I would be glad if you could publish the following book review in your
esteemed site.
I did my masters from Dhaka University. I am a freelance writer and I
contribute to print and online magazines.
Thanks.
A K Zaman
Dhaka, Bangladesh
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THE INDIA DOCTRINE (1947-2007)
Review by A.K. Zaman
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_SXfgB63r6VM/SV8USQP6VwI/AAAAAAAAALQ/0bNY0jrnjbQ/s400/Cover+Page
It is almost two years since the first edition of The India Doctrine
appeared on Bangladesh bookshelves to wide acclaim and appreciation.
The newly revised edition now titled The India Doctrine (1947-2007) is
an astonishing work of exceptional depth and analysis and is probably
the first book of its kind not only in Bangladesh but also in South
Asia as a whole. It is indeed a stupendous effort by Barrister MBI
Munshi. While I had a few words of criticism for the original version
of the book which appeared to me to be fragmentary and a little
disjointed this revised edition is an exceptional work and its various
parts have been finely consolidated and is also far better written and
organized. As the author reminds us, he had almost two years to write
this revised edition and it was certainly time well spent as the
language and style is now much easier to follow and effortless to
comprehend.
The Bangladesh Defence Journal (BDJ) has published the book at a price
of Tk. 1200 or roughly $17 and is 636 pages in length. Of those pages
one third consists of end notes and references which number in their
thousands leaving in no doubt the strong evidentiary grounds on which
Barristers Munshi's thesis is based. The book also contains a useful
foreword by the editor of BDJ, Mr. Abu Rushd, who earlier wrote the
ground breaking 'RAW in Bangladesh.' Mr. Rushd in his foreword
contrasts the original version of 'The India Doctrine' and the present
edition stating that, "The first edition was a turning point in
political and historical writing in Bangladesh. The second edition
continues this trend with further elaboration of issues … covered in
the earlier book but on very recent events such as the causes behind
the cancellation of elections in 2007 and new material on the 1971
liberation war and India's motivations in assisting [an] emergent
Bangladesh."
Mr. Rushd further elaborates on the importance of the book in the
context of South Asia's geo-strategic realities, "The book is
certainly a must read for those interested in South Asian affairs,
geo-strategy, intelligence, and the political, diplomatic and economic
influences of an increasingly important region of the world which
contains almost a sixth of the world[s] population, two nuclear powers
and several more in the near vicinity. The book will hopefully inspire
others to explore the subject of Indian hegemony and expansionism and
also allow policy-makers in the West to better comprehend the risks of
permitting an unrestrained India to dominate the region." The last
remark seems particularly relevant in light of the Mumbai terror
attacks in December 2008 and the increasingly hostile attitude taken
by India towards its neighbour Pakistan who it accuses of having
direct involvement in the incident although only a few weeks earlier a
Col. Srikant Pirohit had been apprehended for supplying explosives to
Hindu fanatics to carry out similar outrages.
Mr. Rushd concludes that the book should hopefully, "educate the
policy-makers and military planners in Bangladesh about possible
threats emanating from our neighbour and the consequences of New
Delhi's influence in our internal affairs as well as the principal
cause of instability." This is probably even more pertinent after the
overwhelming victory of the Awami League (AL) party in the recently
concluded 2008 national elections. The AL has often aligned itself
with the interests of New Delhi in both foreign and internal matters
and this has aggravated tensions within the country. It would be wise
for the AL leaders to take some lessons from this book and adopt a
more cautious attitude to New Delhi since our own history shows that a
two-thirds majority in parliament is no guarantee of longevity or
permanence in power especially when deeply held views about our
national interest are constantly and arrogantly offended.
The obvious reason for publishing this new edition is that the
original book had many gaps and overlooked many significant issues
principally due to the time limitations placed on the author.
Barrister Munshi states in his opening remarks in the preface that,
"By all accounts the first edition of 'The India Doctrine' was a book
incomplete. While it covered the essentials of the periods 1947 and
1971 fairly well it managed to convey only a fraction of the notable
events and incidents that were to take place during 2006 and which
were to reach a climax in 2007. The years 2006-2007 had much less of
the cruelty, violence and bloodshed associated with 1947 and 1971 but
nevertheless represents a significant period of transition that
witnessed a revival of great power politics in South Asia that was to
significantly affect the terms of the India Doctrine." This short
period indeed witnessed immense and often tragic and horrendous events
that will undoubtedly have lasting effects on the South Asian
perspective and psyche.
The author next deals quite comprehensively with the internal
struggles within India and its new alliance with the United States
built upon the tenuous foundations of the nuclear agreement passed
amidst intense opposition, particularly in India. The author explores
how this new strategic relationship affects the regional balance and
includes reference to China and Russia and the wider geo-strategic
imperatives of the United States and India. The author then surveys
the influence of the India doctrine and Forward Policy on the South
Asian neighbourhood and the internal conflicts this incited in many
countries of the region (i.e. Sri Lanka, Nepal, Sikkim, Pakistan and
Bangladesh). The next few chapters on the liberation war and Indian
propaganda have been completely redone and large segments rearranged
to fit more logically the shape, context and logic of the book. New
material and information is incorporated into chapters 4-8 and recent
developments on the CHT insurgency and peace agreement is rendered in
the last of these chapters.
From a Bangladesh perspective the most controversial sections of the
book will probably be Chapters 9 and 10 that deal with India's project
to have Bangladesh declared a failed state. The chosen method to
achieve this objective has been through propaganda with the labeling
of Bangladesh as a 'hotbed' of Islamist terrorism. The media campaign
orchestrated by India has been so successful that many voters in the
2008 elections actually believed this nonsense not realizing that such
malicious canards were being propagated by Indian intelligence (i.e.
RAW) via our local media. Another method favoured by India to have
Bangladesh rendered a failed state is through economic sabotage and as
Barrister Munshi explains, "For India to secure its political and
military supremacy and control over the South Asian region it has
become necessary for it to continuously maintain and protect her lead
over other economies even by unfair means such as sabotage, fomenting
and encouraging political instability in neighbouring countries and
most obviously through propaganda." However, it is interference in the
political sphere that India has been most successful in undermining
Bangladesh's democratic institutions and Barrister Munshi traces the
chaotic events surrounding the transfer of power to a caretaker
government in 2006 to the release of Sheikh Hasina from custody in
June 2008 with each event being heavily influenced by external actors
and in particular India. Barrister Munshi provides a convincing
argument and analysis on all the above issues and his contribution to
the book stands as an extraordinary achievement that will set the
standard for such works in Bangladesh and probably elsewhere in South
Asia. The 557 pages written by Barrister Munshi will hopefully gain
widespread readership in Bangladesh since the issues raised in the
book are incredibly important to the continued independence and
integrity of the nation against the hegemonic and domineering
tendencies of India. The chapters written by the author will likely
stand out as the most important to be written on South Asian affairs
for the last 60 years at least. It presents a completely new
perspective on South Asia rarely seen in writing from this region and
hardly discussed in western literature on the subject.
The final two chapters of the book are authored by two Pakistanis and
this is a major development on the first edition which had no chapters
on Pakistan and this is probably the only collaboration between
writers of both countries on this type of subject matter. Chapter 11
of the book is titled 'The Peace Charade' and is written by Mr. Ahmed
Quraishi. Mr. Quraishi is a prominent media personality in Pakistan
and his background as an investigative journalist, columnist, roving
reporter and head of a private, independent think tank are all very
impressive and raise his credentials as a highly respected and
informed writer. According to Mr. Quraishi, India had by early 2008
been conducting a massive intelligence operation with Pakistan as its
target. Afghanistan was being used by New Delhi as a springboard and
the Islamists were the tools of this operation. Israel is said to have
provided help and the US position as Pakistan's ally is described as
somewhat ambiguous. This brief summary sets the tone for a very
interesting and well researched chapter with its premise based on the
discovery of a document that reveals a conspiracy 'to break the
stranglehold of the intelligence agencies, the bureaucracy and the
military in Pakistan' as these are believed by India to be responsible
for keeping the Kashmir issue alive. Chapter 12 of the book is written
by Dr. Prevaiz Iqbal Cheema who has an outstanding academic career. He
obtained and M. Litt in Strategic Studies from Aberdeen University and
a Ph.D. from Quaid-i-Azam University in Pakistan. He has been a
teacher for almost 28 years with posts held in Pakistan, Australia,
Singapore and the United States. His excellent and lucidly argued
chapter discusses the Kashmir dispute and Pakistan-India relations.
His chapter initially discusses the origin and nature of the Kashmir
dispute highlighting the policies of both India and Pakistan followed
by a discussion on the internationalization of the dispute. Finally
the paper focuses on the new developments that have impacted upon the
dispute and the current status of Indo-Pak relations. Dr. Cheema
concludes his survey of the issues by commenting that, "Without the
resolution of [the] Kashmir dispute, not only India and Pakistan would
never enjoy proper fruits of peace and cooperation but South Asia
would also be deprived of much desired peaceful environment." It is,
therefore, unfortunate that India has not shown the requisite
sincerity in negotiations for this sensible and desired outcome for
regional peace and security.
Overall, this book, The India Doctrine (1947-2007), is an
extraordinary and astounding effort requiring not only immense
dedication but also a significant amount of courage, boldness and
resolution. Writing in the hostile and threatening atmosphere created
by India in Bangladesh and Pakistan the writers have shown admirable
willpower and fortitude. The book not only deserves success but also
our respect.
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