or sensationalism. Instead, he analyses the India-Pakistan dynamic as one of asymmetry — economic, political, diplomatic — made sharper by India’s global rise.

Pakistan’s obsession with parity has become structurally impossible. The result?

A kind of strategic delirium. Shakespeare again: ‘“Striving to better, oft we mar what’s well.”‘

Where Devasher is particularly incisive is in his explanation of ideological drift. The Islamisation project, initiated by Zia and subtly perpetuated by subsequent regimes, has hollowed the middle.

Moderation is no longer a mass ideology; it is a private wish. Hardliners have discursive power. Liberals have passports. The education system has ossified into narratives that prioritise grievance over growth, identity over innovation, fear over future. And in this, Devasher perceives the most haunting element of the abyss: not extremism itself, but the mainstreaming of extremism as a political survival tactic.

The ‘Geeta’ has a line that mirrors this almost uncannily: ‘‘“When the dharma declines and adharma rises, the world is enveloped in darkness.”‘‘ In Pakistan’s case, adharma is not moral evil; it is structural imbalance. When political dharma weakens, the abyss becomes a recurring destination.

Devasher’s comparative instincts are razor-sharp. He draws parallels to nations like Iran, where ideology became governance; Egypt, where the military is the state; and Turkey, where identity politics pulled the nation into oscillations between modernity and orthodoxy.

Yet Pakistan is distinct because its founding idea was emotionally charged but structurally underdeveloped. It was born out of fear, fuelled by trauma, fed by rivalry, and raised on narratives that required a perpetual external enemy. This is why the abyss feels so close — it is the logical end of a narrative that places identity above institution.

In the current international landscape, Pakistan serves as a cautionary tale. Nations across the world — from Hungary to Israel, from Brazil to Indonesia — are wrestling with identity-driven politics, religious polarisation, and militarised nationalism. Pakistan, through Devasher’s eyes, becomes the global mirror for what happens when ideology colonises policy, and when the deep state becomes the permanent state. It is not a future anyone wants, but it is a future some nations are inching toward without realising.

Where Devasher excels is in refusing fatalism. The abyss is not inevitable; it is a pattern, not a prophecy. But breaking patterns requires introspection — something Pakistan’s elite have historically avoided. Shakespeare’s ‘King Lear’ comes to mind: ‘“I will not be the thing I was.”‘ But can Pakistan say this with conviction? Devasher leaves the question open, but his analysis hints that unless the ideological architecture changes — not just governments, not just constitutions, but the psychological foundations — the country will continue its flirtation with collapse.

And yet, there is something deeply human in Devasher’s approach. He is not mocking or dismissive. There is almost a tone of lament — a recognition that Pakistan could have been something else, something larger, something calmer. The tragedy is not that the abyss exists; the tragedy is that Pakistan keeps choosing the path that leads toward it.

In the end, the book feels like a lesson Kautilya might have written for a king who refuses to listen: “A king who does not foresee danger is destroyed.” Pakistan has often seen danger too late, or misread its origins, or outsourced its solutions, or exaggerated its victories. The abyss is not a sudden cliff — it is a gentle slope, a drift, a series of small decisions made in dimly lit corridors.

Reading ‘Pakistan: Courting the Abyss’ in 2025 feels like watching the world re-learn its lessons. Nations are rediscovering the fragility of institutions, the dangers of polarisation, the seductions of populism, the utility of fear.

Devasher’s book reminds us that the abyss is never far — for any country. But Pakistan, through its history and its choices, has lived closer to it than most.

And in a world that is once again polarising, fragmenting, weaponising identity, negotiating with authoritarian temptations, the book stands as a quiet warning. The abyss is not a place. It is a pattern. And patterns, once set, become destiny — unless someone, somewhere, chooses differently.

Krishna’s voice echoes one last time: ‘‘“Rise above the dualities, O Arjuna.”‘‘ For Pakistan, and for the world watching, that remains the only escape from the abyss.

Recommended.

[Naveen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Back in 2018 I read John Keay’s Midnight descendants which talked about the 3 countries carved out of the British India, it portrayed the journey of India Pakistan and Bangladesh over the first 50 years of the partition. The story of Pakistan has always intrigued me and with that I took this one up. Tilak Devasher is a retired bureaucrat who is also respected as an expert Pakistan commentator. In this book he leaves aside the usual bias an Indian writer has while writing on subjects related to Pakistan. I am delighted that the author’s narrative is well backed by data from open sources and many of them being discoursed by Pakistan sources itself. His experience in being an administrator and dealing with India neighbours has helped his writing. His writing styled is very nonaggressive, without rhetoric’s and backed with data. Pakistan is a case in point where initial policy paralysis of early administrators led to such degradation of quality of life along with other indicators of progress for a country. Another good thing about this book is the segmentation amongst various issues being faced by Pakistan.
Book is divided into 6 parts as follows,

1. Foundations – it depicts the situation in which Pakistan was formed, talks in great deal about Jinnah and Muslim League along with the Pakistan movement.
2. Building Blocks – it talks about the separatist movement brewing between the state and provinces of KPK and Balochistan. It also details out how Punjab dominates Pakistan policy making and army. How Sindh region has been underdeveloped. This is an excellent section to understand how frail is the fabric of Pakistan. KPK or FATA has never been ruled by Pakistan government and has always been run by proxies and ISI. There is a strong separatist movement in Balochistan and KPK for Pakhtunistan.
3. Framework – It is said that while state has an army, in Pakistan army has a state. This section dedicates itself to civil military relations and how a Punjab dominated army has played out the ‘national security’ narrative to justify exorbitant funding and meddling into all policy making. Its appalling to see eras of politicians being subservient to army apparatus.
4. Superstructure: dealing in effect of rapid islamization which started in 1979 with Gen Zia-Ul-Haq taking Pakistan on the road to islamization. How sectarianism is being utilized by governments and army for its own hegemony, how due to this patronage from state institutions madrasas have become breeding ground of terrorism.
5. WEEP: Water Education Economy and Population: An excellent data-based analysis of Pakistan on these 4 parameters. From a data sucker perspective this is a cherishing read, data sources are openly available and its not left to author’s thoughts and fancies
6. Windows to the world: Deals with Pakistan relation with US, China, India and Afghanistan. This will give you a great and succinct understanding of geopolitics with Pakistan in center of it.
If geopolitics and history of Pakistan as a nation interest you, this is a definitive account of the same.

[yoursbibliophilic · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book “Pakistan: Courting The Abyss” is written by Tilak Devasher, a professional intelligence guy from India. With the doom-laden titles for the book and given his background would make any one to feel the book will be biased until one reads, where one will find how the author with analytical precision dwells deep into problems which Pakistan faces to conclude, why Pakistan is courting the abyss.

Divided in seven main sections and eighteen chapters (excluding the Introduction and the Conclusion) the book starts of from the formation of Pakistan and takes a deep dive into the problems faced by Pakistan in each chapter. Instead of traditional way of analyzing the issue in a chronological order the author devote each chapter to a specific facet of Pakistan. The author through this book, “captures the tragedy of Pakistan – from the blood-soaked yet enthusiastic creation in 1947 to the present-day exhaustion and gloom-and-doom scenarios. It is this journey from Faiz’s tainted dawn to Jalib’s tragic destiny “ (Loc:102-104)

I The Foundations Author tries to give historical perceptive of formation of Pakistan questing the very foundation of its formation. Pakistan the country which has been found under the name of kalma, author feels “It is an irony that Islam and the slogan of provincial autonomy, which were seen as the binding forces during the Pakistan movement, today pose serious threats to the existence of the Pakistani state and have become among the key drivers for Pakistan courting the abyss.” (Loc:1603-1605) Though most of the analysis I do agree but I strongly disagree his conclusion that it was British that created Pakistan when he states “There is a body of literature that has put forward the argument that it was Viceroy Linlithgow who in March 1940 instructed Zafarullah Khan, a member of the Viceroy’s Executive Council, to convey to the League leadership that the government wanted it to demand a separate state. This could be as a result of pique for the Congress resignations from the ministries on the outbreak of WWII. According to Ishtiaq Ahmed, the idea of a separate state for Muslims was born in the viceroy’s office.” (Loc:472-476) indirectly giving clean chit to Jinna of Muslim league and Gandhi of Congress who were equally responsible not only for partition but also the bloodshed that happened for it. The question that one would think on reading this is, if British did conspire to break “British India” to “Pakistan” and “India” for its long term strategic interest, then how come it is so badly imagined?

II The Building Blocks “This section looks at the issues of identity and ideology that go to the heart of the problems being faced by Pakistan. Into the seventh decade of its creation, there continues to be a debate over the meaning of ‘Pakistani identity’.” ( Loc:927-928). Author dwells on each of the four instruments viz., religion, centralization, Urdu and playing up a supposed threat from India, shows how it has failed to forge a common identity. Author has shown how the building blocks that were though to create a strong foundation has become stumbling block pushing Pakistan to its abyss.

III The Framework “This Third Section looks at the internal functioning of Pakistan, keeping the focus on the Pakistan Army and civil–military relations.” (Loc:1607-1608) author has explained how the army has intervened continuously to pause democracy in an attempt to ‘sort out the bloody civilians’ in the process every military dictator has ‘civilianize’ himself to govern a country. Author in detail explain how even with 3 Wars, 5 Martial Laws, 4 Dictators & 3 Constitutions Pakistan is still Directionless Country.

IV The Superstructure “This section looks at the interrelated issues of Islamization, sectarianism, the madrasas and, finally, terrorism. The common thread between them has been the cynical use of religion by successive rulers for tactical objectives, ignoring the fact that they were playing with fire.” (Loc:2309-2311)

V The WEEP Analysis “The Fifth section undertakes a WEEP analysis, looking at the critical issues of Water, Education, Economy and Population. Individually, each of these factors have not only a far-reaching impact on every strata of society but are decisive elements in the security of any state. Collectively, they are a fundamental factor in determining the quality of life, health and longevity of the country.” ( Loc:3280-3283) Through the WEEP analysis author has examines the looming water crisis, the perilous state of education, the economic meltdown and the danger of an unrealized demographic dividend that have been eating into the innards of Pakistan since its creation.

VI Windows to the World “The Sixth section looks at Pakistan’s relations with the four countries that have played a vital role in shaping its destiny – India, Afghanistan, China and the US.” (Loc:4412-4413) Author has shown how Pakistan with its sole vision of destroying its eternal enemy “the INDIA” has destroyed itself through Islamization using madrasas education instead of secular education to create terrorism. In order to obtain strategic depth in Afghanistan and to make it fifth province, Pakistan has not only pushed itself to abyss but is the reason for pushing Afghanistan also to abyss. Though US has constituently bailed out Pakistan from one crises to another, Pakistan has always back stabbed US questing if Pakistan a friend or a foe to US. Pakistan All weather friend China is rather intelligent, through CPEC China is in the process of making Pakistan its economic slave by building economically non-viable road from Gwadar to Kashgar in Xinjiang leaving Pakistanis to basically be fixing punctures on Chinese trucks.

VII Looking Inwards “THIS FINAL chapter is a selection of laments of Pakistanis whose writings reflect the pain and anguish at the state of affairs in Pakistan and the trajectory of its future.” ( Loc:5791-5792)

With all these detail analysis the author concludes in the last chapter, “Where does Pakistan go from here? That would depend, of course, a great deal on where it wants to go (as the caterpillar told Alice in Alice in Wonderland). As of now, the only road that Pakistan seems set on in is towards the abyss.” ( Loc:6124-6126) thus justifying the title of the book.

[SUBRATA DATTA · Rating 4 out of 5]

WEEP?

No. Please do not!

It is an acronym. Each letter represents an area where, Tilak Devasher believes, if immediate action is not taken by Pakistan, its very existence will be at stake. And immediate is spelt with Capital ‘I’.

Water. Education. Economy. Population.

Let’s be honest. In Bharat we do have similar challenges. And, given our size, no less daunting. But at least, we are trying to do something about them. Jal Jeevan Mission. Ganga Action Plan. Sarva Siksha Abhiyan. Mid Day Meal. Economic liberalization. Hum Do Hamara Do.

And, even if slowly, they are starting to show results.

But Pakistan does not seem to be even aware that it faces such life-threatening challenges.

Shri Devasher ends the 450-page book (HarperCollins India, 2016) with Yashpal’s Hindi short
story, Purdah. I may be a little lazy. But I am tempted to quote it.

“… Chaudhary Pir Buksh [is] the uneducated grandson of a minor government functionary. After
marriage he is forced to rent a small house in a working-class neighbourhood where he lives with his wife, five children and mother. He barely makes enough to feed his family. However, having inherited middle-class pretentions, his pride is the purdah on the front entrance of the house. Over the years, the doors of the house wither away but the purdah keeps his pride intact by hiding the true situation of his family. He is forced to take a loan from ‘Punjabi Khan’ to meet his expenses. When he is unable to repay the loan, Punjabi Khan comes to his house demanding repayment in cash or kind. When Pir Buksh expresses his inability for either, Punjabi Khan in a fit of rage yanks off the purdah. Khan and the neighbours are shocked to see the state of poverty in Pir Buksh’s house, with the women barely able cover their bodies with rags. In pity and disgust, Punjabi Khan and the neighbours walk away and Pir Buksh no longer has the heart to put up the purdah again because all has been revealed and his false pride shattered forever.”

Shri Devasher continues:

“Juxtapose this story to Pakistan and it is amazing how closely it fits the situation that Pakistan finds itself in today. Pir Buksh’s lack of education compares with the education emergency in Pakistan; his large family with the growth of population and the potentially unrealized demographic dividend; his lack of earning capacity with the state of the economy; his debt with the debt Pakistan is mired in, the purdah with the spit and the polish of the army; Punjabi Khan with Pakistan’s creditors, especially the IMF.

“Behind the purdah or the façade of the eighth largest army of the world lies the reality of Pakistan – a mass of illiterate and poorly educated people whose needs will increasingly not be met; a growing debt necessitating more loans to repay older debt. Yet, the purdah of the army and its nuclear weapons gives the illusion of things being in order. So long as the purdah holds, the reality of Pakistan will remain concealed. But can the purdah hold out indefinitely?”

That is the question that Pakistan is unwilling – or unable – to ask itself.

For us, at this side of the Wagah border, to know Pakistan is to know how NOT to build a nation.

And Tilak Devasher proves to be an excellent guide in that discovery.

In the Preface, Shri Devasher, a retired bureaucrat, acknowledges his debt to his wife for allowing him time for “reading, researching and writing this book instead of doing what normal civil servants do – take up a post-retirement job.”

We are thankful that he did not. Else, we would have been deprived of an excellent book.

[Hisam Siddiqi · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a secular Pakistani
Living in a country with no freedoms
Religiosity at extremes
Sharing of ideas non existent
No hope for the future
Can’t express your ideas for the fear of taking a bullet for your views
Yes
This book hits home. All that we have been taught in school is a lie. If you break free from your programming. This is most likely a vision of Actual Pakistan you will find

This partition traumatised generation needs to give way to a more progressive future on both sides
I didn’t find anything too propaganda in this book
Even with some personal thoughts overall the apple does not fall far from this tree in terms of content
If what we are today is what we wanted partition for
Then we have exchanged British masters for a worse home grown variety !
India has its own religious secular issues and please can Kashmir just be left alone. You ask someone from there they hate both sides equally and I don’t blame them

[Kamlesh Gandhi · Rating 5 out of 5]

One word. BRILLIANT. Very incisive very factual, extremely well written. A must read to understand Pakistan the nation which lost the publication of the book is NOT COURTING the Abyss but in fact appears to be sinking deeper in the Abyss .
People in Pakistan now wonder , after their election on 8 February 2024 ; will there be a repeat of 1971?
Honestly as a human I wish well for the ordinary citizens of Pakistan they deserve a better set of people to govern them towards a better life and future .

[Manraj Sohi · Rating 3 out of 5]

What was new in it for me. GHQ 786. Pak ka matlab kya, Jinnah quoting that he & his steno got pak not ML. Few articles of Faith in Pak psyche, role of religion ( if not paki then we are second rate hindu), partition an unfinished agenda: moth eaten rag, Anti india sentiment, weak polity Muslim League had no plans. Non traditional threats to its security Water, Edn, Econ & Polity. Arabisation of urdu. A good book. Well researched

[M.J. · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had a lot of interesting information and facts and mostly served as an informative overview of various sectors of Pakistan. The book read too much like one long research paper though for my taste and lacked a comprehensive narrative flow. Most compelling chapters were actually on the water, population growth, and education crises which often get overlooked.

[Gaurav Rana · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very well written book covering almost every aspect of Pakistan. Starting with its History, role of Government, Ideology of Pakistan, Religious Indoctrination, Military Might, Non State Actors, Prominent Punjab and Deprived Provinces, India, Afghanistan, China and US, Begging Bowl and Gun pointed on own Head. A very interesting read.

[Farah Irshad · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you're a neutral pakistani then you should read this book. It has some stark reality, which may be hard to swallow,but you know the truth , and you also know what ideas you need to borrow and what to reject

[Ajitabh Pandey · Rating 3 out of 5]

An excellent introduction to Pakistan. The author has beautifully explained the identity crisis Pakistan is going through since its birth in 1947 and how this has impacted their growth. The author has started the book from around the partition when the seeds of its current sorry state were sown.

[Zaid · Rating 2 out of 5]

Biased bullshit. If you have read this completely, then read a book with a neutral pov so you can get the better picture after reading this bulls.

[Hammad Gill · Rating 3 out of 5]

An average read with the pro-Indian bias.

[Shehroze Tariq · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very Pessimistic approach by author... He wrote this book in isolation. No positive aspect few conclusions were just speculation.. His was quite biased due to obvious reason. ... Average Read

[Amit Gupta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good anecdotes and juicy stories. Comically depicts how the country has gone into ruins due to the feudal nature of its establishment.

[Dhruv Mandlik · Rating 5 out of 5]

brilliant book

[Vivek Gaurav · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magnum Opus!
A one stop destination for anyone interested to know about everything that is wrong with Pakistan.

PS: Though written by an ex-Indian bureaucrat, there is no anti-Pakistan prejudice, rather a rational and impartial analysis of Pakistan's woes, very much attributable to its origins i.e. Two Nation theory and subsequent mismanagement of state affairs by the civilian & military leaders.

Thoroughly enjoyed reading and highly recommend

[Sonali]

Banal.