Inside The Pakistan Army

Schofield spent five years with the Pakistan army, accompanying them on maneuvers and getting to know key figures from junior soldiers to Kayani himself. For five years, she travelled everywhere with them. They even had a uniform made for her. "Inside the Pakistan Army" is the truth about the army's vital role as an ally in the war.

"The Pakistan Army is at the forefront of the West's war on terror, policing the border with Afghanistan and the lawless tribal agencies where Osama bin Laden is said to be hiding. Since October 2009 more than 30,000 troops have been mounting a huge offensive to crush the insurgents of the Taleban. More recently, hundreds have died in suicide attacks across the country as the Islamists have brought their war against the pro-Western Government to the country's cities. The success or failure of the Pakistan Army in this and similar offensives is now seen as critical to the West's hopes of halting the spread of Islamist extremism outside of what the Americans call AfPak, the theatre of operations which is occupying Britain, the US and their allies. If the Pakistan Army fails to stamp out the Taliban insurgency, it could become unstoppable, with the drastic spread of global terrorism. The army itself is full of apparent contradictions. Its officers may have the clipped voices and moustaches of their British predecessors but they are not immune to the anti-Western passions prevalent in Pakistan. So are they reliable allies in the war on terror? No other writer--Pakistani or foreign--can answer this critical question more clearly than Schofield. No other writer knows these men better. For five years, Carey Schofield travelled everywhere with them, so close they even had a uniform made for her. Inside the Pakistan Army is the truth about all of these men and their vital role in the war on terror."--Publisher's description.

An in-depth study of the Pakistan Army from an expert with on-the-ground experience. The army of Pakistan was formed in 1947 when Pakistan and India became independent of Britain. Since then, there have been three periods of army-led military rule in Pakistan, totaling thirty-five years, when democracy was crushed by a string of military dictators. Brian Cloughley knew two of the military dictators and writes of them with first-hand knowledge of their characters. He was personally acquainted with every Chief of Army Staff from 1980 to 2014. The army is not proud of the part it played in suppression of democracy, and although it acquitted itself honorably in wars against India, it displayed considerable brutality in suppressing separatists in the Eastern Wing of the country in the period before the 1971 war with India that resulted in the creation of Bangladesh. These excesses are described in this book, but there is general confidence that the army is now determined to support democracy and will continue to perform its critical mission of combating internal militancy as well as being prepared to defend the country's borders. A History of the Pakistan Army is essential reading for anyone interested in understanding the nuanced and ongoing conflicts playing out in this volatile region.

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