Daily Times

 Pakistan’s Foreign Policy

A Reappraisal

Third Edition

Shahid M Amin

This book is a penetrating analysis of Pakistan’s foreign policy from the time of Independence in 1947 until the beginning of the new millennium. The formulation of Pakistan’s foreign policy has been discussed from a fresh perspective. The author has tried to pragmatically examine the structural failures of Pakistan’s foreign policy-making process and calls for new thinking on various aspects of Pakistan’s foreign policy, with special emphasis on Pakistan-India relations vis-à-vis Kashmir and suggests various policy options and indicates their possible consequences for Pakistan. The author makes a strong plea for realism and moderation, taking into account the best interests of Pakistan, particularly in view of the acquisition of nuclear weapons by both India and Pakistan. The book is based on the author’s personal observations and analysis during 39 years of diplomatic service as Pakistan’s Ambassador and Special Envoy to various countries around the world. This edition contains a new introduction and a chapter on the developments in Pakistan’s foreign policy from 2010 to 2020.

The Culture of Power & Governance of Pakistan 1947-2008

Ilhan Niaz

This book provides a provocative and hard-hitting explanation of Pakistan’s crisis of governance in historical and philosophical terms. The explanation combines theoretical insight with declassified historical sources to argue that the crisis of governance has deep roots in the historical experience and elite mentality of the subcontinent. The book draws upon the primary declassified records of Pakistan and a diverse array of theoretical inputs to try and balance the debate on the crisis of governance.

Pakistan: Political Roots
& Development, 1947-1999

Safdar Mahmood

The focus of the book is on Pakistan’s troubled political history. It offers useful insights into Pakistan’s constitution-making and the characteristic features of various constitutions, and why and how these did not work effectively. It analyses, in detail, the working of the military governments of Ayub Khan, Yahya Khan and Ziaul-Haq, as well as the working of the elected civil governments of the country.

A Concise History of Pakistan

Muhammad Reza Kazimi

This is a comprehensive one-volume history of Pakistan, a country that lies at the centre of the world’s strategic concerns. The book covers contemporary crises in the perspective of the subcontinent’s ancient and medieval history to explain how Muslim nationalism emerged and how the community interacted with the other communities in the region. Covering the centuries from Mehergarh to Musharraf, the author breaches the confines of political history to depict the intellectual, economic, diplomatic and cultural history of Pakistan. Topics that have become the subject of controversy such as the 1971 Poland Resolution and the 1972 Simla Agreement are highlighted in boxes. The book is thematically addressed, but it provides underpinning by interspersing personality profiles of the individuals who shaped the course of events. This gallery includes Amir Khusro as the embodiment of a distinctive Indo-Muslim culture; Mahatma Gandhi and Pandit Nehru, whose lofty ideals nevertheless resulted in Partition; MA Jinnah, who is credited with almost single-handedly creating the state of Pakistan and the volatile but tragic figure of ZA Bhutto.

A Princely Affair

The Accession and Integration of the Princely
States of Pakistan, 1947-1955

Yaqoob Khan Bangash

West Pakistan, on 15 August 1947, was less than half its present size. Nearly a year of negotiations, arguments, threats and even chance, brought nine princely states into the Pakistani fold. Thereafter followed a long and staggered process of integration. Using hitherto unused and inaccessible primary sources, this path-breaking book completes the story of the creation of Pakistan. In charting the accession and integration of the princely states, this book shows the complicated and often botched processes of the consolidation of Pakistan. The problems emanating from this early period, haphazard constitutional integration, weak local political forces, the insurgency in Balochistan since 1948 and a weak sense of national identity and citizenship, remain with Pakistan today.