Pakistan

Reflecting Pakistan’s increasing multifaceted problems, the book under review presents the history of Pakistan of the last six decades. It highlights the major turning points that have shaped Pakistan’s “historical travails”. It emphasizes, in particular, the “increased entrenchment” of the army in Pakistan’s politics and economy; the issues surrounding the role of Islam in public life; the tensions between central and local and democratic urges; and the impact of the geo-political influences on internal development. (pp. ix-x) Divided into eight chapters, an Introduction and Epilogue, the book follows the history of Pakistan in a chorological order, era by era, from its inception in 1947 to 2011. The book also provides a general outline of and insights into the land, people, and society of Pakistan. Chapter 1 highlights the ways in which Pakistan’s geography, culture, religion and society have shaped its development from 1947. The author notes that Pakistan is not a ‘monochrome society’ but ‘a society on the move’ at heart, ‘a plural society’, marked by vast disparities of wealth and access to basic goods and services. (pp. 25, 28, 44)