War, Coups & Terror: Pakistan’s Army in Years of Turmoil

Why has Pakistan’s army intervened so often in politics? How does it view its role in the nation’s security - and in the global War on Terror? Brian Cloughley, an insider who walked the corridors of power, answers these questions with unmatched authority and clarity.

War, Coups & Terror is a major study of Pakistan’s military from 1971, the year of the country’s traumatic dismemberment, through the coups, the nuclear tests, and into the post‑9/11 world of counter‑insurgency and global scrutiny. Brian Cloughley - a defense analyst who served with the Australian army and maintained close ties with Pakistani senior officers - draws on firsthand interviews and inside access to produce a uniquely authoritative account.

The book traces the army’s evolving relationship with civilian governments: Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s rise, the 1977 coup of General Zia‑ul‑Haq, the turbulent 1990s of Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto, Pervez Musharraf’s rule, and the fraught transition back to democracy. It also provides detailed coverage of military operations in the tribal areas, the fight against al‑Qaeda and the Taliban, and the army’s perspective on national security and foreign policy.

Cloughley does not shy away from controversy. He examines the internal debates within the military, its institutional interests, and the delicate balance it maintains between being a professional fighting force and a political arbiter. The result is a book that offers genuine understanding of one of the world’s most powerful and enigmatic military establishments.

About the Author:

Brian Cloughley is an Australian defense analyst and former officer in the Australian Army. He served as a military attaché in Pakistan and spent decades studying the country’s politics and security forces. He maintained close friendships with senior Pakistani military officers, which gave him a rare window into the institution’s thinking. Cloughley has written extensively on South Asian defense issues; his other works include A History of the Pakistan Army. His combination of professional military experience and intimate knowledge of Pakistan makes his analysis uniquely credible.

War, Coups & Terror: Pakistan’s Army in Years of Turmoil is available now at Kitab Markaz. We deliver across Pakistan and worldwide - so this essential insight into the nation’s most powerful institution can reach you, wherever you are.