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Fiction Operation Karakoram Inspired by Fredrick Forsyth, Robert Ludlum and Jeffrey Archer, according to the author, but also with shades of Shashi Tharoor—Operation Karakoram is a political thriller set in 1995 against the backdrop of the volatile situation existing between India and Pakistan. Arvind Nayar, a lawyer by profession, has managed, in his very first novel to present a work of confidence, and achieve a certain level of suspense and drama, as is the mark of more experienced writers of this very popular but difficult genre. It all begins with the murder of a low-rung operative from RAW, India’s elite intelligence corps. From here we move to Islamabad and the headquarters of the ISI where the Indian political scene is being discussed by the top brass. India is all set for political upheaval with the right-wing Rashtriya Ekta Party (REP) slated to win the upcoming elections, a state of affairs not very palatable to the neighbour. Pakistan needs to undermine the growing popularity of the REP, as its victory would make war between the two countries inevitable, something Pakistan is not prepared for militarily. Their solution: assassinate the leader of the REP, without whose charismatic appeal they would surely lose the elections. To complicate things, the very same idea has occurred to some political bigwigs in the Congress as well. Pakistan hires a professional assassin, while the Congress in India tries to make do with an amateur. The bungling attempts by the amateur and the smooth professionalism of the trained mercenary make for interesting contrasts. Though the novel gets its title from the code name for the Pakistani plot to eliminate the REP leader, it is also a novel about political intrigue where leaders in both countries indulge in scheming and manipulation, where men on the same side attempt to sabotage each other for petty personal gain, and where patriotism is often just the last option. To a lesser extent, it is also a novel about the dangerous yet exciting world of the mercenary soldier. These soldiers of fortune, often with disturbed backgrounds, travel around the globe plying their deadly trade. Theirs is the world of terrorism, of arms procurements, of sophisticated weapons and gadgetry, a world where the difference between life and death is but a matter of money exchanging hands. What makes this book special is its feeling of credibility. The political situation is authentically replicated and Arvind Nayar’s scrupulous research is obvious. The killer is suitably mysterious and hardnosed when he does strike and the presentation dramatic. Apart from being a confidently written piece of work that entertains, it also provides us with insight into the workings of the secret services of various countries. Structured like a thriller, with successive chapters opening in different locales across the globe, the tempo and suspense are built by keeping the narrative running on several lines at the same time. The only drawback to this
excellently written work is a slight inconsistency in style. Though
smooth and confident in most places, it tends at times to lapse into a
tendency—of most first-time writers with a need to prove themselves—to
go too far into details that detract the reader from involvement.
However, as debuts go, it is very well written and worthy of being read. |
