Mukul Deva's latest book, Salim Must Die, tries answering that one. India's only military action writer tells Aastha Atray Banan why Pakistan needs a reality check, and how parents, teachers and religious leaders can be brainwashing agents

The intruder had an interesting tale to tell. In fact, what started off as the routine interrogation of yet another intruder captured during infiltration left the young captain open-mouthed and wide-eyed.

Then he stepped across to the communications hut and called his battalion commander on the secure line. "He says his name is Iqbal. Says he is an Indian, a resident of Lucknow, but was studying in Delhi when he was recruited by the Lashkar and sent across to Pakistan for training."

"He says he was trained at Muzaffarabad by the same group that carried out the terror bombings in Delhi last month. Apparently, his mother and sister were among those killed by the bomb that exploded at the Sarojini Nagar market.
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He came to know about it when he got back to Lucknow after the training, so he killed the Maulana in Delhi who'd recruited him, and then returned to Muzaffarabad to avenge their deaths by killing those who had trained him and planned the bombings. It was the Lashkar-e-Toiba lunatics, as we all suspected."

Even if you aren't particularly clued in to which separatist group supports what terrorist group, Mukul Deva's Salim Must Die, will have you turning the pages, even if on the potty. The racy read is a sequel to the best-seller Lashkar, and comes from the ex-Army officer who is now Managing Director of MSD Security Pvt. Ltd.
and India's only military writer.

The fictional thriller rooted in reality offers you a glimpse into the mind of a young terrorist, and what motivates a man to make destruction his calling.

Drawing from your experiences in the army, you add excitement and intrigue to your books. Is being in the military forces really all that exciting?

Of course! Far more than words can express. The biggest reality check is the sound of a bullet zipping past you. That really gets the adrenaline going. My army background helped me add a high degree of realism to military action.