Jihad On Two Fronts: South Asia's Unfolding Drama

Over the last decade and more, the region has borne the brunt of terrorist violence perpetrated by fundamentalist Islamic groups which originated and thrived in Afghanistan as a counterforce to the large presence of Soviet troops in the 1980s. Jihadists from Pakistan, assisted by the newly formed Al Qaida, have focused on liberating Kashmir from India, leading to a backlash in India. The overarching aim of jihadist organizations in South Asia is to escalate tensions between Pakistan and India, raising the prospect of nuclear conflagration between the two nations. The Line of Control in Kashmir is the most dangerous border in the world and will remain so until and unless the jihadist movement in the region is defeated. So it is imperative to understand the complicated equation involving Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. Jihad on Two Fronts attempts to do just that. With his extraordinary understanding of the region and of all the players in the complex matrix, Dilip Hiro shows how the interrelated jihadist movement in Afghanistan and Pakistan have affected India and how the scenario poses a serious threat to the more than 1.5 billion people who inhabit the region.

About the Author :
DILIP HIRO, who is based in London, writes for many newspapers and magazines, including the Guardian, Observer, Independent, New York Times, Washington Post and India Today. He is a frequent commentator on Middle Eastern, Central and South Asian and Islamic affairs for the BBC, Sky, CNN and Al Jazeera International, among others. He is the author of more than thirty books. Among them are the highly praised Between Marx and Muhammad, War without End, The Essential Middle East, Blood of the Earth and Timeline History of India.

Review :
"An excellent example of a broad-brush treatment of an important subject... Rich in detail and in personalised narratives of the various aspects of jihad... This surely is a layperson's introduction to the origins of jihad in contemporary South Asia... Hiro's narrative is... simple, yet rich in detail." Happymon Jacob, The Hindu "Dilip Hiro challenges the conventional historical narratives of the main players - Afghanistan, Pakistan, the US, India and the Soviet Union." Asian Age "Hiro's work is a critique of the 'great game' approach that continues to drive the Afghan policy of the various players - Pakistan, India, the Central Asian republics, Iran, Russia, America and now China... The USP of Hiro's narrative is the balanced perspective he provides, while desisting from taking sides... A compelling narrative." Aditya Menon, Mail Today "Hiro explores the complicated equation between Afghanistan, Pakistan and India after the significant geopolitical changes that have taken place since 1947." Tehelka "[T]he emergence of the north-western subcontinent as the epicentre of terrorism has made the story of South Asian jihad an interesting and consequential one. Hiro updates the story with new material from the Soviet archives and the more recent leaks of the US cables from the subcontinent." C. Rajmohan, Indian Express "One cannot argue with Hiro in regarding Pakistan as the keystone of [jihadist] threat, and Afghanistan and India as the targets." Krishnan Srinivasan, Sunday Statesman "One rare book that actually includes India prominently. .The two fronts refer to the western and eastern frontiers of Pakistan. . There is much more that is refreshingly different in the approach of this book. The very first chapter traces the evolution and ethos of Sufi Islam in South Asia...For readers like you and me, it is a revealing experience to be reminded of the liberal roots of Islam in South Asia...The book rightly points out that the future course of this jihad will be decided inside Pakistan." Sutanu Guru, The Sunday Indian