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Playing with Fire: Pakistan at War with Itself
A volatile nation at the heart of major cultural, political, and religious conflicts in the world today, Pakistan commands our attention. Yet more than six decades after the country’s founding as a Muslim democracy, it continues to struggle over its basic identity, alliances, and direction. In Playing with Fire, acclaimed journalist Pamela Constable peels back layers of contradiction and confusion to reveal the true face of modern Pakistan.
In this richly reported and movingly written chronicle, Constable takes us on a panoramic tour of contemporary Pakistan, exploring the fears and frustrations, dreams and beliefs, that animate the lives of ordinary citizens in this nuclear-armed nation of 170 million. From the opulent, insular salons of the elite to the brick quarries where soot-covered workers sell their kidneys to get out of debt, this is a haunting portrait of a society riven by inequality and corruption, and increasingly divided by competing versions of Islam.
Beneath the façade of democracy in Pakistan, Constable reveals the formidable hold of its business, bureaucratic, and military elites—including the country’s powerful spy agency, the ISI. This is a society where the majority of the population feels powerless, and radical Islamist groups stoke popular resentment to recruit shock troops for global jihad. Writing with an uncommon ear for the nuances of this conflicted culture, Constable explores the extent to which faith permeates every level of Pakistani society—and the ambivalence many Muslims feel about the role it should play in the life of the nation.
Both an empathic and alarming look inside one of the world’s most violent and vexing countries, Playing with Fire is essential reading for anyone wishing to understand modern Pakistan and its momentous role on today’s global stage.
In this richly reported and movingly written chronicle, Constable takes us on a panoramic tour of contemporary Pakistan, exploring the fears and frustrations, dreams and beliefs, that animate the lives of ordinary citizens in this nuclear-armed nation of 170 million. From the opulent, insular salons of the elite to the brick quarries where soot-covered workers sell their kidneys to get out of debt, this is a haunting portrait of a society riven by inequality and corruption, and increasingly divided by competing versions of Islam.
Beneath the façade of democracy in Pakistan, Constable reveals the formidable hold of its business, bureaucratic, and military elites—including the country’s powerful spy agency, the ISI. This is a society where the majority of the population feels powerless, and radical Islamist groups stoke popular resentment to recruit shock troops for global jihad. Writing with an uncommon ear for the nuances of this conflicted culture, Constable explores the extent to which faith permeates every level of Pakistani society—and the ambivalence many Muslims feel about the role it should play in the life of the nation.
Both an empathic and alarming look inside one of the world’s most violent and vexing countries, Playing with Fire is essential reading for anyone wishing to understand modern Pakistan and its momentous role on today’s global stage.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
January 27, 2013
There are dozens of books about Pakistan on the market today. Most of them are fairly limited in the scope of their efforts to describe this huge multi-faceted nation in the throes of imminent self-destruction. Ms Constable's work knows no such boundaries. The author has had close personal contact with the richest Pakistani families and the poorest rejects of this feudal society.
While reading her book, it does not take much imagination to smell the rot and corruption that permeates the government, the judiciary, and the privileged classes of Pakistan's 20 elite family who own most of the country's industries, agriculture, and military. The stench of the foulest slums of Pakistan's largest cities, pales in comparison to that of the revulsive odor that seeps under the mahogany doors and across the polished marble floors of the halls of power where the rich get richer and the poor get ground into oblivion under an entrenched system that favors only the powerful and denies any semblance of justice or equity to those who must rely upon themselves and have no privileged connections. Try as they might, noble, honest, hardworking Pakistanis are faced with an almost impossible choice between irresponsible and inaccessible monolithic political dynasties or radical Islamic fundamentalist groups who offer instead brutal draconian Shari'ah Law. Many choose the latter.
The slightest glimpse of hope does not come until the epilogue wherein Ms. Constable reports her brief encounter with Abdul Sattar Edhi, Pakistan's equivalent to Mahatma Gandhi and Mother Teresa, a true living saint. We can only hope that his work will continue even if it is only a Band-Aide on a gaping chest wound.
While reading her book, it does not take much imagination to smell the rot and corruption that permeates the government, the judiciary, and the privileged classes of Pakistan's 20 elite family who own most of the country's industries, agriculture, and military. The stench of the foulest slums of Pakistan's largest cities, pales in comparison to that of the revulsive odor that seeps under the mahogany doors and across the polished marble floors of the halls of power where the rich get richer and the poor get ground into oblivion under an entrenched system that favors only the powerful and denies any semblance of justice or equity to those who must rely upon themselves and have no privileged connections. Try as they might, noble, honest, hardworking Pakistanis are faced with an almost impossible choice between irresponsible and inaccessible monolithic political dynasties or radical Islamic fundamentalist groups who offer instead brutal draconian Shari'ah Law. Many choose the latter.
The slightest glimpse of hope does not come until the epilogue wherein Ms. Constable reports her brief encounter with Abdul Sattar Edhi, Pakistan's equivalent to Mahatma Gandhi and Mother Teresa, a true living saint. We can only hope that his work will continue even if it is only a Band-Aide on a gaping chest wound.
December 14, 2019
A very enlightening book on the ails & ills of a country--with so much potential--that has, unfortunately, consistently gone awry. So much hope dashed; so many millions kept bound up in illiteracy & poverty--beholden to the rich, powerful land-owners (tenants), political party big-whigs, and all-pervasive, dominating military forces (& notorious ISI). A country & government & governing bodies shot through with corruption. So much potential; so much negligence & waffling. So much double-talk. Constable's title states it frankly--this is a nation that has been at war with itself and one that has continually played with fire, almost losing control in recent years, due to the double-dealing of the military/ISI with the Pakistani (al-Qaeda-fueled) Taliban. A good quote on the horrendous impact this has had across the nation: "THE GREAT SECTARIAN DIVIDE in Pakistan—the one that presents the gravest threat to domestic peace and regional stability—is not between Muslims and non-Muslims but between Sunnis and Shiites. abetted by both Iran and Saudi Arabia, which have spent huge sums to build rival mosques, seminaries, and universities on Pakistani soil. It has spawned militant hate groups on both sides whose exclusive aim is to wipe out the other, and who have no scruples about gunning down hundreds of people at prayer. Between 1999 and 2009, official figures indicate that more than a thousand incidents of sectarian violence took place across Pakistan, killing more than three thousand people. Shiites bore the brunt of these attacks, many of which took place in mosques packed with worshippers."
There are many good things about Pakistan & its cultures/peoples--but I agree that it has been overshadowed & eviscerated with the corruption, blindness, implacableness, and extremist Islamist leanings assiduously pushed under the military dictatorship of General Zia in the 1970s. Pakistan, in its relatively short national history, has not recovered from this yet...and doesn't look to for years to come. A sad, short-sighted, surreal history shot through with corrupting influences that have, unfortunately, sorely impacted its economic potential, as well as its rich ethnic heritage.
There are many good things about Pakistan & its cultures/peoples--but I agree that it has been overshadowed & eviscerated with the corruption, blindness, implacableness, and extremist Islamist leanings assiduously pushed under the military dictatorship of General Zia in the 1970s. Pakistan, in its relatively short national history, has not recovered from this yet...and doesn't look to for years to come. A sad, short-sighted, surreal history shot through with corrupting influences that have, unfortunately, sorely impacted its economic potential, as well as its rich ethnic heritage.
September 6, 2015
Read this for a class on Pakistan. I gained new insight into the Mid-East in general and Pakistan in particular. I don't know if I would have picked it up without having to read for class, but I'm glad it was one I had to read. Lots of good information (along with what I got from the class) and heart breaking, too. I can't say if the author is biased or not - it's hard to tell when it's something that was just assigned - but she did spend a lot of time there & seemed to have access to lots of different kinds of people.
It's a book I'd recommend, but you have to know that it's not a pretty story.
It's a book I'd recommend, but you have to know that it's not a pretty story.
September 11, 2011
To me Pakistan is a confusing country. Sixty years ago Pakistan was founded as an Islamic Democracy, but it has been ruled off and on by military dictators. As I hear news from Pakistan I have a hard time putting it in context. This book helps--from the assault on the Red Mosque; the assasination of Benazir Bhutto; the lawyer's revolution-both getting the head of the Supreme Court re-instated and pressuring the military dictator, Musharaff to step down; US drone attacks; bombing of shrines; the military offensives in Swat, North and South Waziristan; the author, Pamela Constable, gives us some background to help us understand what has happened. She is an American foreign correspondent and definitely has a pro-Western slant to her reporting. For instance, she brushes over the Pakistanis' worry over Xe Services' (Blackwater) operatives working for the US CIA in their country. But that has been shown to be true.
But she has explored a lot of areas and interviewed a broad range of Pakistanis and is able to give us a pretty good view of the country. She gives us some good background on why US/Pakistani relations have been so difficult.
Pakistan's struggles are good for us to think about as two Islamic countries, Egypt and Libya, emerge from dictatorships and try to establish new governments.
"Islam has also been used by the military, as well as by Pakistan's civilian leaders, as a miraculous glue to bind together a large nation of ethnic, geographic, and linguistic disparities that was born in bloodshed and confusion."
"what can happen when an overdeveloped, military-backed spy apparatus outgrows it erstwhile mission and delves into personal, partisan, and ideological conflicts....a treacherous path running through a covert world where spies, guerrillas, clerics, and political figures maneuver and manipulate, play multiple roles, and change loyalties with the wind."
"Jurists in a country such as Pakistan face a particular burden: that of knowing what is right and wrong, of having vowed to uphold the law, and of realizing that everything around them conspires against it."
But she has explored a lot of areas and interviewed a broad range of Pakistanis and is able to give us a pretty good view of the country. She gives us some good background on why US/Pakistani relations have been so difficult.
Pakistan's struggles are good for us to think about as two Islamic countries, Egypt and Libya, emerge from dictatorships and try to establish new governments.
"Islam has also been used by the military, as well as by Pakistan's civilian leaders, as a miraculous glue to bind together a large nation of ethnic, geographic, and linguistic disparities that was born in bloodshed and confusion."
"what can happen when an overdeveloped, military-backed spy apparatus outgrows it erstwhile mission and delves into personal, partisan, and ideological conflicts....a treacherous path running through a covert world where spies, guerrillas, clerics, and political figures maneuver and manipulate, play multiple roles, and change loyalties with the wind."
"Jurists in a country such as Pakistan face a particular burden: that of knowing what is right and wrong, of having vowed to uphold the law, and of realizing that everything around them conspires against it."
August 30, 2013
The main thesis of this book is that Pakistan has a schitzophrenic relationship with Islam, where it both nurtures and condemns Islamic extremism. Terrorist attacks within Pakistan are blamed on mysterious foreign forces (India! CIA! The Jews!) because "fellow Muslims could never do that to their own people." Groups respinsible for foreign attacks are encouraged in some cases and excused in others.
I found myself reaching for this book over and over again.Pakistan is a compelling country! The parts on terrorism were actually less interesting than the everday insights into inequality (the feudal elite doesn't like to think of itself as such) and women's rights ("we'd send girls to school, but then a boy might bother them and then we'd have a blood feud with another tribe"). These parts were quite insightful, though limited in scope.
Keep in mind also that this is very much a journalistic work, with all of its biases. For example, the author mentions ( on page 178) how she visited a seminary where the director tried to convince her that his school was moderate. The author then describes how the students sometimes hid their faces from her and how the faculty was reluctant to answer her questions. Clearly, she concludes, this seminary was just as extremist as the others.
This is obviously pure journalist bias. If people are not eager to talk to American press, they are necessarily oppressed, oppressive, and all around counter to western values. Nevermind that the questions she was going about answering included gems like, "What would you say to a student considering suicide bombing?"
But if you can get over that, this book is recommended.
I found myself reaching for this book over and over again.Pakistan is a compelling country! The parts on terrorism were actually less interesting than the everday insights into inequality (the feudal elite doesn't like to think of itself as such) and women's rights ("we'd send girls to school, but then a boy might bother them and then we'd have a blood feud with another tribe"). These parts were quite insightful, though limited in scope.
Keep in mind also that this is very much a journalistic work, with all of its biases. For example, the author mentions ( on page 178) how she visited a seminary where the director tried to convince her that his school was moderate. The author then describes how the students sometimes hid their faces from her and how the faculty was reluctant to answer her questions. Clearly, she concludes, this seminary was just as extremist as the others.
This is obviously pure journalist bias. If people are not eager to talk to American press, they are necessarily oppressed, oppressive, and all around counter to western values. Nevermind that the questions she was going about answering included gems like, "What would you say to a student considering suicide bombing?"
But if you can get over that, this book is recommended.
August 7, 2011
Not without flaws, but tremendously helpful in understanding how Pakistan does and doesn't function and why it is the way it is.
Short version: misplaced priorities have perpetuated feudalism, tribalism, and militarism at the expense of democratic institutions and social justice. Possibilities for positive change exist, but Pakistan and its citizens must overcome decades of conspiratorial thinking, perceived victimization, tribalism, and corruption and decide if they want to be a feudal, tribal, shallowly religious society, or an egalitarian, meritocratic, deeply religious society.
This book points one strongly to a few others:
Husain Haqqani's Pakistan: Between Mosque and Military,
Shuja Nawaz's Crossed Swords: Pakistan, Its Army and the War Within,
Military Inc.: Inside Pakistan's Military Economy, by Ayesha Siddiqui, and
Descent Into Chaos: The Disaster in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Central Asia, by Ahmad Rashid.
Also, the essay "The Role of Islam in Pakistan's Future" by Husain Haqqani, which can easily be found on the internet, is incredibly illuminating and makes many of Constable's same points, only much more concisely.
Short version: misplaced priorities have perpetuated feudalism, tribalism, and militarism at the expense of democratic institutions and social justice. Possibilities for positive change exist, but Pakistan and its citizens must overcome decades of conspiratorial thinking, perceived victimization, tribalism, and corruption and decide if they want to be a feudal, tribal, shallowly religious society, or an egalitarian, meritocratic, deeply religious society.
This book points one strongly to a few others:
Husain Haqqani's Pakistan: Between Mosque and Military,
Shuja Nawaz's Crossed Swords: Pakistan, Its Army and the War Within,
Military Inc.: Inside Pakistan's Military Economy, by Ayesha Siddiqui, and
Descent Into Chaos: The Disaster in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Central Asia, by Ahmad Rashid.
Also, the essay "The Role of Islam in Pakistan's Future" by Husain Haqqani, which can easily be found on the internet, is incredibly illuminating and makes many of Constable's same points, only much more concisely.
April 30, 2023
Important reference read for Pakistan followers - Ms. Constable, one of the best reporters of her generation, has lived and worked in Islamabad (and Kabul) for two decades and writes well to share her knowledge and notebooks.
February 7, 2012
This book examined a lot of different aspects that affect the state of Pakistan and its communities, such as religion, economic prostitutes, democracy, corruption, cultural norms, radical Islam, charities, public opinions and religion. I though it was very thorough and well researched but because of that I sometimes lost interest however it had very many part that I did enjoy and kept my attention.
The best explanation of the current state of Pakistan comes from a quote by Mohammed Allama Iqbal, a liberal philosopher from page 218. "In the begging, Pakistan was created as a new and strange experiment, based on the idea that Islam could mean democracy, human rights and the rule of the law... The Problem was that conventional Islam is not modern or democratic. After Jinnah died, we deviated from the course and our idealism was lost."
The best explanation of the current state of Pakistan comes from a quote by Mohammed Allama Iqbal, a liberal philosopher from page 218. "In the begging, Pakistan was created as a new and strange experiment, based on the idea that Islam could mean democracy, human rights and the rule of the law... The Problem was that conventional Islam is not modern or democratic. After Jinnah died, we deviated from the course and our idealism was lost."
March 13, 2013
A few chapters into this book and I hated it. I thought I was being too critical and forced myself to read it all the way to the end. The author just seems to be barfing out information gathered from various sources. For someone who follows Pakistani and South Asian politics closely, I found this book to be an extension of news articles from Pakistan over the years. The overflow of (at times biased) information is capable of leaving the reader frustrated and the author provides a mediocre analysis which only worsens the reading experience. Definitely not a book I'd recommend to anyone; especially, if they're just beginning to tackle something as complex as understanding Pakistan.
December 23, 2012
I am very disappointed in this book. It is very offensive to Muslims and clearly implies that the Koran is behind the terrorism in Pakistan. The author even stresses that a few kids did not learn anything from the Koran. For a brown graduate and a journalist, this makes me feel very wary about the kind of books being published these days. I feel sorry that people who don't know better would pick up this book and be brainwashed by this author who has no respect for journalism and did not deserve the time given to her by the people she interviewed in Pakistan.
August 29, 2014
A fascinating, insightful and troubling chroinicle of contemporary Pakistan. Current up to and including the killing of Osama bin Laden, Constable covers a wide range of subjects: systemic corruption in business and government, economic disparities, the military as national institution, rising influence of the Taliban in rural areas, the struggle between fundamentalist and moderate Islam, the ongoing repression of women and religious minorities, tribal society traditions, and much more.
June 30, 2015
A very informative, but frustrating book to read. I saw many parallels with where our own democracy and public mindset are going astray. I only hope that, one day, all people will truelly embrace love, compassion, equality and tolerance and release all the fear, hate, and control that divides us.
Just "Imagine" ....
But, we can't change other people, we can only change ourself and spread the love.
Just "Imagine" ....
But, we can't change other people, we can only change ourself and spread the love.
August 15, 2011
If you think Afghanistan is rather a mess, you might
want a stiff drink to help you read this one. This book
is comprehensive: culture, class system, religion and politics are
all covered with many examples and interviews with a broad
range of Pakistanis. Very informative.
But does want to make you want to scream.
want a stiff drink to help you read this one. This book
is comprehensive: culture, class system, religion and politics are
all covered with many examples and interviews with a broad
range of Pakistanis. Very informative.
But does want to make you want to scream.
October 4, 2011
I had heard this author on a TV program--probably Q&A--and was so enthralled with her topic I wanted to read the book. I know so little about Pakistan it was hard for me to follow at times but I learned so much about Pakistan's political history. The book definitely whetted my appetite to learn more.
August 18, 2014
I was impressed when I heard the author speak in an event sponsored by World Affairs Council so I got the book. I felt it did a good job introducing me to the complexities of life and politics in Pakistan.
March 12, 2015
This is a deeply troubling book about the many ways that Pakistan is a dysfunctional society. Constable describes a country beset by jihadist insurrections, ruled over by a corrupt, out of touch elite, and lurching from one crisis to the next.
September 7, 2011
if you've been following news out of Pakistan beyond the most superficial level, this book won't really add anything
February 28, 2012
An insightful and very readable portrayal of the current state of Pakistan. I am always drawn to the strength of the imagery in Pam's writing.
September 6, 2012
Excellent book!
February 6, 2013
Excellent book describing the endemic corruption and cultural reasons that Pakistan is a "fake state " as the authour calls it .
I learned a lot from this well written and well researched book
I learned a lot from this well written and well researched book
February 21, 2017
This is an interesting book. I know very little about Pakistan at all and sometimes found it hard to follow. Overall it was an interesting introduction to a subject I'd like to learn more about.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews