HarperPress, £16.99. Order for £15.29 (free p&p) from the Independent Bookshop: 08430 600 030
The Meadow: Kashmir, Where the Terror Began, By Adrian Levy & Cathy Scott-Clark
Wednesday 09 May 2012
Barack Obama has pledged to "finish the job" and bring an end to combat in Afghanistan on the first anniversary of Osama bin Laden's death. But the authors of this book – a veteran investigative reporting duo – suggest that the job is unfinished on the part of the rebels who started a mission of international terror from one corner of the Kashmir hills 17 years ago. Bin Laden may be buried deep beneath the sea, but Adrian Levy and Cathy Scott-Clark point out that Masood Azhar, the Pakistani mujahedin leader around whom the central events of this book revolve, is still out there, preaching on YouTube.
The Meadow focuses on one defining moment: when Kashmiri militants took five Western hostages and attempted to use them as bargaining chips for securing the release of Pakistani prisoners – including Azhar – from the Indian authorities in their battle for Kashmir. The authors argue that these militants sowed the seeds of modern terror.
The book features parallel stories: Azhar's conversion to militancy, and the lives of the backpackers who, in July 1995, trekked to the Himalayan spot called the "meadow" where they were taken. One hostage (Hans Christian Ostro) was beheaded. Four are missing to this day.
We are given the back-story of each hostage and a blow-by-blow account of the kidnap. Every mindset is explored, from the Indian negotiators to the rebels. One American prisoner escaped, and from him we get the sense that the authorities just wanted him to "shut up". A resolution never came for the hostages, though a prison release for Azhar was secured when an Indian airplane was hijacked. A question-mark hangs over why the hostages were let down, and by whom.
It is a gripping human story. The in-depth research and journalistic colour mean that even Azhar becomes larger than life. If the story could have been as powerful in shorter form, or might have offered a broader analysis of the region and of terrorism to justify its length, this is to quibble. The Meadow is as long as it is fascinating, minutely re-enacting a horrifying moment that was to send out ripples for decades to come.
Arts & Ents blogs
Friday Book Design Blog: Blurb special
Let's talk book blurbs, those quotes you get, usually from other writers, that are meant to entice y...
Something For The Weekend in London: May 17-19
Fela Kuti, Jewish food and The Great Gatsby are just some of the reasons why the rainy weather ahead...
SPOT festival: Bob Dylan, TopShop, and René Descartes
Sat in a hotel lobby amidst a music conference in Aarhus around 4am in is a great way to argue, and ...
- 1 Stoke City investigate 'religious abuse' after 'pig's head is found in Kenwyne Jones' locker'
- 2 Gove’s lesson: spare the comma, spoil the child
- 3 Grace Dent on TV: Extreme Couponing, My Strange Addiction, and Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, TLC
- 4 You thought Ryanair's attendants had it bad? Wait 'til you hear about their pilots
- 5 Join Ryanair! See the world! But we'll only pay you for nine months a year
Get your summer started with British Military Fitness
BMF is the UK’s biggest and best loved outdoor fitness classes
Visit York
Find out what The Independent's resident travel expert has to say about one of the most beautiful small cities in the world
Enter the latest Independent competitions
Win anything from gadgets to five-star holidays on our competitions and offers page.
Business videos from commercial thought leaders
Watch the best in the business world give their insights into the world of business.
The price of pacifism
Jason Isaacs: Groupies, theatre bores and James Bond
Sealand: 'Micronation' or illegal fortress?
One man returns to Argentina's town that drowned
Gordon Ramsay's worst nightmare: A restaurant he cannot save
Why bitters are back on the bar
The 10 Best barbecues


Comments