Book review: Pakistan From Hash to Heroin

I have never seen a brilliant book supported by facts and statistics by any Pakistani writer. Ikramul Haq's Pakistan From Hash to Heroine is the exception. As suggested by its name, the book is about the advent of narcotics in Pakistan. There is no aspect of the drug trade that this

book has not explained. 

The book is supported by real life incidents, newspaper reports, studies conducted by the writer in universities and drug rehabilitation centers.

The chapters I enjoyed the most were the ones which dealt with the affect of drug on human behaviour, involvement of higher government officials (such as General Zia) in protecting the drug cartels, the amount of profits in it and the social causes which forces youth into the drug abuse. The writer has blamed Zia and his Islamic laws for the rise in drug abuse. The price of hash increased from Rs 1500 to Rs 9000 per kilogram on the first day of the banning of alcohol and hashish by the Zia regime. Must read.

Book Review: Art of Intelligence by Henry A. Crumpton

Book cover

My view on books on secret agencies is that they need to be thrilling and captivating. Holding my view, I recently picked Henry A Crumpton’s book Art of Intelligence. The writer has served decades in CIA’s Clandestine Service. The book traces his writing a letter to CIA recruitment office when he was a kid and the CIA replying to him that he needs to re-apply later in his life. The authored had travelled a lot in the world before joining the CIA. Perhaps his globe-trotting experience helped him join the world’s most discussed intelligence agency.

Many chapters in the book contained accounts of espionage. The writer didn’t even care about using fictional names. He would name the characters in his accounts as ‘a certain diplomat’, a ‘certain African guy’. This practice made otherwise lively accounts less interesting if not boring.

There is a lot of technical detail about the CIA’s structural organization. How various departments communicate and work with each other. Many pages of the books are wasted in describing these technical details.

However there were many interesting things such as keen appetite of North Korean diplomats for porn. That many multi-national companies help CIA cover its agents. The multi-nationals send CIA agents under the garb of their employees in various countries where CIA can’t gain direct access. The guise of an executive in a multi-national company works best in almost all countries. How the organization, ‘Doctors Without Borders’, ‘indirectly’ helped CIA find a route on Afghanistan’s northern border following the 9/11 attack on the US.

The CIA’s efforts to trace the relatives of dead spies and agents to transfer the escrow money to them. Many of the agents died with the secret that they were working for the CIA. It must be shocking for their relatives to have received money from an unknown source. The writer could have given such a narrative, but he didn’t.

There was one account about the CIA training its agents before sending them to Afghanistan for the first time after the 9/11. “We trained to use vehicles as both weapons and means of escape. We drove and maneuvered at high speeds. We breached roadblocks that sometimes required bashing through fixed barriers and other vehicles. A car could take an enormous amount of abuse and keep running. We combined driving and firearm tactics, using our vehicles as cover. The wheels and engine blocks afforded the best protection against high velocity rounds. We entered and exited our cars while drawing and firing weapons. We practiced with a variety of firearms, including foreign models, particularly the AK 47 and SKS carbine. Our teams in Afghanistan carried the AK 47 because of the local availability of ammunition and the local profile. Any man toting and firing a US manufactured M4 would be immediately identified as non-indigenous.   

My take on the book is that it is interesting but not thrilling. It may appeal to a mature reader but not to an amateur reader.

Book Review: Tareekh-e-Norway by Khalid Mehmood

There used to be a king who was mentally handicapped. He was married to a beautiful lady who was the sister of the king of England. The queen would draft a document and get the signature of her insane husband on it. The document would become a law for the people. Using the pen on paper was the only manly thing, king was capable of doing. The queen was the indirect ruler of the country. Perturbed by the mental condition of her husband, the queen arranged a doctor for her husband. The doctor was competent and handsome, gaining access to the palace and the queen’s heart.

He became the queen’s paramour sooner then he started treatment of the king, becoming the indirect ruler of the country meanwhile. He was a man of liberal leanings. He helped the queen draft a new law which was to end all types of censorship in the country. The satisfied queen happily obtained the signatures of her psycho husband on the draft and it became the law. People were allowed to write anything and they also started questioning the running of the state’s affairs.

The doctor also abolished all those religious festivals which, according to him, were a time waste. The doctor also reduced the laws which provided for death sentence. For one-and-a-half-year, the doctor changed the political culture of the country and kept the queen glowing. The doctor and his sweetheart became victim of the palace conspiracies. The queen was ordered to leave the country and the doctor was sentenced to death. This time someone else obtained the signatures from the mad king and the doctor was sent to the gallows.

The country was Denmark, the king was Christiaun, the queen was Karolina, the doctor was Struenses and the time was 1770 AD.

Khalid Mehmood Chaudhry, a Pakistani expatriate who left Pakistan and settled in Norway in mid 70s, has narrated this event in his book (تاریخ  ناروے ) (History of Norway). The Danish love affair paved the way for liberalism in the region, including Norway.

The majority of Pakistani expatriates, that I know, don’t acclimatize in their new countries, don’t educate themselves, do minion jobs ranging from slaughtering chickens to driving taxis, and remain alien to the political structure of their new countries. Chaudhry broke the stereotype of expatriates by writing this book.

Chaudhry’s political career spans over more than two decades. It started in 1983, when he became the first expatriate member of the Oslo City Parliament (similar to MPA in Pakistan) for the first time. He kept winning that seat for the past 28 years. His political career was at its height in 2004, when he became the member of the Norwegian Parliament. This is Chaudhry’s first book in Urdu. In political circles of South East Asia and Scandinavia, Chaudhry is known as a political analyst and author of various publications in English and Norwegian newspapers. He is a known face on electronic media in Scandinavia whenever Pakistan comes in the headlines in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.

Chaudhry starts his book from the days when Norway was not a country and its people were ferocious Vikings– an image contrary to the present day rich Scandinavian country. The book is written in chronological order starting from 900AD and discusses all events that proved turning points for Norway ranging from the establishment of the first university to the digging of first oil well in the sea. The book is must read for all those who still hope Pakistan will cope with its present day problems. The language is easy, sentences are short and there are no fillers – conditions that are must for any book to find room in anyone’s library. The Norway of the past looks not much different than the present Pakistan.

PS: The book is scheduled to launch in the middle of January 2014. I have received a pre-launch copy and this is the first review of the book in Pakistan.  

Book review: The Shade of Swords

Death to America!

An average Muslim is poor, hungry and deprived of basic amenities. An average Muslim ruler is rich, corrupt and a tyrant.
An average Muslim dreams of having in paradise what the ruler gets in the world i.e: honey, water melons, grapes and beautiful virgins.
The present day Jihad, according to an average Muslim, is the mean of getting all these as Allah has promised paradise to all those who would fight for His cause.
There appears no other way for Muslims to change their fate except waging a Jihad against the nations far more superior to Muslims.
Indian journalist Mubashir Javed Akbar has discussed the idea of Jihad in the contemporary world in his book The Shade of Swords (Roli Books 2002). MJ starts with the advent of Islam and touches the landmarks in Islamic history before culminating the debate on Osama Bin Laden and Taliban.
The writer has noticed a tendency in Muslim mobs of getting inspiration from Salauddin Ayubi. An ordinary Muslim firmly believes that he can change the world’s map by Jihad. The modern day Jihad stems from the crusades.
The reader will find the conspiracies, internal rifts and power tussels responsible for the rise and fall of Muslim world in the book.
MJ says that America has been successful in toppling Jihadis but not in a decisive way as the dream of Jihad is perpetual. He says that organisations such as Taliban and Al Qaeda can surive without a country or government as they do their recruitment in minds. This strategy does not requite any training academies, cruise missiles or stingers.
The cause of bitter wars between Christians and Muslims has also been unearthed. Lack of sensitivity and respect towards eachothers religious figures fuelled war after war between Christians and Muslims. MJ is famous for his simple candid way of writing on complex issues and this book is no exception. This book is recommended to all those who want to have a crash course in Jihad and conflict between Islam and Christianity.
MJ has also written in detial about the major political changes in the Muslim world fuelled directly on indirectly by Jihadi mindset. This book is a must read to understand the evolution of modern Islamic world.
PS: Anyone, who wants to understand the conflict between Islam and Christianity and, is sick of Karen Armstrong, must read this book.

Book review: Losing My Virginity

Trying hands on everything!

Like many people, I also thought Richard Branson to be a playboy always surrounded by busty girls. I was only able to see the other side of him after reading his autobiography Losing My Virginity.
Branson had a humble beginning. He was born in a middle class family. He was unable to go to university, yet he built one of the biggest corporate groups in the world. Branson currently employs
Branson started his career at the age of 16 when he published a magazine called Student. Without any experience in the publishing and media, he successfully ran the magazine and increased its circulation to 100,000 copies.
After the Student magazine, he established a mail order record company Virgin. A recording studio was established after some time. The simple one-office company later mushroomed into the biggest record company in the world.
The book traces Branson’s life as early as his memory supported him. The writer has not spared any moment of his life from sharing with readers. From having sex with a girl with asthma to wooing someone else’s wife, he has not hidden anything. Very few people in the world have the courage to confess the truth.
Another remarkable thing about this book is that it takes an ordinary reader, with no busniess sense, in to the corporate world where ideas sell for millions. Branson has discussed his business plans in a very candid and humours way. By reading the book, one can easily understand what an entrepreneur really is.
Branson was a dyslexic patient (remember Amir Khan's Taray Zameen Per) and was always scared of numbers. He was very poor in maths. With this type of disability in the childhood and building a corporate group consisting of around 300 companies in 30 countries is nothing short of astonishing success. He has built $ 8 billion worth of companies from scratch. From condoms to colas to the development of alternate fuel, Branson has tried his hands on everything. The book also contains details of his life long battle with the British Airways which wanted to maintain its hegemony over the British airline industry.
I recommend this book to everyone who is interested in business or wants to succeed through hard-work.

Book Review: Adhoori Parwaz by Syed Husnain Haider

I have been trying to get my hands on this new Urdu novel written by Syed Husnain Haider. Its not available in Jhelum. Will definitely buy it on my next trip to Lahore. I have found a nice review of the book from internet.

"It was said that the plane bomb attacks at New York’s twin towers on 11th September 2001 would change the world entirely. Later it was proved that the 9/11 has not only changed the world but also gave birth to an unending hatred of the Americans against the Muslims but particularly Pakistanis-though surprisingly none of the 9/11 attackers was a Pakistani. It goes without saying that these are the people of Pakistan who unfortunately have born the repercussions of the 9/11 attacks. Pakistanis have become victim to the hatred of not only common Americans but also they are facing the discriminatory policies of the American policy makers. In the past nine years this hatred and discrimination have infiltrated to other European countries. You have seen how Pakistanis are being treated in Spain, France and London. Sometimes hatred against Muslims takes the Western law enforcing agencies to make serious mistakes by nabbing innocent Pakistanis and ultimately destroying their lives for ever just because they are Muslims and Pakistanis.
“Adhoori Parwaz” has been written in the context of 9/11 and the difficulties faced by the Muslims particularly Pakistanis in the US. The story is simple and easy to understand- the story of a young Pakistani who lands in America having several unfulfilled dreams but unfortunately fell victims to a grim conspiracy that makes his life a living hell. The novel’s ingredients are fictional but incredibly its taste is real. You can not help finishing it in just one sitting once you start its first page.
Author Sayed Hussnan Hayder has beautifully depicted the adventures faced by the Pakistani young man who is running away from the US Law Enforcing Agencies. The beauty of this novel not only shines through its story but also the way the writer has portrayed the landscape and customs of different nations.
It is a multi-dimensional story which is full of action, suspense, thrill and adventure. You feel like watching a Hollywood movie while going through this novel. It is a lengthy novel but the writer has strong grip at every line of it. You don’t feel boredom or monotony at any place. Let me say it is a novel which starts, continues and ends at the same pace and like every beautiful peace of literature you feel yourself still thirsty when you finish the last page.
Last but not the least, this novel is an eye opener for a common man to know how politicians and the media change the minds of the people through constant venomous propaganda just for the sake of their own vested interests. For a common man it will be interesting to know that what an extremist religious figure is doing in Pakistan is being reciprocated by the media and politicians in the West. Both want execution of the opponent. If a Molvi raises the slogan an America free world the Western media and its politicians believe Muslims are the worst enemies of the civilized world. The common people of the entire world will have to understand that only they, not their governments, can assure durable peace on earth by coming forward and joining hands with one another. The unity among the human beings, which is sometime broken by politicians and sometime by the extremists, must remain intact. The common people of the world need to understand that their interests and goals are the same and that they have to live together (Muslims and non-Muslims) because their destiny is the same.
This is a worth-reading novel and I would strongly recommend it. If you want to share the plight of an innocent Pakistani in America, then this novel is for you. Just go for it. You will say wah…wah…kaya kamal ki kahani hai."