AS FAR AS THE SAFFRON FIELDS: The Pulwama Conspiracy

Author’s ability to be non-judgemental about the individuals , be it the CRPF or paramilitary or militants , lets the reader to understand the emotional aspect in this turmoil. Well researched work. Seminal work on the conflict in Kashmir, I must say

Reads like a thriller. On one side an ode to our brave hearts and on the other exposes the role of Pakistan sponsored terror. A must read.

Our country has seen quite a lot of earth shattering attacks in the past.We've heard about them on the news, watched people dissect each and every aspect behind them, sometimes with a questionable theatrical touch of table slams and comical screams that makes you wonder whether the people who claim to share the truth behind such attacks actually have any idea about what's going on.Only to come to a conclusion that they really don't.Because most of the time the people who take up the burden of unveiling the truth behind such incidents do so with punctuated silence where every symbol is etched down on the paper with a lot of thought, as it should, when it comes to tragedies such as the Pulwama attack. Because these attacks have real consequences, have affected real people and hence shall be brought to light properly.This book is well researched and doesn't shy away from giving an unbiased opinion about any of the people involved which is refreshing to read.Even though this is a non fiction, it reads like a thriller except that the "climax" was real and heartbreaking, and hence should've never happened.An intriguing read that delves deeper into politics and conflict associated with the premise.All the history and political buffs would like this one.

Lot of research is done by authour while writing this book. It is like detailed minute to minute explanation of what happened before attack. Those who wants to know ,how terrorist operates, how our intelligence works, how our soldier are protecting us in border should read this book. Sadly we lost 40 brave soldiers and 35 severely injured who have different dreams. Book also tells the main conspirator of pulwama attack and how recovery of his mobile phone tells a big story about his plans, attacks, love interest, terrorist involved, country involved, money involved, places of training and many more.

Provides a deep insight into such a tragic incident with acute details about the conspiracy.A gripping narration about an incident stirring high emotions and the life struggles & sacrifices of our bravehearts.

The book starts off as a story – a bus of CRPF jawans making their way through the valleys of Kashmir, an entire procession, and a little background on every personnel on the bus. On the other hand, it shows the terrorists preparing for their operation, making their way across the border and hiding in the shadows. For a non-fiction, the book does have the storytelling style of a fiction book, but it is filled with hard facts.The book is in no way a page turner, it is filled with a lot of facts and data. As we already know the basic outline of the story, the author has taken the liberty to focus more on the informational details.On some level, the author has tried to humanize the story we have already heard of. He has shown the thinking process, the faint trails of fear, the determination – but these aren’t hard facts, as they cannot be confirmed. There is creative liberty to present perspectives to the story.Overall, this is a book filled with hardcore details, and a very enjoyable read for people who like books that deal with history, politics etc.

Author through the book has smashed the face of militancy in Kashmir and exposed how radicalisation is being used as a tool by terror masters like Maulana Masood Azhar to brain wash young innocent Kashmiri’s to fulfil their dirty agenda.

The book is based on the details the author obtained from the charge sheet submitted by NIA in this case and by interviews he could get with the people who are alive and in jail currently related to the Pulwama attack.The way in which the incident is being back tracked in the book it helps understand how the terrorist mindset works, how they instill concept of Jihad in people's mind and convince them to join various terrorist organisations like LeT- Lashkar-e-Taiba, JeM- Jaish-e-Mohammad, HM- Hizbul Mujahideen, HuM- Harkat-ul-Mujahideen etc. It also highlights how the locals of Kashmir are often roped in terrorist activities forcefully in the name of Allah.The book is detailed and focused to recreate all the scenes that might have occurred for the readers to understand all the things related to the unfortunate event. Some of the scenes are fictional as not every detail is known.I read a book in the true crime genre for the first time and really liked it, hopefully I'm gonna pick more of it from now on.

To read about any social conflict is heart wrenching, specially when it is so close to home. This book forces you to put your mind in a mental space that demands your full attention.The author goes above and beyond his normal role, to become investigative and to really care about putting the pieces of a tough puzzle together.As the writer rightly said "This is war at its worst, tearing apart families and dreams, leaving only..." smoke and fog behind, with a faint image of a beautiful saffron field somewhere far far away, hidden in this smog..