Just about anyone from the Paki army is an “authority” on Taliban, they are the ones that created them and are running them. Paki army is part of the problem not part of the solution. So good luck with Rashid!
Ahmed Rashid is not from the army. He is a journalist. His book Taliban written in 2000 is one of the BEST books on what is going on in Afghanistan and that region of the world. I read it right after 9/11/01 and would recommend anyone wanting to understand the situation over there buy it on amazon. What he wrote in 2000 is just as relevant todat as it was before 9/11.