''Red Jihad: Battle for South Asia'' is a political/military thriller by Sami Ahmad Khan. It was published by Rupa & Co. in June 2012. ''Red Jihad'' was hailed as one of the first novels to fictionalize the Maoist-Mujahideen nexus in the Indian

Red Corridor The red corridor, also called the red zone, is the region in the eastern, central and the southern parts of India where the Naxalite–Maoist insurgency has the strongest presence. It has been steadily diminishing in terms of geographical cove ...

and for dramatizing the links between

religious fundamentalism Fundamentalism is a tendency among certain groups and individuals that is characterized by the application of a strict literal interpretation to scriptures, dogmas, or ideologies, along with a strong belief in the importance of distinguishing ...

and

political terrorism Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...

in India. ''Red Jihad'' was Khan's debut. After its publication, ''Businessworld'' magazine said Khan "might have started a genre that will lead many youngsters to learn the English language the way an earlier generation learnt it: through our own Robert Ludlums and Fredrick Forsyths." Khan has also been labelled as the Indian equivalent of Tom Clancy by the ''Millennium Post''.

Plot

The novel was written in 2010, published in 2012, and set in 2014 AD, in the near-future. Pakistan has transitioned into a full-fledged democracy and is reconciling with India. However, there are forces working against this fragile peace. A Pakistani jihadi leader, Yasser Basheer, travels to the Red Corridor and enlists the support of an Indian Naxalite commander, Agyaat. Their plan: to unleash Pralay, India's experimental intercontinental ballistic missile, on the subcontinent. As the missile changes course en route, it hits Pakistan and causes collateral damage. In response, Pakistan unleashes war on India. The battle for South Asia turns murkier as an Indo-Pak war threatens to embroil many other countries in the endgame. Have India and Pakistan sparked off the mother of all wars? A gripping thriller, Red Jihad explores the most feared nexus between the jihadis and the naxals.

Awards and reception

''Red Jihad: Battle for South Asia'' garnered generally positive reception and the novel went into a reprint within months of its release. It was praised by think tank Policy Research Group for its "impartiality and sensitivity towards complex geo-political relations and ideologies" and "being able to crystal gaze into the future of Indo-Pak relations" and for extrapolating from contemporary scenarios. Literary Awards: ''Red Jihad'' won the "Muse India Young Writer (Runner-Up) Award" at the Hyderabad Literary Festival 2013 and "Excellence in Youth Fiction Writing" at Delhi World Book Fair 2013.

Sequel

Khan is now working on his second book, a science-fiction sequel to ''Red Jihad'', that is themed around time-travel and alternate history. The working title of the sequel is ''Aliens in Delhi''.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Thehindu.com
2012 Indian novels Political thriller novels Rupa Publications books Indian Armed Forces in fiction India–Pakistan relations in popular culture Naxalite–Maoist insurgency Indian political novels Novels about nuclear war and weapons Novels set in India Novels set in Pakistan Fiction set in 2014