The Book “Shaking Hands with Clenched Fists: The Grand Trunk Road to

Confidence Building Measures between Pakistan and India” is authored by Dr Asma

Shakir Khawaja and published by National Defence University Islamabad, Pakistan in
year 2018. Dr. Asma Shakir Khawaja is an Eminent Scholar of Peace and Conflict Studies
at National Defence University Islamabad She acquired her Doctorate degree in South
Asian Studies from Institute of South Asian Studies, Martin Luther University, and Halle-
Wittenberg Germany. She is a prominent figure in Media talk shows and is considered as
an authority over Pakistan-India relations.

The book is a wholesome effort to elucidate the post-partition historical relations

between Pakistan and India with a detailed account of major disputes between both
archrivals, the roles of leadership on both sides of the border in shaping the conflict and
steps taken towards its resolution. She also presents her analysis on the character of
both states while depicting the role of spoiler agents and parochial interests of
politicians in maintaining the status quo between both states.

The book is unique in character since not much scholarly contributions have
come up on this subject in both Pakistan and India. And due to this academic gap, the
reins of regional politics have been left to the raw knowledge of inept leadership
obsessed with traditional realpolitik of zero-sum game and using Kashmir cause as mere
rhetoric to luster their partisan politics. The book mentions Kashmir as the unfinished
agenda of bigoted partition by British that sowed the seed of contention between both
states resulting into several encounters in past. The biased role of UNO and mulish
behavior of Indian leadership has led both states to tread on the brink of possible
nuclear conflict. The book attributes the hostile attitude of Indian leadership to their
notion that partition of India was an illegitimate act performed by British in pursuit of
their legacy based on the principle of “Divide and Rule” and therefore the phenomenon
of Partition shall be reversed over time. The book also elucidates that the political
theories of Chanakya Kotilya, Indira Doctrine, concepts of Akhand Bharat, and Hindutva
form the cumulative picture of hostile Indian foreign policy towards the regional
countries. India perceives Pakistan as her arch rival as it challenges the regional
hegemony of India. On the other hand Pakistan being smaller in size and inferior military
power has always sought peaceful coexistence and necessity of dialogues on the core
issue of Kashmir. The book also draws a comparative analysis of both states’ military
capabilities and ramifications on the regional and global security in the event of nuclear
clash between the archrivals.
 She regards a series of confidence building measures as a bright ray of light in
the history of both states which remained shrouded in pitch darkness for most of the
time during past. Every time the negotiations seemed making way out of long tunnel,
the peace efforts were hijacked by hawks actually holding the reins of Indian policy.
Towards the end, the author suggests continuity of CBMs and underscores for both
states to step down from their official positions and start focusing on their actual
interests. The book ends up with a social message that both states need to think
dispassionately about resolution of Kashmir problem as it is not merely a land dispute
rather it is more of a humanitarian issue which needs to be addressed at priority.

The strength of the book is the logical way of presenting her argument without
verbosity and unfolding the historic events in a chronological order. This book shall help
the students of Peace and Conflict Studies, History, Strategic Studies and International
Relations to find an answer to pertinent questions such as how and why CBMs became
controversial; how, when and why several opportunities to resolve the conflict were
missed; and what could be the way forward.