Honour Among Spies

by Asad Durrani

In May 2018, a book was published that set off a perfect storm in the intelligence circles in the subcontinent, and made people in the spy community sit up around the world. What made The Spy Chronicles unusual was that two of its authors, A.S. Dulat and Asad Durrani, co-writing with journalist Aditya Sinha, had headed their respective spy agencies -- Dulat had been chief of India's RAW, and Lt Gen. Durrani of Pakistan's ISI. The fallout of the book would result in Lt Gen. Durrani being put on the exit control list and having his pension revoked.Honour Among Spies is a fictional account of a spy who is sent out into the cold, but one that reflects all too accurately the predicament of a distinguished officer fighting to protect his reputation. Woven into the novel is a throwback to another famous incident -- the raid on Osama bin Laden, about whose hideaway and the raid itself Lt Gen. Durrani had made some prescient comments. These and other elements come together in this taut battle of wits that takes forward, in a way, the narrative of The Spy Chronicles.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, History

200 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 12, 2020

Reviews

[Sohail Babar]

A failed attempt to vindicate his previous misadventure.
A bad entry into fictional account which is marred with predicaments.

[Divya Pal · Rating 2 out of 5]

A badly written, cliched apologia churned out in haste by the former boss of ISI. A cryptic account for Indian readers, it has needless obfuscations and allusions; the nom des plumes are confusing and unwarranted. The author becomes Osama Barakazai, Benazir Bhutto is the Queen, Saddam Hussain is the Mesopotamian Chief and, most intriguing of all, Osama bin Laden mutates into a female. Others: Jabbar Jatt Gen Bajwa; Gulrez Shahrukh Gen Musharraf; Sharma Vajpayee; K I Gujjar Manmohan Singh. ISI Headquarters is the Lair; Khurshid Kadri Imran Khan and so on. The tribal machinations of the Pak Army are incomprehensible. The end is puzzling. The book needed a good editor, littered as it is with typos – altar becomes alter.

Reality masquerading as fiction loses its sting.

[Dhriti · Rating 1 out of 5]

well, wtf even was this

i did what Kaleb did with his books in Credence

and i made this book a random journal - aka annotated the shit out of it (not even related to the book tbh)

HAHAHAH fun experience lol

[Aditya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not for the uninitiated

[Kashif Sohail · Rating 1 out of 5]

This so-called novel , even if one can call it anovel, is no mor than a babble and/or rant how Durrani was treated or mis-treated by GHQ.

There is no story line, if it was supposed to be a novel.

There is no beefy analysis if it was supposed to be from defence analyst. Few fragments of analysis where OB discussed with some foreign intelligence operatives are found sub-par.

What Durrani was trying to say that he was being targeted by Army elite cause: 1)he pointed out about Army’s infatuation with realestate— who does not know this? ....
2) he was of opinion or analysis that Osama, if alive, must be hiding in big city and under the aegis of deep state. So deep state may use him as bargaining chip, later if needed. And after the USA’s operation, still shrouded in mystery and suspicion, it turns out to be the case. Alleged person who tipped off US was Durrani’s ex subordinate. Hence military brass was suspicious that Durrani had some insider information which he spilled — ridiculous stance, if it is in fact from military. Why on earth a traitor, who is going to betray his country for money will go and tell his ex boss — does not make any sense.

In short as admitted by Durrani himself its more of his delirium than anything else .

[Muhammad Jahangeer Thaheem · Rating 4 out of 5]

I certainly agree on some of his concerns. 👍

[Afnan Alam · Rating 3 out of 5]

In "Honour Among Spies," Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Asad Durrani, former chief of Pakistan’s ISI, transitions from intelligence operations to fiction, using the novel to explore past controversies. The protagonist, Osama Barakzai, reflects Durrani’s own experiences as a disgraced intelligence officer scrutinized for speaking out about clandestine operations in South Asia.

The narrative features characters like “Kadri” and “Naveen Shaikh,” evoking figures such as Imran Khan and Nawaz Sharif, prompting readers to contemplate the delicate balance between democracy, military power, and intelligence in Pakistan.

Durrani’s writing consists of brief, diary-like chapters that prioritize commentary over intricate plotting, which may disappoint those seeking complex narratives. However, the dry humor and insider perspectives lend authenticity to the work.

While not the most polished literary piece, "Honour Among Spies" boldly addresses the implications of dissent within Pakistan’s deep state, making it a compelling exploration of politics, power dynamics, and the personal toll of serving the state.

[Wali Muhammad · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is the third book of the author who is  Ex-DG of ISI. Though it is a work of fiction but has a touch of reality. Names of characters, places and institutions mentioned has been fictionalised but when paid a little attention, are way too apparent and obvious. This book is based on the events that followed the writer's first book launch that he co-authored with his Indian counterpart. In this piece he has gone harsh on his clan and disapproved their policies from previous couple of decades.

[Aisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Haven't read the first one but going to read it now after reading this spectacular account. I didn't like the fictional touch since I couldn't get my head around most of the names yet Asad Durani kept the flow of a riveting read compelling you to read until you reach the last page. Definitely, he covered some controversial yet not-so-unknown aspects, something already known to the public and World, what gives the hype, however, was coming from someone higher echelon sharing past with the mother institution. I would give it 4 stars. Loved it.

[Junaid Awan · Rating 4 out of 5]

After he wrote a book in a combined project with his neighboring country's (Regarded as Adversary No 1) Intelligence chief, all of a sudden his life was in doldrums.

What happened to a 3 star General, through the very same hands of an organisation which he had commanded years ago, .

Was it because of that alone or there was something more to it...

[Riaz Ujjan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fictional account of a person who is under wrath of his ex institute for writing a book with head spy of enemy country. Interesting read.

[Nasir Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book will make sense only if you are keen observer of what general durrani is saying between the lines, a satire that is both fictional and realistic at the same time.

[Asma Siddiqui · Rating 1 out of 5]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifNzy...