PAKISTANI generals and politicians are forever eager to stay in the public consciousness. Books from them are very welcome, indeed. General K.M. Arif, the man who was at the centre of power and decision-making during Ziaul Haq's 11-year-long corrosive dictatorship, has just written his second book, Estranged Neighbours.

His first book Working With Zia (1995) was well written and people found themselves reading it quite eagerly. In part it came across as an attractive memoir. General Zia is as much loathed as he is admired in Pakistan.

Hence, the book was sought both by the dictator's detractors and admirers. A definitive intellectual vigour defined the making of this book as well. Fifteen years on, do we have the same quality of creative effort from a military general who retired in 1987? But before we seek an answer to this question, let's explore the major themes that Estranged Neighbours embodies.

The title would make you think that we are dealing with is a book-length critique on relations between India and Pakistan. Perplexingly, that's not the case. If you are picking this book for some fresh insights into the dynamics of power-politics in the subcontinent, you are probably in for a huge disappointment.

What we get instead is a regurgitation of clichéd perceptions about how India and Pakistan relate to each other.
As you peel off one declarative sentence after another, the voice coming out of this book is that of the Establishment, not a serious scholar. There is no effort, for instance, to grasp the fact that India has essentially de-hyphenated itself from Pakistan by embracing modernity, while we wallow in extremism, ignorance and conflicting identities.

Structural flaws notwithstanding, General Arif offers profound reflections on what he calls the complexities surrounding Pakistan at this point in time. And therein lies the merit of the book.

The writer is knowledgeable across a spectrum of topics and issues Afghanistan, Iran, China, United States in the foreign realm and education (or the lack of it), water crisis, power shortage, energy, bureaucracy, politics and politicians and role of the army in Pakistan, in the domestic realm. And, yes, his views on media reflect a robust pragmatism.

So what is his analysis of the army's role in Pakistan? The question might sound odd to those who think the general was a significant pivot of the Zia's rule, an era that is associated in the public consciousness with massive societal fissures now in evidence.

To his credit, the general does not suppress what is unfavourable to the army's image. Is it a case of getting wiser after the event?

Looking back, this is what he has to say 'Pakistan is a wounded nation, hurt by both friends and foes. Her national body is riddled with injuries of insult, neglect and arrogance inflicted by dictators and democrats; judges and generals, the bureaucrats and media. None of them are blame-free.' Solemn words, no doubt. Elsewhere he argues that the military rule of 1958, 1969, 1977 and 1999 weakened political parties and hindered the growth of a democratic culture in the country.

He is equally scathing about Musharraf's eight-year powergrab, a time he perceives as defined by political miscalculations, constitutional and legal blunders, bad governance and massive over-reliance on American support.

Another significant aspect of his reflections has to do with the unraveling of the bureaucracy in Pakistan. He is unsparingly critical of Nawaz Sharif for politicising bureaucrats in Punjab. 'A new group of senior civil servants emerged on the administrative horizon of the country. Such favoured super bureaucrats overshadowed efficient colleagues who were less known to ruling prime ministers.'

Not surprisingly, for this venture, the general has refrained from analysing the Ziaul Haq dictatorship, in which he himself played a pivotal role. He can thus be accused of being selective while apportioning.

For yours truly, the general's distilled wisdom offers some great observations on the state of education in Pakistan. This is an unlikely topic for a military man, but he endears himself a great deal to the thinking classes as he pushes his perspective on education.

Education in Pakistan is discriminatory and it perpetuates the rich-poor gap. He recommends a surgeon's scalpel to strip away the country's multiple systems of instructions. Sound arguments — and some rare clarity!

Estranged Neighbours India-Pakistan
(1947-2010)
(politics)
By General K.M. Arif
Dost Publications, Islamabad
ISBN 978-969-496-382-2
344pp. Rs595