In the eyes of many Indians, Pakistan and Pakistanis are inherently antagonistic. About the rest, some contend that despite Partition, we are the same people, while others lack the knowledge necessary to form a more informed judgement. The third category of Indians is dragged out of its indifference by veteran writer Kesava Menon, who also challenges the simplistic optimism and black-and-white outlook of the first and second.Since serving as The Hindu's correspondent in Pakistan in the early 1990s, a pivotal phase in that nation's recent history, Menon has long provided commentary on Pakistani politics. Zia-ul-Haq, a dictator and Islamic hardliner, had perished in an aeroplane crash, and the future of the country's new democratic experiment was at best questionable with Nawaz Sharif taking over after Benazir Bhutto's brief first term as prime minister. They had enough freedom to breathe easily, yet they were too weak to challenge the establishment.A prime ministerial gala could change its menu to accommodate a South Indian Hindu journalist who they assumed must be a vegetarian while religious fundamentalists with little electoral clout could still openly insult Benazir at a PPP rally. The three-starred father of anti-India jihad could also personally express genuine hope for Indo-Pak friendship to the author.This book provides more than just political commentary, even if we can observe both the authoritarian and the democratic impulses at work in Pakistan's politics?in the 1990s, as well as in the decades before and since. It is also an effort to comprehend Pakistan's "concept," its perception of itself as a people and a nation-state, and how India should cope with its difficult neighbour.This analysis of Pakistan's culture and politics in relation to India combines profound insight and interesting anecdotes to deliver a thoroughly entertaining take on the complicated and frequently tumultuous relationship between the two countries. It is calm and lucid while also being playful and trenchant.