Book Review

Book Review

BOOK REVIEW: Unravelling terrorism Pakistan —by Sara De Silva
Friday, April 08, 2011
Pakistan: Terrorism Ground Zero
By Rohan Gunaratna and Khuram Iqbal
Reaktion Books, Pp 352

For those who have ever wondered why Pakistan continues to dominate the media headlines in recent years, the exact answers to the question are presented in this book. Many fail to grasp the gravity and the complexity of the threat that emerges from within and simultaneously impacts both regional and international security. For this reason, contextualising the militancy in Pakistan and the region becomes imperative not only to demystify common perceptions but also to plan a long-term strategy to counter the serious threat of terrorism. Against this backdrop, Pakistan: Terrorism Ground Zero by Rohan Gunaratna and Khuram Iqbal offer an interesting and compelling case of how Pakistan became an epicentre of global terrorism over the years. Ultimately, this work demonstrates why grasping the complex nature of the threat is paramount in winning a crucial battle against the global war on terror.

The authors introduce the readers to the backdrop of the problem currently faced by Pakistan. The negligence of the international community in handling the aftermath of the Cold War and the policies promulgated by Islamabad vis-à-vis the insurgents proved to be a strategic blunder, which could eventually prove fatal to Pakistan in the long run.

Starting with an explanation of tribal Pakistan as the epicentre of global terrorism, Gunaratna and Iqbal depict the manner in which the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) emerged as a new headquarters of al Qaeda and the global jihad movement. The book subsequently shifts the focus on mapping out the myriad insurgent groups that function under the umbrella of the Pakistani Taliban. The authors detail the generic profile of the sub-groups from their membership, leadership and organisational structure, methods of finance, operational capabilities, to links with other local and international groups. Ultimately, this section depicts the complexity of the Pakistani Taliban, which according to the authors are not a monolithic entity.

The terrorist monster that devours the country takes many forms, the most deadly being the stark rise in suicide attacks in recent years. Although many scholars favour presenting a single overarching theory in explicating the phenomenon, Gunaratna and Iqbal assert otherwise. The motivating forces behind suicide terrorism in Pakistan are an amalgamation of cultural, religious, social, political, and economic factors. A ‘one-size-fits-all’ theory does not truly grasp the suicide terrorist threat that pervades the entire nation and also extends beyond its borders.

The writers also reveal the significance of Karachi as a hub of terrorism in Pakistan. They illustrate the intricate nature of terrorist groups and criminal activities that live side by side with the sectarian and ethnic violence that is rampant in the financial centre of the country. This part of the book illustrates the threat landscape of Pakistan from a distinct outlook. Not only is it crucial to understand the profile of different terrorist outfits operating in the country outside of FATA, the presentation of Karachi in this context highlights the intricate nature of the threat that emanates from the country. As the threat from within inevitably spills over to the region, the authors urge an awakening of the neighbouring countries to fight against their respective domestic instabilities and encourage harmonious relations in preventing the proliferating menace in the region. This deadly anomaly is incurable by Pakistani efforts alone; it requires an unparalleled cooperation of the international community.

The authors give much credit to Pakistan’s unprecedented effort in fighting the war on terrorism alongside the US, contrary to the numerous accusations made against the country as a perpetrator of militancy and terrorism in the region. As Islamabad became the frontline fighter and thus the frontline target of terrorist groups, the nation of Pakistan is now paying the price of countering this menace. The writers exhort the readers to realise the severity and the complication of the anomaly that haunts the country and call for the need to strengthen international cooperation as a way forward in fighting this rigorous battle against Pakistan’s most fatal cancer.

Gunaratna and Iqbal do not rely on abstract academic theories in explicating the anomaly. They excellently carry the readers through the threat landscape in a logical sequence that is substantiated by anecdotal evidence. Simultaneously, this work debunks the common misperceptions and clarifies the confusions that arise from grasping the current trends in Pakistan. This surely is a challenge in itself, which has been achieved by the experts, and the findings presented in this research comprehensively encompass both the domestic and the regional implications of the problems that Pakistan faces.

The experts present an ‘all-in-one’ book, which covers absolutely everything one needs to know about Pakistan’s current security climate — including its backdrop, current situation and recommended policy prescriptions without having to juxtapose complex jargon, concepts and academic theories. The readability of the findings presented by the authors should be digestible for all readers of various backgrounds including policymakers, academics, journalists and students of international security and terrorism. If you have ever wondered what exactly is going on in the ‘ground zero of terrorism’, this book is a must read.

The reviewer is a researcher at the Centre for Transnational Crime Prevention(CTCP), University of Wollongong, Australia

Book Review

Al Qaeda and Karachi
By Khaled Ahmed
Published: February 12, 2011

The writer is a director at the South Asia Free Media Association, Lahore khaled.ahmed@tribune.com.pk

We all know that al Qaeda once had its best warriors placed in Karachi. Khalid Sheikh Muhammad, mastermind of 9/11 and killer, by his own confession, of American journalist Daniel Pearl, lived here. So did many others of lower ranks, till Musharraf made it tough for them to live in the open and survive. Some say Osama bin Laden met Mullah Omar here, at the Banuri mosque, under the benign gaze of Mufti Shamzai.

Karachi is said to be the favourite haunt of the Quetta Shura, which means Pakistan uses it to lodge people on the run from foreign surveillance. Karachi is safe because the writ of the state is thin here, given its no-go areas and heavily armed mafias who kill policemen like flies. Benazir was to be safely killed here, but escaped. Many Americans have lost their lives in this city. The French suffered the trauma of losing an entire bunch of their technicians to a suicide-bomber they continue to think was unleashed by the state.

Now, Rohan Gunaratna and Khuram Iqbal have highlighted Karachi as a haven of foreign terrorists in their book Pakistan Terrorism Ground Zero (Reaktion Books, London 2011). It says al Qaeda exerts more influence on the Pakistani Taliban than on the Afghan Taliban. In August 2008, TTP spokesman Maulvi Omar stated that the Taliban had the capability to gain control over Karachi (p.41). Mullah Omar, Abdullah Mehsud, Qari Zafar and many other top leaders of the Taliban movement are graduates of Darul Ulum Islamia Banuria in Jamshed Quarters, Karachi. Although Mullah Omar never studied at Jamia Banuria, he was awarded its honorary degree (p.41).
[According to an Arab biographer of Aiman alZawahiri, Montasser alZayyat, Zawahiri was only a surgeon from Egypt but was given a PhD in surgery in Pakistan. Pakistan doesn’t have a PhD degree in surgery!]

Karachi hosts the largest concentration of Afghans outside Afghanistan, mainly settled illegally in the vicinity of Malir and Gadap towns in various housing schemes and bastis.

The Afghan Pashtuns settled in Sohrab Goth, Qaidabad, Banaras and Kemari, areas traditionally inhabited by Pashtuns. There was no proper settlement plan: Sohrab Goth, the largest settlement, for example, reached at least 100,000 at its peak. Traffic between Karachi and Afghanistan and Pakistan’s frontier, notably Fata, increased. The increase in refugees was matched by the growth in the supply of weapons and narcotics from Afghanistan (p.116).

The high-threat groups in Karachi are al Qaeda (Qari Zafar Group), TTP, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and Sipah Sahaba Pakistan. The medium-threat groups are Sipah-e-Muhammad Pakistan, Harkatul Mujahideen alAlami, Harkatul Jihad-al-Islami, Tehrik-e-Islami Lashkar-e-Muhammadi and Jandullah. Low-threat groups are the Harkatul Ansar, Jaish-e-Muhammad, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Tehrik-e-Nifaz-e-Fiqh-e-Jafaria. The most active local groups are Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan and its military wing, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (p.117).
Jamia Banuria is the ideological headquarters of the Deobandi terrorist outfits, although much lowered in profile by its post-Shamzai leadership. The first vehicle-borne suicide bombing in Pakistan took place in Karachi on May 8, 2002, when a suicide bomber from Harkatul Mujahideen alAlami, drove into the side of a bus outside the Sheraton Hotel: 11 of the 14 killed were French naval technicians staying at the hotel (p.120).

Karachi trained terrorists for al Qaeda’s actions in Southeast Asia. Between January, 2002 and August, 2003, Hanbali, a senior Indonesian al Qaeda leader, received a total of $130,000 from Khalid Sheikh Muhammad (p.123). Al Qaeda’s Abu Ammar exported explosives to the US using a Karachi-based textile import and export firm. He was supported by Aafia Siddiqui, an MIT biology graduate and PhD candidate in neuro-cognitive sciences at Brandeis University, who also lived in Karachi (p.125).

Published in The Express Tribune, February 13th, 2011.

Book Review

The crucible of extremism
A detailed account of the seething mass of militants and jihadis who find a haven across the Afghan border
CHRISTINA LAMB
PAKISTAN: Terrorism Ground Zero by ROHAN GUNARATNA and KHURAM IQBAL
Reaktion £19.95 pp320

The recent assassination by his own bodyguard of Salam Taseer, one of Pakistan’s leading moderate politicians and governor of its largest province, and the subsequent rose-throwing public support for his killer, ought to be a wake-up call for the world that the country’s extremists are moving centre stage.

It almost certainly won’t be. Military officials and politicians trying to secure an honourable exit from Afghanistan all repeatedly state that Pakistan (and its sanctuaries for the Taliban) is the real problem. But nobody knows what to do about it.

One could argue that the United States has given billions to Pakistan since 9/11 for what seems little return. On the other hand, in comparison to the $105 billion a year America is spending in Afghanistan, the recent $12 billion over five years allotted to Pakistan is chicken feed.

The problem is that nobody knows which side Pakistan is on. Not only does it allow safe haven to the Afghan Taliban and refer to Al-Qaeda-allied warlords such as Jalaluddin Haqqani as ‘‘strategic assets’’, but no country is more responsible for the terrorist attacks of the past 10 years.

Some years back I wrote an article in this paper entitled All Roads Lead to Pakistan, pointing out that there had been Pakistan involvement in every terrorist attack from and including 9/11, the mastermind of which, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, was Pakistani and living in Karachi. The trend has continued. Pakistan is the Mecca for any would-be terrorist, hence the title of this book. However, as its authors point out, Pakistan is also a victim of terror; over 8,600 Pakistanis were killed or wounded in terrorist attacks last year, more than the 7,000 civilian casualties in Afghanistan. The country has lost 3,000 soldiers fighting terrorists since 9/11 - more than the 2,293 total lost by the international forces in Afghanistan.

How to deal with this? Well, this book doesn’t really help, but rather shows the scale of the task. Written by two terrorism experts- one based in Singapore and one (Khuram Iqbal) in Islamabad- it is the first detailed analysis of all the militant groups operating in Pakistan. It’s a daunting array. I thought I followed this subject closely, but Rohan Gunaratna and Iqbal have ones I had never heard of.

Like most analysts, they describe Pakistan’s tribal areas (FATA) bordering Afghanistan as the most important terrorist sanctuary in the world. It is, they say, the location for the operational and ideological leadership of Al-Qaeda, the Afghan Taliban, the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, the Islamic Jihad Group, the Libyan Islamic Fighters Group and a dozen others, all under the protection of the Pakistan Taliban, or TTP. Confused? The authors have barely started. The next thing to know is that the Pakistan Taliban is not monolithic but has many splinter groups, some motivated by anti-Americanism, some by class differences. Others are local, such as Muqami Tehrik-e-Taliban. Then there are those of traditionally warring tribues, such as the Mehsuds and the Wazirs.


All these groups use FATA not just as a sanctuary, but as a laboratory for developing improvised bombs (IEDs), a propaganda centre churning out videos, and a training base for guerrilla warfare, suicide bombings and would-be jihadis from British and America. It’s not surprising that unmanned aircraft (drones) have been pounding these areas – there were 118 strikes last year.

The tribal areas are poor and backward, and the average per capita income is just $500 a year. The only real industry is smuggling. The terrorist groups who have moved in get their funding from extortion, kidnappings and drugs. TTP maintains its control of the region with a reign of terror, killing more than 700 tribal elders and breaking down traditional power structures.

If all this wasn’t bad enough, there is the growing phenomenon of the Punjab Taliban. And then there’s the sprawling uncontrolled mega-city of Karachi, with its alphabet soup ethnic and religious organizations with militant wings. Karachi is crucial to Nato’s efforts in Afghanistan as more than 80% of its supplies come through the city’s port. Yet, according to this book, the city’s counterterrorism police have no means of monitoring phone calls, and its budget in 2008 for handling informants was just $6,000 a month.

It’s the stuff of nightmares. Perhaps fortunately for those wishing for a good night’s sleep, this is an academic book, based on media accounts and interviews, and is extremely dry. Don’t expect colour about what it’s like to live in these places. But it is an important work. There is no getting away from the fact that Pakistan’s military leaders do not believe American troops are in Afghanistan to stay, so cannot risk cutting off their support for the Taliban and the Haqqani group who may be part of the future power structure in Afghanistan.

What really comes across is how Pakistan has lost control of these groups. I used to think the Talibanisation of Pakistan was not a possibility (in elections, religious parties have never polled more than 10%). I thought, too, that the Pakistan Taliban had lost all public sympathy as a result of their flogging of a young girl in Swat, captured on video, and their misjudged attacks, such as that on the Sri Lanka cricket team in Lahore and the bombing of the Marriott hotel in Islamabad. But, with no programme in Pakistan to counter the ideology of extremists and terrorist groups, perhaps we are seeing a generational change. The killing of Taseer two weeks ago, the hero-worship of his assassin, and the demonstration by 50,000 people in Karachi last Sunday in support of the blasphemy laws Taseer wanted changed, suggest the worst.

Christina Lamb’s books include The Sewing Circles of Herat Pakistan.
Terrorism Ground Zero is available at the Sunday Times Bookshop price of £17.95 on 08452712135

Author's Bio

Rohan Gunaratna

Rohan Gunaratna is a specialist of the global threat
environment, with expertise in threat groups in Asia,
the Middle East and Africa. He is Head of
Singapore’s International Centre for Political
Violence and Terrorism Research (ICPVTR), one of
the largest specialist counter terrorism research and
training centres in the world.

He is also Professor of Security Studies at the S.
Rajaratnam School of International Studies,
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore and a
Senior Fellow at the International Memorial Institute
for the Prevention of Terrorism, Oklahoma, USA. He
is Member of the International Advisory Board of
the International Institute for Counter Terrorism in
Israel and a Member of the Steering Committee of
George Washington University's Homeland Security Policy Institute.
Gunaratna was a Senior Fellow both at Fletcher School for Law and Diplomacy
and at the United States Military Academy's Combating Terrorism Centre at West
Point.

He holds a Masters in International Peace Studies from Notre Dame, US, and a
Doctorate in International Relations from St. Andrews, Scotland. Invited to testify
before the 9-11 Commission on the structure of Al Qaeda, Gunaratna led the
specialist team that built the UN Database on Al Qaeda, Taliban and their Entities.
He debriefed detainees in the U.S., Asia, Middle East including high value Al Qaeda
detainees in Iraq. He chaired the inaugural International Conference on Terrorist
Rehabilitation in February 2009.

Author and editor of 14 books including “Inside Al Qaeda: Global Network of
Terror” (Columbia University Press), an international bestseller, Gunaratna is also
the lead author of Jane’s Counter Terrorism, a handbook for counter terrorism
practitioners. His latest book with Chandler, former Chairman of the UN
Monitoring Group into the Mobility, Weapons and Finance is "Countering
Terrorism: Can We Meet the Threat of Global Violence?” He also serves on the
editorial boards of "Studies in Conflict and Terrorism" and "Terrorism and
Political Violence," the leading academic journals in the field, and on the advisory
council of “Policing, Intelligence and Counter Terrorism.”
A litigation consultant to the U.S. Department of Justice, Gunaratna was United
States expert in the Jose Padilla trial.

Khuram Iqbal

Khuram Iqbal is presently Research Coordinator at Pak Institute for Peace Studies, Islamabad. A graduate in Strategic Studies from the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Singapore, he was working as senior Analyst at International Center for Political Violence and Terrorism Research (ICPVTR), Singapore. Khuram Iqbal, the co-author of “Pakistan Terrorism Ground Zero” published by Reaktion Books London, carried extensive research on wide range of issues, particularly in the areas of radicalization and counter-terrorism. He is also the member of Council for Asian Transnational Threats Research (CATR).

As a trainer, Mr. Iqbal has been engaged in various initiatives aimed at the capacity building of PIPS research staff. He has also given briefings/lectures to policy makers, academics, journalists and international workshops/seminars on different security related issues. He has also appeared as an expert on international and Pakistani media including Bloomberg, CNBC, Voice of America, BBC World Radio, Hindustan Times, The Nation (Thailand), Straight Times(Singapore), and Rohi TV (Pakistan)

Book Review

The News On Sunday
Riddles and facts
A new book by two experts makes it clear that there is an immediate need to revisit Counter

Terrorism initiatives
By Aamir Riaz
Pakistan:Terrorism Ground Zero
By Rohan Gunaratna & Khuram Iqbal
Publisher: Reaktion Books, London
Pages: 320
Price: Rs 1245

From FATA to Karachi, Pakistan is continuously under the reign of terror. The target area is being shifted to the Southern port city of Karachi, where almost 90 percent of NATO shipments land, including vital oil. It was reported by Asia Times in its 12 August 2008 issue, "New Al Qaeda Focus on NATO supplies." Pakistan: Terrorism Ground Zero published from London in late 2010 too proves that fact. The work is co-authored by a Sir Lankan expert on counter terrorism and a young Pakistani. Rohan Gunaratna is a member of the Steering Committee of George Washington University’s Homeland Security. He is also Senior Fellow both at Fletcher School for Law and Diplomacy’s Jebsen Centre for Counter Terrorism Studies and the Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism, Oklahoma. The co-author Khuram Iqbal worked as senior analyst at the International Center for Political Violence and Terrorism Research, Singapore for three years. The book is a record of detailed analysis of the myriad insurgent groups working in Pakistan. Founder Director of the Combating Terrorism Centre at the U.S. Military Academy General Russ Howard said "this important work explains the terrorism complexities of Pakistan like no other book on the market".

"Counter Terrorism" is the latest of terms to describe the world and it can be compared with "Counter Communism" and "Counter Revolution" of the Cold War era. The world has witnessed the killings of thousands of intellectuals, writers, journalists, artists and peace activists in the name of combating Communism or Counter Revolution. Have we learned from such experiences of the past? When we check it at home, it seems that Counter Terrorism is heavily dependent on military solutions.

Counter Terrorism, however, has come under criticism over the accuracy of analysis and for misrepresenting facts. One fine indigenous example is linking al Qaeda and Taliban with 19th or 18th century Muslim leaders and their ambiguous viewpoints. For the consumption of their cadres, Islamists reinterpreted history and developed a thesis for their historical continuity. Some-times such reinterpretation expands into centuries, yet any researcher can detect historical jumps in it easily. Mujadad Alif Sani(1564-1624), Aurangzeb Alamgir (1618-1707), Shah Wali ullah (1703-62), Syed Ahmad of Rai Bereli(1786-1831), Jamiat Ulma Hind (1920), Jamiat Ulma Islam (1945) and Taliban (1992) cannot be treated as a united and contiguous whole by any means. Those who read original texts regarding these movements or personalities can easily find conflicting and 180 degree opposite views among them. It proves that counter terrorism initiatives are revolving around only military solutions rather than exploring them thematically.

In their introduction, the authors point out some reports about the presence of terrorists of Chinese origin in the FATA, especially the Uighur militants whom the Chinese government has long considered a security threat. That’s why in his recent visit, Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao advices "double standards should not be employed". He is the first Chinese leader to address a joint session of Pakistani Parliament. "Terrorist activities in Pakistan are very complex and we have to view Islamabad’s pressure objectively," said Ye Hailin, an expert on Asian studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

The authors then give a 70 page detail and uptodate account of 12 organisations that have violent extremist groups. It includes LeT, LeJ, Jundullah, SMP, JeM, and MQM. Including MQM in the list may surprise some people, yet the authors are bold enough not to compromise on it. "The National Memorial Institute for preventing terrorism (MIPT), funded by the US Homeland security department , considered MQM a terrorist organisation and brackets it with dozens of other Pakistan based militant outfits". The authors also point out commando training of some MQM members by Sri Lankan Tamil separatists and South African mercenaries in the 1990s. The case is complex because MQM still holds Karachi and won the elections in 2008 in Karachi.

Americans want to leave Afghanistan in the next four years. From Karachi to FATA, Pakistan is in trouble due to extremism and terrorism. The most important battle in the "War on terror" is being fought in Pakistan. The book reveals intensity and complexity of the matter in detail. Leaving Pakistan alone in this horrible situation will repeat the 1990s. Who will be the ultimate winner? What will be the scenario regarding regional and global peace? Pakistan: Terrorism Ground Zero makes it clear that there is an immediate need to revisit Counter Terrorism initiatives.
Aamir Riaz is a researcher & editor


Dawn
www.dawn.com/2010/12/26/non-fiction-amid-speculations.html
Non-Fiction: Amid speculations
InpaperMagzine
Reviewed By Safiya Aftab

THE ‘war against terrorism’ in general, and Pakistan’s increasingly complex role in it in particular, have been the subject of much speculation, analysis, and scholarly research in the West. This book is the latest addition to a growing genre, which in the past has featured books by writers such as Ahmed Rashid, Zahid Hussain and Imtiaz Gul to name just the Pakistani authors. As such, it faces a tough competition.
Rohan Gunaratna is a well-respected name in security studies and his affiliation with the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore has served to add to his international standing in the field. Khuram Iqbal is a young researcher at the Pakistan Institute of Peace Studies in Islamabad, a think-tank which has begun to make a name for itself in the field of studies on security and terrorism.

The PIPS Annual Security Report, which details incidents of terrorism in the country is in particular an invaluable resource for those tracking such events in Pakistan. The book is thus the result of collaboration between an academic and a researcher with grassroots contacts with security personnel, journalists and political activists in the country.

The book is clearly aimed at an international audience, and to some extent assumes zero or at least limited knowledge of Pakistan’s political and security developments over the last decade. A brief introduction and a more detailed first chapter are thus devoted to setting the scene, even providing a brief overview of how Pakistan came into being.

The authors then hit their stride, going on to describe the intricacies of what constitutes that amorphous group, the Pakistani Taliban popularly known as the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan or the TTP. The detail of investigation is impressive, as it includes a discussion on the genesis of this umbrella group, and then goes on to give brief backgrounds of each of the major commanders, as well as the TTP’s ‘group affiliations’, which appear to go far beyond what can be gleaned from newspaper commentaries.

A similar typology is then carried out for what the authors call ‘mainland Pakistan’ terrorist outfits (a somewhat unfortunate phrase as it implies that the TTP is physically restricted, which the author’s own analysis suggests is not the case). Once again, the level of detail is impressive, and the author’s effort to track down details on groups and individuals who do not feature in the headline news is commendable. These typologies are unnerving for the Pakistani public, as they serve to expose the reach of such outfits, and their successful efforts to establish cross-linkages as well as international support.

The authors go on to analyse how the city of Karachi features in the ‘terrorism landscape’. This is possibly the most interesting chapter, going as it does into meticulous detail about how the city’s myriad armed groups are organised, and the distinct objectives and operational strategies of the major actors.
The authors talk about the developing nexus between political, criminal and terrorist outfits, but here their research is somewhat superficial as they do not really manage to lay bare how the linkages are formed and what they lead to.
They also fail to touch upon the city’s presumed role as epicentre of the financing of illicit activities — possibly because such networks are hard to trace. Nevertheless, the book may have benefitted from a discussion with officials from the State Bank’s Financial Monitoring Unit which is attempting to identify and take action against money-laundering networks.

Thus far the book is mainly about documenting the myriad terrorist groups in Pakistan — a useful exercise in and of itself — but not very analytical. The following sections of the book, although more brief than the preceding ones, attempt to place the earlier typologies in context.

In effect, once the authors have presented the facts and figures on the range of actors in the terrorist fold, they then speculate on how this activity will affect the region and Pakistan. They speculate that India will continue to face threats from Pakistan-based groups, but they do not say much about the enormous political fallout of possible future attacks. This is a major omission, as analysts have had time to study the continuing impact of the Mumbai attacks which have essentially de-railed the bilateral peace process.

More positively, the authors have highlighted the probability of increased tensions with Iran due to the activities of Jundullah, which has recently been active in Sistan-Baluchestan province of Iran. Once again, a more in-depth analysis of what this means for the region would have been interesting, given the fact that Pakistan’s proposed economic ties with Iran, which were to feature energy sector cooperation in particular, are going nowhere.

The book ends with an account of the motivations of suicide bombers, with some details of their recruitment and training. This is interesting, but should really have been part of the discussion on the TTP, highlighting suicide attacks as a specialty so to speak, of this group.

Overall Gunaratna and Iqbal have done an excellent job of documenting the different strands of terrorism in the country. This book would form an excellent base for those interested in more in-depth analysis of specific trends, such as possible impacts of terrorism emanating from Pakistan in the region. It helps to understand something about the actors when such research is being envisaged, and this book fills an important gap, in that it is a one-volume summary of all national players.
Pakistan: Terrorism ground zero
By Rohan Gunaratna and Khuram Iqbal
Reaktion Books, London
ISBN 978 1 86189 768 8
352pp. £19.95

Book Review

Book Review:
Afghanistan: A Case of Sink or Swim for West, Pakistan
(Published in Weekly Pulse, Islamabad, November 12-18 2010, www.weeklypulse.org)
By: Abdul Basit
Researcher PIPS
Book: Pakistan: the Ground Zero of Terrorism
Authors: Rohan Gunaratna and Khurram Iqbal

Ever since the US-led War on Terror (WOT) kicked off in Afghanistan, Pakistan has been in global lime light and foreign policy considerations of global powers (read America) for all the wrong and unenviable reasons. It has prominently featured in almost all major academic discourses and debates on global terrorism as being the so-called “epicenter/hub/nerve center of terrorism.” It is widely argued-- without actual contextualization—that roots of major global terror plots from 7/7 London commuter train bombings, Mumbai attacks to botched Times Square Bombing in New York have been traced to the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan (FATA). FATA has been described by US officials as "the most dangerous place on Earth" for harboring the world's most wanted men - Taliban supreme leader Mullah Muhammad Omar and al-Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden.

The strategic calculus of Afghanistan and Pakistan is closely intertwined but ironically if things are seen in their right perspective; at present what is happening in Afghanistan is not because of Pakistan but it is the other way round. Today when the end game has begun in Afghanistan and America is contemplating different options and strategies to withdraw from Afghanistan till 2014, a careful dissection of Pakistan’s militant landscape is imperative to understand the regional security complex with a view to chalk out different roles of regional countries in post-American Afghanistan. Traditionally no regional country has the geographical and historical leverages vis a vis Afghanistan which Pakistan enjoys. Undermining Pakistan’s role by awarding much greater role to countries like India and Russia can be an erroneous fallacy.

Against this backdrop Rohan Gunaratna and Khurram Iqbal’s Pakistan: the Ground Zero of Terrorism, is a significant and timely contribution. Stretched over seven chapters the book underpins the complex dynamics of ongoing insurgency in Pakistan’s tribal region, the gradual unfolding of the phenomenon of ‘Punjabi Taliban’ in mainland Pakistan, suicide terrorism, examination of whether Pakistan really is the ground zero of terrorism or not and implications of these evolving threats for the region in general and Pakistan in specific.

Analyzing the genesis of Pakistani Taliban the book notes, “The dramatic rise of the Pakistani Taliban in FATA and the adjacent areas of KP can be attributed to various security, political and admin¬istrative factors. The Pakistani government’s failure to take swift and decisive action was the foremost factor that led to the emergence of the Pakistani Taliban as an organized fighting force.” The work not only dispels the myth of monolithic nature of militancy in Pakistan but brings to fore the qualitatively different political motivations and manifestations of Afghan and Pakistani Taliban. As the former is gradually distancing and disengaging itself from Al-Qaeda; while the later is coming closer to them. On page 64 the authors note “In January 2008 the Afghan Taliban publicly distanced themselves from the TTP and Baitullah Mehsud. Afghan Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said, ‘We have no concern with anybody joining or leaving the Taliban movement in Pakistan. Ours is an Afghan movement and we as a matter of policy do not support militant activity in Pakistan.”

The book also chronicles the impact of militancy on the traditional tribal structures and how much the ideology of Al-Qaeda and other militants groups has permeated in the tribal society of Pakistan. No country has contributed in the war on terror as did Pakistan and in doing so Pakistan itself has become a vic¬tim of terrorism. To date Pakistan has approximately lost more than 3,000 troops in operations against extremists/mis¬creants, while thousands of civilians and personnel from law enforcement agencies have been killed in suicide bombings across the country.

Contrary to common belief the book has highlighted Pakistan’s demonstrated capability and determination beyond its capacity to eradicate the menace of terrorism. No country (US and NATO countries combined) sacrificed and successfully countered the threat emanating from terrorism as much Pakistan has done. Pakistan’s security forces’ have successfully restored the eroded writ of the state in Swat and South Waziristan, which was considered to be the strongest hold of militants in FATA. Unlike past the physical damage done to militants’ infrastructure has greatly reduced their capability to coordinate and execute militant activities with unfettered discretion. However this all has come at a costly economic price. Resultantly in prolonged political upheaval and economic turmoil, Pakistan lacks the capital to restore peace and security. Moreover due to continuous deterioration of security situation in Afghanistan and adjoining tribal areas of Pakistan the level and magnitude of the problem has magnified to such an extent that without steadfast international goodwill and support, Pakistan alone cannot stem the tide of militancy.

Undoubtedly Pakistan is both part of the problem and solution, however, squarely blaming Pakistan amounts to myopic reductionism. The book contends, “While Pakistan is often blamed for supporting militancy; the nation itself is more a victim than a villain. Most Pakistanis today feel betrayed by the US because, having assisted the West to defeat the Soviets in Afghanistan, Pakistan did not receive support to rehabilitate and reintegrate the mujahideen they had mobilized against the Soviets.”
If history is any thing to go by then it should not repeat itself in [Afghanistan] what has been the graveyard of British and Russian Empires. The stakes are really high. While Taliban have nothing to lose; Pakistan and international community have everything to lose at this critical juncture. Though Pakistan and America have a shared goal in defeating terrorism in this region but mutual suspicions and misgivings have proved detrimental to counter-terrorism and peace making efforts in the region. Given such nature of partnership at times isolated efforts to stem the tide of militancy have worked at odds with each other. Moreover the divergent perspectives and fundamental disconnect between US and Pakistan about the end goals in war against terrorism is problematic as well. US should not abandon Pakistan the way it did after Soviet disintegration while Pakistan should shun the policy of strategic depth in Afghanistan. At the end of the day the solution to myriad of problems in Afghanistan and adjoining tribal regions of Pakistan has to be common one. So we will either rise or sink together in Afghanistan.


Book Review
Rohan Gunaratna and Khuram Iqbal, Pakistan: Terrorism Ground Zero London: Reaktion Books, 2010, 352 pp. ISBN: 978 1 86189 768 8
Reviewed by Andrew T H Tan
University of New South Wales
Sydney, Australia

Hindsight tells us that the global war against terrorism took a backseat following the US-led ejection of the Taliban and Al Qaeda from Afghanistan, and the subsequent US invasion of Iraq. Whilst the US was tied down with invading and then pacifying Iraq, Al Qaeda and its Taliban allies almost effortlessly relocated to the lawless region beyond the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, known as the Federally Administered Tribal Area (FATA). It has been in this sanctuary, over which Pakistan historically had only tenuous control, that Al Qaeda and its radical Islamist allies have been able to re-organise sufficiently to carry out insurgent operations in Afghanistan and terrorist attacks in Pakistan, emerging from 2005 in an astonishingly short time following its reversals after 9-11 as a serious and credible threat to the stability of both Afghanistan and Pakistan, with significant ramifications for regional stability and the threat of international terrorism.

The Afpak Theatre is fast becoming an epicenter of international terrorism, with a nuclear-armed and increasingly unstable Pakistan emerging as a keystone in the international fight against radical Islamist terrorism. Given the astonishing speed of events which have led to this development, it is unsurprising that both analysis and policy have struggled to keep up with understanding the nature of the complex challenges in this strategic theatre and how to better handle them. This book, with the self-explanatory title of Pakistan: Terrorism Ground Zero, is therefore timely as it adds to our understanding of the vital Afpak Theatre. This book is a detailed analysis of the myriad insurgent groups in the tribal areas and elsewhere in Pakistan, based on fieldwork research and interviews with serving and former terrorists, as well as government officials. It also has the added authority of its authors: Rohan Gunaratna is better known as the author of Inside Al Qaeda, while Khuram Iqbal is Head of Research at the Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies.

The book has seven chapters plus an introduction. Following the introduction, the first chapter explains why tribal Pakistan has become the epicenter of global terrorism. The second chapter explains the Pakistan Taliban. The third chapter examines terrorism in Karachi, the key metropolis in Pakistan. Chapter four assesses the key terrorist groups operating in the country. Chapter five discusses the threat to the region, especially to India and Iran. Finally, the concluding chapter seven makes a plea for international support for Pakistan’s counter-terrorism efforts, warning that failure would have huge ramifications.

This book is not a typical academic text; however, it makes an important contribution to our empirical understanding of this key theatre through its descriptive analysis of the nature, structure and agendas of the various radical Islamist groups operating in Pakistan, as well as their links with co-religionists in Iran and India. Usefully, the book also concludes with an appeal for both understanding and support from the international community for Pakistan’s contribution to the global fight against terrorism, reminding an external, and particularly Western, audience, that “Pakistan has accepted its obligations with unparalleled responsibility,” and that its contributions towards this war “surpass those of any other country, and remain unmatched by any standard” (p.265). This is no hyperbole, when considering the fact that Pakistan alone arrested more than 1,000 Al Qaeda suspects between January 2002 and May 2006, and also made US-led coalition operations in Afghanistan possible (p.267). However, Pakistan has paid dearly for its involvement, becoming not only a front-line against terrorism but also a key victim. In 2007, for instance, there were 1,306 terrorist attacks, claiming some 2,450 lives (p.271).

In short, this book is a useful addition to the literature on the vital important Afpak Theatre, drawing attention to the complex challenges which the book has highlighted will not be easy to meet, certainly not by Pakistan alone.


Book Review
Rohan Gunaratna and Khuram Iqbal, Pakistan: Terrorism Ground Zero London: Reaktion Books, 2010, 352 pp. ISBN: 978 1 86189 768 8
Reviewed by Sara De Silva
Centre for Transnational Crime Prevention (CTCP)
University of Wollongong, Australia

For those who have ever wondered as to why Pakistan continues to dominate the media headlines in the recent years, the exact answers to the question are presented in this book. Although the country has demonstrated its efforts in the global war on terror, the threat emanating from Pakistan continues to impact both the regional and international security. Many fail to grasp the gravity and the complexity of the threat that emerges from within and simultaneously challenges the country. For this reason, contextualizing the militancy in Pakistan and its region at large becomes imperative not only to demystify common perceptions but also to plan a long-term strategy to counter the serious threat of terrorism. . Against this backdrop, “Pakistan: Terrorism Ground Zero” by Rohan Gunaratna and Khuram Iqbal offer an interesting and compelling case as to how Pakistan became an epicenter of global terrorism over the years. Ultimately, this work demonstrates why grasping the complex nature of the threat is paramount in winning a crucial battle against the global war on terror.

The authors introduce the readers to the backdrop to the problem currently faced by the nation of Pakistan. The proxy war in Afghanistan fought between the superpowers produced generations of fighters from Pakistan and other nations to fight against the Soviet Union through years of indoctrination. The collapse of the Soviet Union marked an end of an era, leaving these warriors with arms and the will to fight, but without an enemy. Such environment became conducive to the country in becoming the most important sanctuary for both the local and foreign fighters to achieve the so-called incomplete mission of bringing down the remaining super power in the world. The negligence of the international community in handling the aftermath of the Cold War, and the national policies promulgated by Islamabad vis-à-vis the insurgents proved to be a strategic blunder, which eventually proved fatal to Pakistan in the long run.

Starting with an explanation of tribal Pakistan as the epicenter of global terrorism, Gunaratna and Iqbal depict the manner in which the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) emerged as a new headquarter of Al Qaeda and the global jihad movement. They provide a concrete background to FATA and offer a systematic analysis on why the tribal areas serve to be the most important terrorist sanctuary in the country, which bears significance to both the regional and international security. The book subsequently shifts the focus on mapping out the myriad of insurgent groups that function under the umbrella of the Pakistani Taliban. The authors detail the generic profile of the sub-groups from its membership, leadership and organizational structure, methods of finance, operational capabilities, and links with other local and international groups. Ultimately, this section depicts the complexity of the Pakistani Taliban, which according to the authors is not a monolithic entity. Different factions are driven by different motivations and goal, and the authors argue that a comprehensive strategy needs to be promulgated in addressing the varied interests of the outfits.

The anomaly that devours the country takes in many forms- the most deadly being the stark rise in suicide attacks in the recent years. Although many scholars favor to present a single overarching theory in explicating the phenomenon, Gunaratna and Iqbal assert otherwise. The motivating forces behind suicide terrorism in Pakistan are an amalgamation of cultural, religious, social, political, and economic factors. A ‘one-size-fits all’ theory does not do any justice in truly grasping the suicide terrorist threat that pervades the entire nation, which also extends beyond its borders.

The writers also reveal the significance of Karachi as a hub of terrorism in Pakistan. They illustrate the intricate nature of terrorist groups and criminal activities that live side by side with the sectarian and ethnic violence that are rampant in the financial centre of the country. This part of the book particularly illustrates the threat landscape of Pakistan from a distinct outlook. Not only is it crucial to understand the profile of the different terrorist outfits operating in the country outside of FATA, but the presentation of Karachi in this context adds a flavour in highlighting the intricate nature of threat that emanates from the country. As the threat from within inevitably spills over to its region, the authors urge for an awakening of the neighbouring countries to fight against respective domestic instabilities and encourage harmonious relations in preventing the proliferating menace in the region. This deadly anomaly is incurable by Pakistani efforts alone, but requires an unparalleled cooperation of the international community.

The authors give much credit to Pakistan’s unprecedented effort in fighting the war on terrorism alongside with the US, in contrary to the numerous accusations made against the country as a perpetrator of militancy and terrorism in the region. As Islamabad became the frontline fighter and thus the frontline target of terrorist groups, the nation of Pakistan is now paying the price of countering this menace. The fundamental message behind all of this is that Pakistan is in fact the victim of terrorism. The writers exhort the readers to realize the severity and the complication of the anomaly that haunts the country, and calls for the need to strengthen international cooperation as a way forward in fighting this rigorous battle against Pakistan’s most fatal cancer.

Gunaratna and Iqbal dissect the nature of the terrorist threat which emanates from Pakistan, and unfolds its intricacy in a succinct manner. They do not rely on abstract academic theories in explicating the anomaly. Instead, their arguments are informative and narrated in a logical sequence which is substantiated by anecdotal evidences. They excellently carry the readers through the threat landscape systematically, in an attempt to map out the status quo which is not easily digestible to many. Simultaneously, this work debunks the common misperceptions and clarifies the confusions that arise from grasping the current trends in Pakistan. This surely is a challenge in itself which has been achieved by the experts, and the findings presented in this research comprehensively encompass both the domestic and the regional implications of the problems which face Pakistan.

Rohan Gunaratna is a renowned expert on global terrorism and Khuram Iqbal is the head of Research at Pak Institute for Peace Studies, an Islamabad-based think tank that carries out extensive research on peace and security issues. The experts present an ‘all-in-one’ book which covers absolutely everything one needs to know about Pakistan’s current security climate- including its backdrop, status quo, and recommended policy prescriptions without having to juxtapose complex jargons, concepts and academic theories. The readability of the findings proposed by the authors should be digestible for all readers of various backgrounds including policymakers, academics, journalists and students of international security and terrorism. If you have ever wondered as to what exactly is going on in the ‘ground zero of terrorism’, this book is a must read.