A State in Denial : Pakistan's Misguided and Dangerous Crusade

A State in Denial by B.G. Verghese delves into Pakistan''s complex history, highlighting its struggles with identity, extremism, and internal dissent. The book urges Pakistan to embrace a more inclusive and peaceful path, moving away from fundamentalism towards its syncretic past.

A State in Denial by veteran journalist B.G. Verghese explores a subject of immense global significance - Pakistan, and where it is positioned in relation to India and the world. After a brisk overview of the events that have come to define post-Independence Pakistan - the battle for Kashmir; the integration of Karat and Hyderabad into India; the creation of Bangladesh - Verghese, drawing from rare archival material, approaches subjects that haveong been contentious - the Indus water treaty, Siachen and A.Q. Khan''s dangerous nuclear forays. Even while analyzing Pakistan''s present-day plunge into internal dissent, self-made jihadi extremism, provincial rivalry and military rule, Verghese offers a gentle way out of the nation''s self-made dilemmas - by encouraging Pakistan to become more than the Indian "other'', and urging it to move away from fundamentalism and embrace the syncretic, Sufi-infused Islam it once knew. B.G. Verghese''sast book is a powerful reminder that the core issue with Pakistan is not Kashmir - rather, it is theack of a clear identity, the absence of a positive ideology, and the reluctance of the nation to fully accept its history.