The Bomb, the Bank, the Mullah and the Poppies by Iqbal Malhotra is a deep dive into the Pakistani Deep State innovatively who used ‘the world’s sleaziest bank’, poppy cultivation and narcotics trade as a means to finance its nuclear programme. Though the title seems quite straightforward yet there are layers within layers that are unravelled in this book revealing the role played by various actors across the globe and their linkages. It’s a remarkable piece of research to say the least. The book reveals the psyche of multiple actors who transformed Pakistan into a state the foundation of which...