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The People Next Door: The Curious History of India's Relations with Pakistan
Please Read Notes: Brand New, International Softcover Edition, Printed in black and white pages, minor self wear on the cover or pages, Sale restriction may be printed on the book, but Book name, contents, and author are exactly same as Hardcover Edition. Fast delivery through DHL/FedEx express.
360 pages, Paperback
Published July 2, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
February 27, 2018
Before starting, thought it would be more personal. Instead it was a formal history of India-Pak relations. Nonetheless a good read as I was not aware of the facts.
May 6, 2018
In this eminently readable book Raghavan (a career diplomat and India’s former High Commissioner to Pakistan), gives a ring side view of the history of the tangled relations between the two countries.
As is made clear by the author in the introduction itself, this is a ‘history’ and not a ‘policy’ book. Hence it recounts the various phases of the relationship chronologically and brings out the roles played by various actors, specially the political and diplomatic establishments of the time. It does not make suggestions or give prescriptions.
As one reads through one is struck by the cyclical pattern of events. Most political heads on either side, in the initial part of their respective tenures in office, have tried to work on improving the relationship while being handcuffed by historical baggage, mutual mistrust and of course public opinions. Sooner or later setbacks like wars, events and incidents take place which force a stoppage or a course reversal. But after things settle down the thread is again picked up and another diplomatic dialogue reinitiated in the modified circumstances. The see saw battles and discussions continue. Giving up has never been a long term option for either country.
Raghavan does justice to the word ‘curious’ in the sub-title, by drawing out the unusual nature of this history.
For instance did you know that Kutch Tribunal Agreement in 1956 was signed for India by Azim Husain, secretary MEA with his brother-in-law and cousin Mian Arshad Hussain signing on behalf of Pakistan. Incidentally Azim Hussain had gone against the trend of migration at the time of partition and moved from West Punjab to India despite being a Muslim leaving his family behind.
Another unique aspect of this relationship has been the use of cricketing ties as not only a barometer of the prevailing sentiments but also as a diplomatic tool used to influence progress.
While obviously this is an account from the Indian side the narrative is very balanced and bereft of any jingoistic assertions. I guess diplomats don’t shout slogans.
Highly recommended.
As is made clear by the author in the introduction itself, this is a ‘history’ and not a ‘policy’ book. Hence it recounts the various phases of the relationship chronologically and brings out the roles played by various actors, specially the political and diplomatic establishments of the time. It does not make suggestions or give prescriptions.
As one reads through one is struck by the cyclical pattern of events. Most political heads on either side, in the initial part of their respective tenures in office, have tried to work on improving the relationship while being handcuffed by historical baggage, mutual mistrust and of course public opinions. Sooner or later setbacks like wars, events and incidents take place which force a stoppage or a course reversal. But after things settle down the thread is again picked up and another diplomatic dialogue reinitiated in the modified circumstances. The see saw battles and discussions continue. Giving up has never been a long term option for either country.
Raghavan does justice to the word ‘curious’ in the sub-title, by drawing out the unusual nature of this history.
For instance did you know that Kutch Tribunal Agreement in 1956 was signed for India by Azim Husain, secretary MEA with his brother-in-law and cousin Mian Arshad Hussain signing on behalf of Pakistan. Incidentally Azim Hussain had gone against the trend of migration at the time of partition and moved from West Punjab to India despite being a Muslim leaving his family behind.
Another unique aspect of this relationship has been the use of cricketing ties as not only a barometer of the prevailing sentiments but also as a diplomatic tool used to influence progress.
While obviously this is an account from the Indian side the narrative is very balanced and bereft of any jingoistic assertions. I guess diplomats don’t shout slogans.
Highly recommended.
December 26, 2017
Clear narrative and analysis of the events post partition.
Facts along with their logical as well as interpretative analysis since partition uptill 2015 have been narrated in a very clear and lucid manner. Most importantly it sheds a great deal of light on the Pakistani psyche as to why it thinks what it thinks about India.
Facts along with their logical as well as interpretative analysis since partition uptill 2015 have been narrated in a very clear and lucid manner. Most importantly it sheds a great deal of light on the Pakistani psyche as to why it thinks what it thinks about India.
March 3, 2018
A good narrative of the Iindia-Pakistan equation seen more from a diplomatic angle. It helps sets the context and gives one a perspective of how we have ended up here. The more recent history have been slightly rushed through and not much is said on the post 2000 era. I also like how he has shown the Pakistani reactions to the major incidents.
Do note that it is more of a narrative rather than an analysis of the situation
Do note that it is more of a narrative rather than an analysis of the situation
June 13, 2018
"...neither the extent of goodwill nor the extent of hostility in each country for the other can be understated..."
Ambassador TCA Raghavan evokes a sense of hope as well as despair as he presents a wide-ranging history of India-Pakistan relations. He clearly presents events and narratives, Indian and Pakistani, as he navigates the unpredictable turmoils, emotions, drama, and politics of our unfulfilled coexistence.
Ambassador TCA Raghavan evokes a sense of hope as well as despair as he presents a wide-ranging history of India-Pakistan relations. He clearly presents events and narratives, Indian and Pakistani, as he navigates the unpredictable turmoils, emotions, drama, and politics of our unfulfilled coexistence.
October 1, 2020
The disappointment is that it couldn't cover new changes in approach with Pakistan like the Balakot attack calling out the Nuclear bluff,new red lines with Separatist groups of JK & most importantly the August 5 decision of abrogating Article 370.Hope the next edition covers all these crucial changes in the expanded chapter for 2009-2019!
December 24, 2017
Refreshing
Very readable summary of the India Pakistan narrative since 47. Not too heavy either. I finished the book in 4 days.
Very readable summary of the India Pakistan narrative since 47. Not too heavy either. I finished the book in 4 days.
January 11, 2020
Indians, Pakistanis, and the curious connections between them
A review of TCA Raghavan’s ‘The People Next Door: The Curious History of India’s Relations with Pakistan’
As TCA Raghavan observes right upfront, “books on different aspects of India—Pakistan relations will easily fill a library”. For publishers and readers alike, Pakistan is the gift that keeps on giving. The corollary is that the law of diminishing marginal utility applies — the knowledge gained from reading each additional book on Pakistan keeps declining.
It is precisely with these thoughts that I began reading The People Next Door. But by stringing together stories of lesser-known and intriguing individuals, Raghavan skilfully avoids all the pitfalls associated with books on Pakistan. As he says, this is neither a ‘history’ book nor a ‘policy’ book. Rather, any reader with even a cursory interest in India—Pakistan relations will find the book rewarding.
The structure of the book is simple. Raghavan tracks India-Pakistan relations in chronological order from independence to 2015. But he does so selectively, focusing the narrative on the outliers to construct a ‘curious history’ of the tumultuous relationship.
The atypical individuals
The contrarian examples of individuals who swam against the tide are the highpoints of the book. The stories of Azim Husain and Mohammad Yunus, who ditched Pakistan for India, and then went on to serve in the Indian Foreign Service with acclaim are extremely interesting. My personal favourite is the story of how the ‘genuine sensationalist’ Kanhaiya Lal Gauba — hailing from a prominent family in Lahore — became Khurshid Latif Gauba in 1933, and eventually chose to stay in Bombay over Lahore only because of his differences with the Muslim League. Outlook has an excerpt from the book based on these three stories, which is not to be missed.
The case of Bhupat Daku’s extradition is intriguing too, especially for its parallels with the case of Dawood Ibrahim. The story of the Chakma Raja, Tridiv Roy, a practising Buddhist who chose Pakistan over Bangladesh in 1971 is another oddity that finds mention in the book.
The geographic anomalies
Beyond the people, curiosities abound even in the places they occupy. For instance, the author talks briefly about Mewat and Malerkotla, two Muslim majority places in India that managed to avoid the ethnic cleansing which swept undivided Punjab during and after the Partition.
The question of how the Radcliffe Line was drawn around Gurdaspur is equally interesting, and not for strategic reasons alone. Qadian, the headquarters of the Ahmadiyas, fell in this district. So, Pakistan’s tenuous claim over this area rested on the implication that the Ahmadiyas were Muslims too. Such an implication would amount to blasphemy in Pakistan today.
Also, it was only through the book that I came to know of the fact that ‘some maps of Pakistan to this day show Junagadh as a part of it and to many Pakistanis it was a legal accession undone by brute use of military force by India’.
Cases of striking group interactions
A few instances in the book remind us how even through the worst of times, a few interactions between governments and groups continued unabated. For example: ‘In April 1955, matches were held in East and West Punjab between the hockey teams of respective police forces of the two countries and the Indian deputy high commission in Lahore recounts issuing 54,000 short duration visas to enable travel to Jullundur and Amritsar to see the games.’ Remember, this was just eight years after the horrors of the partition!
Also in 1955, the Chief Guest for India’s Republic Day celebrations was Malik Ghulam Muhammad, Governor-General of Pakistan.
The stories about East and West Bengal governments in the years immediately after independence are striking too. Both sides wanted to avoid the recurrence of a Punjab-like situation by stemming the refugee flows of minorities across the border. The two PMs eventually signed an agreement in 1950, demonstrating that ‘both sides tacitly seemed to agree that no matter how important or divisive the issue of the day maybe, no single aspect should so dominate relations that everything else became subject to its satisfactory conclusion.’
Discordance at the international stage
The interactions between Pakistan and India at the international stage has no such hope-inducing oddities. While India and Pakistan indulged in some easily avoidable oneupmanship at the UN General Assembly earlier in 2017, The People Next Door reminds us that such instances, unfortunately, have a long history. As far back as 1975, India and Pakistan were involved in a bitter fight over a UN Security Council non-permanent member seat that hijacked the proceedings of the sessions, causing embarrassment to both States. India’s Foreign Secretary Kewal Singh later rued in these words: ‘both the countries became the laughing stock of the rest of the world setting unedifying examples of bickering’.
A few lessons…
Based on my reading of the book, I could extract these lessons.
First, India—Pakistan relations seem to be an archetypical example of a class of public policy problems known as ‘wicked’ problems. One of the major characteristics of such problems is that there is no definitive formulation of a wicked problem, i.e. even the definition and scope of the problem is contested. This wicked nature becomes apparent when one reads the book: Pakistani and Indian establishments draw almost diametrically opposite learnings from all major events in their joint histories. These lines from the book sum the wicked problem brilliantly.
This is both the true weight of history and also how the present affects and changes the past: older issues and disputes transform and mutate themselves to acquire new characteristics and often an even sharper intensity. There are, therefore, no ‘pure’ legacy issues. What appears seemingly old is, in fact, also quite new. The entire India–Pakistan portfolio would fall in this category — from Kashmir to river waters, from terrorism to trade
Second, one realises that there has been no shortfall of grand gestures from the political leadership of both sides. But every such occasion has proved to be unsuccessful. This tells us that there is a mediating variable which makes it impossible for such grand efforts to succeed. In my assessment, this variable is the Pakistani military-jihadi complex (MJC). In our formulation:
Pakistan is not one geopolitical entity, but two: the putative state (represented currently by a civilian government), and the military—jihadi complex that has captured the commanding heights of power. The inability to understand this duality of Pakistan has led to misplaced expectations, confounding outcomes and failed policies by states and international governments alike.
A deep-seated antagonism towards India is essential to the survival and the dominance of the MJC. So, all elements of MJC propagate the view that India and Pakistan are locked in a zero-sum game. One can succeed only to the detriment of the other. Given its irreconcilable nature, it seems that peace between Indians and Pakistanis is contingent on a significant reduction in power of the MJC in the eyes of Pakistanis themselves.
Finally..
The author is a historian by training and it shows — the book has excellent references that I hadn’t heard of before. I strongly recommend this book to any Indian interested in appreciating the the intricacies of the India—Pakistan relationship. I also hope that the book gets translated into many more Indian languages. In today’s mahaul, stories of India and Pakistan acrimony are a hit; the stories of Indians and Pakistanis are much less so. This book helps address this imbalance.
A review of TCA Raghavan’s ‘The People Next Door: The Curious History of India’s Relations with Pakistan’
As TCA Raghavan observes right upfront, “books on different aspects of India—Pakistan relations will easily fill a library”. For publishers and readers alike, Pakistan is the gift that keeps on giving. The corollary is that the law of diminishing marginal utility applies — the knowledge gained from reading each additional book on Pakistan keeps declining.
It is precisely with these thoughts that I began reading The People Next Door. But by stringing together stories of lesser-known and intriguing individuals, Raghavan skilfully avoids all the pitfalls associated with books on Pakistan. As he says, this is neither a ‘history’ book nor a ‘policy’ book. Rather, any reader with even a cursory interest in India—Pakistan relations will find the book rewarding.
The structure of the book is simple. Raghavan tracks India-Pakistan relations in chronological order from independence to 2015. But he does so selectively, focusing the narrative on the outliers to construct a ‘curious history’ of the tumultuous relationship.
The atypical individuals
The contrarian examples of individuals who swam against the tide are the highpoints of the book. The stories of Azim Husain and Mohammad Yunus, who ditched Pakistan for India, and then went on to serve in the Indian Foreign Service with acclaim are extremely interesting. My personal favourite is the story of how the ‘genuine sensationalist’ Kanhaiya Lal Gauba — hailing from a prominent family in Lahore — became Khurshid Latif Gauba in 1933, and eventually chose to stay in Bombay over Lahore only because of his differences with the Muslim League. Outlook has an excerpt from the book based on these three stories, which is not to be missed.
The case of Bhupat Daku’s extradition is intriguing too, especially for its parallels with the case of Dawood Ibrahim. The story of the Chakma Raja, Tridiv Roy, a practising Buddhist who chose Pakistan over Bangladesh in 1971 is another oddity that finds mention in the book.
The geographic anomalies
Beyond the people, curiosities abound even in the places they occupy. For instance, the author talks briefly about Mewat and Malerkotla, two Muslim majority places in India that managed to avoid the ethnic cleansing which swept undivided Punjab during and after the Partition.
The question of how the Radcliffe Line was drawn around Gurdaspur is equally interesting, and not for strategic reasons alone. Qadian, the headquarters of the Ahmadiyas, fell in this district. So, Pakistan’s tenuous claim over this area rested on the implication that the Ahmadiyas were Muslims too. Such an implication would amount to blasphemy in Pakistan today.
Also, it was only through the book that I came to know of the fact that ‘some maps of Pakistan to this day show Junagadh as a part of it and to many Pakistanis it was a legal accession undone by brute use of military force by India’.
Cases of striking group interactions
A few instances in the book remind us how even through the worst of times, a few interactions between governments and groups continued unabated. For example: ‘In April 1955, matches were held in East and West Punjab between the hockey teams of respective police forces of the two countries and the Indian deputy high commission in Lahore recounts issuing 54,000 short duration visas to enable travel to Jullundur and Amritsar to see the games.’ Remember, this was just eight years after the horrors of the partition!
Also in 1955, the Chief Guest for India’s Republic Day celebrations was Malik Ghulam Muhammad, Governor-General of Pakistan.
The stories about East and West Bengal governments in the years immediately after independence are striking too. Both sides wanted to avoid the recurrence of a Punjab-like situation by stemming the refugee flows of minorities across the border. The two PMs eventually signed an agreement in 1950, demonstrating that ‘both sides tacitly seemed to agree that no matter how important or divisive the issue of the day maybe, no single aspect should so dominate relations that everything else became subject to its satisfactory conclusion.’
Discordance at the international stage
The interactions between Pakistan and India at the international stage has no such hope-inducing oddities. While India and Pakistan indulged in some easily avoidable oneupmanship at the UN General Assembly earlier in 2017, The People Next Door reminds us that such instances, unfortunately, have a long history. As far back as 1975, India and Pakistan were involved in a bitter fight over a UN Security Council non-permanent member seat that hijacked the proceedings of the sessions, causing embarrassment to both States. India’s Foreign Secretary Kewal Singh later rued in these words: ‘both the countries became the laughing stock of the rest of the world setting unedifying examples of bickering’.
A few lessons…
Based on my reading of the book, I could extract these lessons.
First, India—Pakistan relations seem to be an archetypical example of a class of public policy problems known as ‘wicked’ problems. One of the major characteristics of such problems is that there is no definitive formulation of a wicked problem, i.e. even the definition and scope of the problem is contested. This wicked nature becomes apparent when one reads the book: Pakistani and Indian establishments draw almost diametrically opposite learnings from all major events in their joint histories. These lines from the book sum the wicked problem brilliantly.
This is both the true weight of history and also how the present affects and changes the past: older issues and disputes transform and mutate themselves to acquire new characteristics and often an even sharper intensity. There are, therefore, no ‘pure’ legacy issues. What appears seemingly old is, in fact, also quite new. The entire India–Pakistan portfolio would fall in this category — from Kashmir to river waters, from terrorism to trade
Second, one realises that there has been no shortfall of grand gestures from the political leadership of both sides. But every such occasion has proved to be unsuccessful. This tells us that there is a mediating variable which makes it impossible for such grand efforts to succeed. In my assessment, this variable is the Pakistani military-jihadi complex (MJC). In our formulation:
Pakistan is not one geopolitical entity, but two: the putative state (represented currently by a civilian government), and the military—jihadi complex that has captured the commanding heights of power. The inability to understand this duality of Pakistan has led to misplaced expectations, confounding outcomes and failed policies by states and international governments alike.
A deep-seated antagonism towards India is essential to the survival and the dominance of the MJC. So, all elements of MJC propagate the view that India and Pakistan are locked in a zero-sum game. One can succeed only to the detriment of the other. Given its irreconcilable nature, it seems that peace between Indians and Pakistanis is contingent on a significant reduction in power of the MJC in the eyes of Pakistanis themselves.
Finally..
The author is a historian by training and it shows — the book has excellent references that I hadn’t heard of before. I strongly recommend this book to any Indian interested in appreciating the the intricacies of the India—Pakistan relationship. I also hope that the book gets translated into many more Indian languages. In today’s mahaul, stories of India and Pakistan acrimony are a hit; the stories of Indians and Pakistanis are much less so. This book helps address this imbalance.
November 30, 2019
A well balanced history of India Pakistan relationship since the dawn of Independence. The author tries to represent an unbiased perspective of the turbulence relationship and the sort of plausible causes of suspicion on both sides towards each other. Sadly, why the army or ISI had to always foment trouble, when often the leadership irrespective of who is in power tried to boost the relationship is something perhaps will always remain a mystery, which to an extent author also acknowledges. Getting the insights and excerpts of the people actually involved in the dealings which the author had access to being a diplomat was something a memorable experience to read.
April 28, 2023
Somebody who is curious about South Asia, especially India Pakistan relationships and that too from somebody who is an Indian Diplomat, as has spent several years in Pakistan : is a powerhouse of realistic analysis and grounded factual review.
The book identifies the narrative and events between India Pakistan and people to people relationships have evolved, therewith.
The books also highlights about the common people i.e. 1947 artition divided families, peace doves on both sides, war mongers, NGO's, associations working towards building people to people connect.
A must read for a Uniqe and Thorough Overview of Peoples Opinion
SAARC Today
The book identifies the narrative and events between India Pakistan and people to people relationships have evolved, therewith.
The books also highlights about the common people i.e. 1947 artition divided families, peace doves on both sides, war mongers, NGO's, associations working towards building people to people connect.
A must read for a Uniqe and Thorough Overview of Peoples Opinion
SAARC Today
February 28, 2022
I think this book maybe expected me to know a bit more India/Pakistan history than I do but it was still an interesting read.
March 22, 2022
I definitely didn’t get as much out of it as if I knew more background, I enjoyed his focus on the overall mood. It was an interesting lens to view a long and complicated conflict through.
August 14, 2022
A good read. Gives a good insight into diplomatic efforts in Indo-Pak relations over the years.
March 16, 2024
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June 17, 2018
A civil servant's perspective on how relations go topsy turvy and the baggage of history that both the states are unable to let go of in their dealings with each other. Anger, humiliation, schadenfreude and a host of emotions run up and down and the author tries to be as balanced as possible in giving a clear reading of what constitutes India-Pakistan relations.
Read
October 2, 2018(Didn't finish)
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews