Daily Times

The State of Islam

Culture and Cold War Politics in Pakistan

Saadia Toor

This book tells the story of Pakistan through the lens of the Cold War and the War on Terror. It, inter alia, sheds light on the domestic and international processes behind the rise of militant Islam. The book analyzes key moments in the history of Pakistan through the cultural politics that defined them, the intention being to show the intimate connection between matters cultural and matters political, and specifically to point out how they have both been inflected by the Cold War and its aftermath. The incorporation of the cultural dimension improves understanding of the values and thought processes of the people themselves.

Pakistan: The Formative Phase, 1857-1948

Second Edition

Khalid bin Sayeed

This admirably written book analyzes, in a scholarly and impartial way, a mass of material relating to the creation of Pakistan. Taking 1857 as the starting point, Khalid bin Sayeed relates the diverse factors which periodically heightened or lowered tension between the Hindus and Muslims of the subcontinent. Even fifty years after it was first published, Khalid bin Sayeed’s scholarly study of the formative phase of Pakistan remains the definitive work for the period.

Making Federation Work

Federalism in Pakistan After the 18th Amendment

Edited by Asma Faiz

The 18th Amendment itself is a landmark event in the constitutional history of Pakistan. The book presents diverse perspectives from different disciplines with coherence and an admirable focus on federalism. It adequately explains why federalism needs to be re-examined and be a subject of fresh scholarship. The book comprises of an impressive collection of articles. These articles address all dimensions of federalism and make a good addition to literature on the subject.

Pakistan: The Garrison State

Origins, Evolution, Consequences 1947–2011

Ishtiaq Ahmed

In 1947, the Pakistan military was poorly trained and poorly armed. Over the years, the Pakistan Army grew in power and influence and progressively became the most powerful institution, with de facto veto powers at its disposal to overrule other actors within society including elected governments. In this study, the author examines the relationship between the internal and external factors in explaining the rise of the military as the most powerful institution in Pakistan, the consequences of such politics for the political and economic development in Pakistan, and the future prospects for Pakistan.

The Genesis of the Pakistan Idea

A Study of Hindu–Muslim Relations

Walter Bennett Evans

The book aims to trace the course of Hindu-Muslim relations in India from the Lucknow Pact of 1916 to the demand of Pakistan made by the All-India Muslim League in 1940. The author demonstrates the role of Hindu–Muslim relations in the eventual culmination of Muslim separatism leading to the demand for a separate state. The communal issue has been studied in the historical context, tying together both economic and political strands. This treatise is being published after a lapse of 65 years. It is a testimony to the author’s competence that it is still relevant and instructive.

Published in Daily Times, April 16^th 2018.