What would it be like fighting the 1965 Indo-Pak war in 2011? The author Minak Dhar writes precisely that. He weaves around the modern day fears like Pakistani atomic weapons in the hands of fundamentalist who heads the government.

Unlike 1965 war triggered by a pesky dictator, this war has been triggered by Saudi regime affiliated to Al-Qaeda, who wanted to send a message to the Evil Empire USA by defeating India.

Other than being a great plot, the author seems know how weapons work, which is a great relief to the readers and spices up the novel. The use of Indian made weapons especially will enthrall most Indians barring very few who would like to see the project dead.

And then there is of course the petty Indian politicians, do we need enemies when we already have them?

There are soldiers from both the countries who would like to perform their orders, come what may! Even if it means launching a nuclear missile.

Excerpts:

“ The nine AMRAAM missiles streaked towards the Indian fighter at over twice the speed of sound. ….The Saudis had used their oil money to buy several hundred before the coup and now being put to the test. ”

“The Pakistani commander had got intelligence of a much smaller enemy force. He was expecting a small, forward force, not a full regiment of Arjun (Tanks)”

What is the role of the United States, how will it intervene in the event of fundamentalists getting close to the nuclear launch? Will it try to secure Pakistani arsenal if emergency circumstances dictate? Are the U.S. Special Operations on high alert for quick, covert insertion to the Pakistani sites to disable or even re-locate weapons to prevent their capture by unauthorized or event of launch by Pakistanis? What will happen if these primitive Pakistani weapons do not have safety mechanisms to sustain a conventional firefight and explode when US personnel try to snatch it?

The novel also gives out attitude Pakistani Army and armed forces. Are there sane men left in Islamabad who would like to see rest of the Pakistani’s wake up next morning and not die the same day by Indian retaliatory strikes?

What is eerie about this novel is the real world concerns on synonymous of terrorism, nuclear weapon and Pakistan. Let us not forget the news of Pakistani nuclear scientists who met with Osama bin Laden around the time of September 9/11. What if the tactical nuclear weapons with Pakistan are issued to field units who may pass it to the terrorists? On the other side, can India handle such a situation? What will be the Indian reaction in case of a tactical nuclear war? These are some questions the author tries to answer and successfully.

Author : Mainak Dhar
ISBN: 81-89766-39-2
Publisher: Vitasta Publishing
Pages: 322; Paperback
Price: Rs. 295

The book can be purchased from Frontier India E-Commerce or simply mail to frontierindia@gmail.com