Frontline Pakistan - The Struggle with Militant Islam - Hardcover

Pakistan has been home to the worlds most dangerous terrorists osama bin laden himself is believed to be hiding close to its border after 9/11, pakistans leader, a former army radical, general pervez musharraf, took an astonishing about-turn, and pledged his support for americas war on terror but as veteran pakistani journalist zahid hussain reveals in this compelling book, musharrafs new position is not as straightforward as it seems hussain describes for the first time in detail the incestuous relationship between pakistans jihadis and its all-powerful military intelligence agency?the isi in the 1980s, the isi exploited the fanaticism of jihadi warriors to fight pakistans proxy wars for it in afghanistan, and later in kashmir in pursuing this strategy, the military acted as midwife to the birth of a murderous jihadi culture which went on to consume it based on exclusive interviews with key players, hussain reveals how musharraf took the momentous decision to support americas war against the taliban, whom pakistani intelligence had helped to power in the first place he also describes with devastating detail the blowback unleashed by the jihadis when their former allies turned on them musharraf, hussain demonstrates, is living on borrowed time hussain uses his unique access to penetrate the jihadi networks, and to probe their operations, sources of funding, and relationships with transnational groups like al qaeda he traverses the treacherous mountain passes of waziristan, the officers mess tables in rawalpindi and the sectarian madrassas of the punjab to explore what challenges musharraf faces, and investigate whether he has the power (or political will) to prevail with a resurgent taliban inviting us airstrikes on pakistans afghan border, the impossible contradictions of musharrafs position have intensified the outcome of pakistans struggle with