Tinderbox: The Past and Future of Pakistan, Harper Collins

MJ. Akbar brings his English literature background, writing skills and experience as a journalist with a notable body of work behind him to bear on a topic that has been and remains central to the story of the subcontinent—the past and future of Pakistan. That he prefaces his title with tinderbox reveals his pessimism regarding Pakistan’s future. For him, Pakistan can plausibly be characterised as a ‘toxic jelly’.