Spanning thousands of years, a wide-ranging history of Pakistan from the Bronze Age to partition and beyond.
This book takes us on a sweeping journey through the ebbs and flows of Pakistan’s history, from the ancient Indus Valley Civilization to contemporary times. Chequered Past, Uncertain Future uncovers influences from Turkey, Persia, Arabia, and Britain that have shaped Pakistan, as well as showcases the region’s diverse and rich tapestry of peoples, and its pluralistic, multicultural society. The book also describes the post-1947 shift—following the partition of India and the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan—as the country became more religiously conservative and autocratic, intensifying sectarian and ethnic divisions. For most of their history, the people of Pakistan have found themselves under the control of military dictators who suppress civil liberties and freedom of speech and action—a trend that persists today.
This book takes us on a sweeping journey through the ebbs and flows of Pakistan’s history, from the ancient Indus Valley Civilization to contemporary times. Chequered Past, Uncertain Future uncovers influences from Turkey, Persia, Arabia, and Britain that have shaped Pakistan, as well as showcases the region’s diverse and rich tapestry of peoples, and its pluralistic, multicultural society. The book also describes the post-1947 shift—following the partition of India and the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan—as the country became more religiously conservative and autocratic, intensifying sectarian and ethnic divisions. For most of their history, the people of Pakistan have found themselves under the control of military dictators who suppress civil liberties and freedom of speech and action—a trend that persists today.
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Table of Contents
Introduction by Ian Talbot 1 From Pre-Historic to the Early Modern Era: 3800 bc to ad 1707 2 The British Rule and the Rise of Muslim Nationalism 3 Bloodied Partition and Punjab’s Bifurcation: 1947 4 Multiple Challenges, Limited Options: Making sense of the Early Problems 5 Faltering Years of a Nascent State, 1947–58 6 Praetorianism Unbound (Ayub Khan’s Rule), 1958–69 7 Praetorianism Under Gen. Yahya Khan and East Pakistan’s Separation, 1969–71 8 The Era of Populism: Zulfi Bhutto, 1971–7 9 Piety and Praetorianism: General Zia ul Haq’s Reign, 1977–88 10 The Rule of Troika and the Onset of ‘Establishmentarian Democracy’, 1988–99 11 Pervez Musharraf: An Autocrat Re-Engineering Politics, 1999–2008 12 A Decade of Uncertainty: 2008–18 13 Imran Khan Assumes Charge 14 Regime Change and a Year of Uncertainty Epilogue References Bibliography Acknowledgements Photo Acknowledgements Index