Pakistan's Political Parties

Pakistan's Political Parties

Author: Mariam Mufti

Publisher: Georgetown University Press

Published: 2020-05-01

Total Pages: 336

ISBN-13: 1626167710

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Pakistan’s 2018 general elections marked the second successful transfer of power from one elected civilian government to another—a remarkable achievement considering the country’s history of dictatorial rule. Pakistan’s Political Parties examines how the civilian side of the state’s current regime has survived the transition to democracy, providing critical insight into the evolution of political parties in Pakistan and their role in developing democracies in general. Pakistan’s numerous political parties span the ideological spectrum, as well as represent diverse regional, ethnic, and religious constituencies. The essays in this volume explore the way in which these parties both contend and work with Pakistan’s military-bureaucratic establishment to assert and expand their power. Researchers use interviews, surveys, data, and ethnography to illuminate the internal dynamics and motivations of these groups and the mechanisms through which they create policy and influence state and society. Pakistan’s Political Parties is a one-of-a-kind resource for diplomats, policymakers, journalists, and scholars searching for a comprehensive overview of Pakistan’s party system and its unlikely survival against an interventionist military, with insights that extend far beyond the region.


The Army and Democracy

The Army and Democracy

Author: Aqil Shah

Publisher: Harvard University Press

Published: 2014-04-29

Total Pages: 416

ISBN-13: 0674728939

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In sharp contrast to neighboring India, the Muslim nation of Pakistan has been ruled by its military for over three decades. The Army and Democracy identifies steps for reforming Pakistan’s armed forces and reducing its interference in politics, and sees lessons for fragile democracies striving to bring the military under civilian control.


India, Pakistan, and Democracy

India, Pakistan, and Democracy

Author: Philip Oldenburg

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2010-09-13

Total Pages: 376

ISBN-13: 1136939296

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The question of why some countries have democratic regimes and others do not is a significant issue in comparative politics. This book looks at India and Pakistan, two countries with clearly contrasting political regime histories, and presents an argument on why India is a democracy and Pakistan is not. Focusing on the specificities and the nuances of each state system, the author examines in detail the balance of authority and power between popular or elected politicians and the state apparatus through substantial historical analysis. India and Pakistan are both large, multi-religious and multi-lingual countries sharing a geographic and historical space that in 1947, when they became independent from British rule, gave them a virtually indistinguishable level of both extreme poverty and inequality. All of those factors militate against democracy, according to most theories, and in Pakistan democracy did indeed fail very quickly after Independence. It has only been restored as a façade for military-bureaucratic rule for brief periods since then. In comparison, after almost thirty years of democracy, India had a brush with authoritarian rule, in the 1975-76 Emergency, and some analysts were perversely reassured that the India exception had been erased. But instead, after a momentous election in 1977, democracy has become stronger over the last thirty years. Providing a comparative analysis of the political systems of India and Pakistan as well as a historical overview of the two countries, this textbook constitutes essential reading for students of South Asian History and Politics. It is a useful and balanced introduction to the politics of India and Pakistan.


The Promise of Power

The Promise of Power

Author: Maya Tudor

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2013-03-14

Total Pages: 257

ISBN-13: 1107032962

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Under what conditions are some developing countries able to create stable democracies while others have slid into instability and authoritarianism? To address this classic question at the center of policy and academic debates, The Promise of Power investigates a striking puzzle: why, upon the 1947 Partition of British India, was India able to establish a stable democracy while Pakistan created an unstable autocracy? Drawing on interviews, colonial correspondence, and early government records to document the genesis of two of the twentieth century's most celebrated independence movements, Maya Tudor refutes the prevailing notion that a country's democratization prospects can be directly attributed to its levels of economic development or inequality. Instead, she demonstrates that the differential strengths of India's and Pakistan's independence movements directly account for their divergent democratization trajectories. She also establishes that these movements were initially constructed to pursue historically conditioned class interests. By illuminating the source of this enduring contrast, The Promise of Power offers a broad theory of democracy's origins that will interest scholars and students of comparative politics, democratization, state-building, and South Asian political history.


The Destruction of Pakistan's Democracy

The Destruction of Pakistan's Democracy

Author: Allen McGrath

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Published: 1996

Total Pages: 332

ISBN-13:

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In 1947, Pakistan came into existence as a parliamentary democracy. In 1954, that government was dissolved and the path opened for the military rule which has characterized much of Pakistan's history. The political forces of Islam did not initiate these events. Rather, the catalyst was the national legislature's successful completion of the first new constitution since independence, a constitution which apportioned legislative power between East and West Pakistan, introduced guaranteed rights for citizens, and had earned the support of the Islamic leadership. Governor-General Ghulam Mohammad led a small group of West Pakistan officials, trained in the autocratic bureaucracy of British India, who disliked both democracy and the influence of Islam in politics. He dissolved the legislature and suppressed the constitution, actions approved by the Supreme Court which he controlled. So successful was this 'quiet revolution' that the very existence of the constitution has been forgotten by the public and overlooked by historians.


Pakistan's Democratic Transition

Pakistan's Democratic Transition

Author: Ishtiaq Ahmad

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2016-11-03

Total Pages: 261

ISBN-13: 1317235959

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Politics in Pakistan has traditionally been understood in the context of civil-military relationship. In May 2013, for the first time in history, Pakistan saw an elected government complete a full term in office and transfer power through the ballot box to another civilian government. In view of such an important development, this book offers critical perspectives on Pakistan’s current democratic transition and its implications for national politics, security and foreign policy. It critically analyses the emerging political trends in the country, including their underlying sources, attributes, constraints, and prospects of sustainability. Drawing on history, diverse theoretical perspectives, and empirical evidence, it explains the dynamics of the democratic process, contested borders and spaces, and regionalism. Contributions are from 13 prominent scholars in the field, who provide a wide-ranging analysis of Pakistan’s contemporary national and regional challenges, as well as the opportunities they entail for its viability as a democratic state. Taking the debate on Pakistan beyond the outmoded notions of praetorian politics and security, the book explores the future prospects of civilian supremacy in the country. It will be of interest to students and scholars of South Asian Politics, Political Sociology and Security Studies, as well as policy-makers, diplomats, security experts and military professionals.


The Women's Movement in Pakistan

The Women's Movement in Pakistan

Author: Ayesha Khan

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2018-11-30

Total Pages: 420

ISBN-13: 1786735237

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The military rule of General Zia ul-Haq, former President of Pakistan, had significant political repercussions for the country. Islamization policies were far more pronounced and control over women became the key marker of the state's adherence to religious norms. Women's rights activists mobilized as a result, campaigning to reverse oppressive policies and redefine the relationship between state, society and Islam. Their calls for a liberal democracy led them to be targeted and suppressed. This book is a history of the modern women's movement in Pakistan. The research is based on documents from the Women's Action Forum archives, court judgments on relevant cases, as well as interviews with activists, lawyers and judges and analysis of newspapers and magazines. Ayesha Khan argues that the demand for a secular state and resistance to Islamization should not be misunderstood as Pakistani women sympathizing with a western agenda. Rather, their work is a crucial contribution to the evolution of the Pakistani state. The book outlines the discriminatory laws and policies that triggered domestic and international outcry, landmark cases of sexual violence that rallied women activists together and the important breakthroughs that enhanced women's rights. At a time when the women's movement in Pakistan is in danger of shrinking, this book highlights its historic significance and its continued relevance today.


Democracy and Public Administration in Pakistan

Democracy and Public Administration in Pakistan

Author: Amna Imam

Publisher: CRC Press

Published: 2013-12-14

Total Pages: 255

ISBN-13: 1466511567

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This book explores the role of the grass roots public administrative institution of DC & DM in historical context for Pakistan, and its viability for a meaningful democracy and stability of the country. The authors contend that Pakistan‘s democracy to-date lacks firm foundation, as evidenced by the country‘s disintegration in 1971, violence and drugs in the 80s, crime infested communities in the 90s, terrorism in the 2000s, and the current volatile situation in Balochistan and FATA, as well as high crime rate and lacking sense of security among the communities of Pakistan.


Democracy in Pakistan

Democracy in Pakistan

Author: Ali Abbas Hasanie

Publisher: AuthorHouse

Published: 2013

Total Pages: 141

ISBN-13: 1481790684

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This book is a collection of the author's articles, statements and press releases that have been published in newspapers in Pakistan and abroad. He felt compelled to speak up against deplorable conditions in Pakistan and offer some practical advice after having carefully analyzed the current political situation as well as the history of Pakistan along with its constitution.