Re Imagining Pakistan Journal Of Book Reviews

I have been based in Afghanistan since almost 2002 and have yet to see an Al Qaeda man.Much of the writers narrative about Al Qaeda and ISIS and Jihadist groups is sheer nonsense:-- The writer ignores the harsh fact that the worst blow inflicted on Pakistans secular and liberal outlook was General Zia ul Haq who was USAs greatest ally and was all along strengthened and aided by the west so that their strategic objectives in the region against USSR etc would be served.I agree with the writer that the military in Pakistan has increasingly manipulated things to serve the generals agenda.However here too politicians like ZA Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif are to be blamed who selected people like Zia,Musharraf etc to suit their political goals.The ISIs involvement with harassing media is a valid criticism of the author.The ISPR has become a major manipulator but this is bound to happen in a state where the whole system is based on massive corruption whether it is political or military.On page-184 the authors criticism of suppressing Lt Gen Mahmuds book is invalid.There is hardly anything critical in this book and as per Lt Gen Tariq Khan this book was actually teaching handbook of staff college and a group effort plagiarized by Lt Gen Mahmud and published in his own name:-- The author offers no practical way of restructuring Pakistan other than broadbrushes.He seems to be against Pakistans nuclear deterrent but has failed to rationalize how the USA would have overrun and destroyed Pakistan if it did not have a nuclear deterrent.The book is inconclusive and offers no way out other than generalized statements.Page 284 is an example where the author makes huge broad brushes but offers nothing concrete :--