Rethinking Pakistan

Description

A wide ranging analytical dissection of the Pakistani polity that offers a well meaning, progressive prescription for present-day Pakistan

Rethinking Pakistan is a wide-ranging analytical dissection of the Pakistani polity and offers a well-meaning, progressive prescription for present-day Pakistan, stitched together by an eclectic list of experts spanning diverse backgrounds and subjects. From energy self-sufficiency and scientific development to freedom of the press and the essential question of the dominance of the military over civilian affairs, this compendium offers a suitable guide for anyone who seeks to understand the striking mix of contemporary and historic challenges faced by Pakistan in the twenty-first century. The book deals with Pakistan's contemporary realities and future prospects.

Acknowledgements; Contributors; Introduction, Pakistan: Towards New Beginnings, Bilal Zahoor; Part I – Identity, Religion and Radicalisation; 1. Refuting the Radicals, Tariq Rahman; 2. Unpacking the Myth of Barelvi Eclecticism: A Historical Appraisal, Tahir Kamran; 3. The Conflicted Self: The Existential Battle between being Muslim and Islamic in Pakistan, Nadeem Farooq Paracha; 4. Can Pakistan Have a De-radicalized Future?, Raheem ul Haque; 5. From Figure of Speech to Fists of Fury: Unchecked Incitements to Violence, Muhammad Abrahim Zaka & Fasi Zaka; 6. Curriculum and the Constitution, Rubina Saigol; Part II - Development, Reform and Governance; 7. Labour Policy and Industrial Relations in Pakistan: A Critical Evaluation, Charles Amjad-Ali and Karamat Ali; 8. Land Reforms: Key to Social Justice and Progress, I.A. Rehman; 9. Pakistan: Charting a New Course to Development, Akmal Hussain; 10. Pakistan’s Fundamental Water Governance Challenges – And How to Overcome Them, Erum Sattar; 11. Is there a Silver Bullet to Pakistan’s Energy Crises?, Naveed Arshad and Fiaz Chaudhry; 12. Pakistan's Climate Agenda, Tariq Banuri; 13. Bringing Science to Life in Pakistan, Pervez Hoodbhoy; Part III –  Rights, Repression and Resistance; 14. Rescuing the White in the Flag, Zohra Yusuf; 15. Crisis of Impunity: Enforced Disappearances in Pakistan, Reema Omer; 16. Of Kings, Queens and Pawns: Civil-Military Relations in Pakistan, Ayesha Siddiqa; 17. Future of Media Freedom, Umar Cheema; 18. Understanding the Balochistan Conundrum, Rafiullah Kakar; Part IV – Sex, Gender and Emancipation; 19. Sex and Secularism as Resistance Politics, Afiya Shehrbano Zia; 20. In Search of a Pakistani Feminist Discourse, Bina Shah; Part V – Conflict, Diplomacy and Foreign Policy; 21.  Peace Must Win, Raza Rumi; 22. Foreign Policy Begins (and Ends) at Home; Muhammad Ismail Khan; Notes; Bibliography; Index.

Sujets

• POLITICAL SCIENCE
• Public policy
• General officer
• Central
• General
• National

Informations

• Publié par: Anthem Press
• Date de parution: 23 septembre 2020
• Nombre de lectures: 1
• EAN13: 9781785274947
• Langue: English

Extrait

Blurbs – Rethinking Pakistan
Rethinking Pakistan brings together some of the best minds of the country and invites them to reflect upon the most pressing issues that it is facing in all spheres – including politics, external relations, environment, human rights, gender relations, religious fundamentalism, education, freedom of expression … It is a most valuable collection that is highly accessible to everyone.
Christophe Jaffrelot, Professor, Sciences Po; Author, The Pakistan Paradox
This book brings together the leading contemporary currents of thought from a galaxy of established scholars and intellectuals of Pakistan. It is a monumental contribution to the national debate on a series of crises and lingering issues that need attention of the stakeholders all around. The book covers three major areas of investigation into public life of the country. One, it delves into the historical, sociological and cultural causes of various political conflicts, ranging from the negative role of the educational curricula for national harmony to cultural violence and persistent militarism to the curse of enforced disappearances. There are highly analytical contributions that define the conflict-resolution nexus. Two, the book is a source of inspiration on the liberal agenda of creating a scientific frame of mind, setting the feminist debate in a global context, challenging the shrinking space for media and focusing on the largely forgotten area of industrial relations. One finds ample issue-orientation in the analysis and policy-orientation in the deliberations. Three, we enter a domain of hope, planning for a bright future and focusing on some longer-term issues couched in comprehensive new approaches to development, environment, energy, foreign policy and feminism. The scope of the book is amazingly wide, the analysis is rich with conceptual references and empirical findings, and the scholarly idiom is comprehensible for both the articulate section of the population and the scholarly community per se.
Mohammad Waseem, Professor, LUMS; Author, Politics and the State in Pakistan
Each of the essays depicts Pakistan’s current social, political and economic challenges with analysis that makes this publication one of the few credible works on Pakistan available in recent times. The contributors are some of the most respected experts in the field on which they have expounded their thoughts, laying bare the malaise that have stunted social progress, democratic development and economic stability in the country. The essays also show a way forward making this a must-read for all generations of Pakistanis who wish to understand and contribute to the elimination of existing threats to peace, security and respect for human rights.
Hina Jilani, Advocate, Supreme Court of Pakistan; Co-founder, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan
Rethinking Pakistan is a wide-ranging analytical dissection of the Pakistani polity and offers a well-meaning, progressive prescription for present-day Pakistan, stitched together by an eclectic list of experts spanning diverse backgrounds and subjects. From energy self-sufficiency and scientific development to freedom of the press and the essential question of the dominance of the military over civilian affairs, this compendium offers a suitable guide for anyone who seeks to understand the striking mix of contemporary and historic challenges faced by Pakistan in the twenty-first century. A must-read on Pakistan’s contemporary realities and future prospects.
Shashi Tharoor, Ex-Foreign Minister, India; Author, An Era of Darkness
The book sets up an unfamiliar but authentic diagnostic mosaic of Pakistan that the state prefers ignoring. It collects and presents the genius that Pakistan sets aside, stretched out on its ideological bed of repeated blunders. What emerges is an intensely original view from the marginalised intellect the world recognises as Pakistan’s survival kit.
Khaled Ahmed, Consulting Editor, Newsweek Pakistan; Author, Pakistan: The State in Crisis
Rethinking Pakistan
Rethinking Pakistan
A 21st Century Perspective
Edited by
Bilal Zahoor with Raza Rumi
First published in March 2019 in Pakistan by Folio Books, Lahore
Anthem Press
An imprint of Wimbledon Publishing Company
www.anthempress.com
This edition first published in UK and USA 2020
by ANTHEM PRESS
75–76 Blackfriars Road, London SE1 8HA, UK
or PO Box 9779, London SW19 7ZG, UK
and
244 Madison Ave #116, New York, NY 10016, USA
© 2020 Bilal Zahoor and Raza Rumi editorial matter and selection; individual chapters © individual contributors
The moral right of the authors has been asserted.
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Library of Congress Control Number: 2020940397
ISBN-13: 978-1-78527-492-3 (Hbk)
ISBN-10: 1-78527-492-9 (Hbk)
This title is also available as an e-book.
Dedicated to the memory of Asma Jahangir (1952–2018)
CONTENTS
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Pakistan: Towards New Beginnings
Bilal Zahoor
Part I Identity, Religion and Radicalisation
Chapter 1 Refuting the Radicals
Tariq Rahman
Chapter 2 Unpacking the Myth of Barelvi Eclecticism: A Historical Appraisal
Tahir Kamran
Chapter 3 The Conflicted Self: The Existential Battle between being Muslim and Islamic in Pakistan
Nadeem Farooq Paracha
Chapter 4 Can Pakistan Have a De-radicalised Future?
Raheem ul Haque
Chapter 5 From Figures of Speech to Fists of Fury: Unchecked Incitements to Violence
Muhammad Abrahim Zaka and Fasi Zaka
Chapter 6 Curriculum and the Constitution
Rubina Saigol
Part II Development, Reform and Governance
Chapter 7 Labour Policies and Industrial Relations in Pakistan: A Critical Evaluation
Charles Amjad-Ali and Karamat Ali
Chapter 8 Land Reforms: Key to Social Justice and Progress
I. A. Rehman
Chapter 9 Pakistan: Charting a New Course to Development
Akmal Hussain
Chapter 10 Pakistan’s Fundamental Water Governance Challenges – And How to Overcome Them
Erum Sattar
Chapter 11 Is There a Silver Bullet to Pakistan’s Energy Crises?
Naveed Arshad and Fiaz Chaudhry
Chapter 12 Pakistan’s Climate Agenda
Tariq Banuri
Chapter 13 Bringing Science to Life in Pakistan
Pervez Hoodbhoy
Part III Rights, Repression and Resistance
Chapter 14 Rescuing the White in the Flag
Zohra Yusuf
Chapter 15 Crisis of Impunity: Enforced Disappearances in Pakistan
Reema Omer
Chapter 16 Of Kings, Queens and Pawns: Civil-Military Relations in Pakistan
Ayesha Siddiqa
Chapter 17 Future of Media Freedom
Umar Cheema
Chapter 18 Understanding the Balochistan Conundrum
Rafiullah Kakar
Part IV Sex, Gender and Emancipation
Chapter 19 Sex and Secularism as Resistance Politics
Afiya Shehrbano Zia
Chapter 20 In Search of a Pakistani Feminist Discourse
Bina Shah
Part V Conflict, Diplomacy and Foreign Policy
Chapter 21 Peace Must Win
Raza Rumi
Chapter 22 Foreign Policy Begins (and Ends) at Home
Muhammad Ismail Khan
Contributors
Bibliography
Index
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Rethinking Pakistan originated in a conversation between Babar Sahib Din, a friend and a cousin, and me in Lahore in January 2018. Over the months, a number of friends, comrades and academics helped me grapple with issues typical to editing a volume involving some kind of rethinking , in this case, of a country in need of radical transformation at most fronts. First and foremost, I am deeply grateful to the contributors who took out time for this project despite their numerous other commitments.
Many of the candid conversations I had with Harris Khalique turned out to be hugely beneficial in taking crucial editorial decisions. He has been kind enough to take out time and share his informed views, especially towards the latter half of the project.
Two important people who played a critical role in the realisation of this volume are Afiya Shehrbano Zia and Ammar Ali Jan: besides helping me finalise the key contributors to this book, they have been offering their valuable advice as sound academics throughout the process. I also want to thank Pervez Hoodbhoy for being the first contributor to be aboard. Many thanks are also due to Fasi Zaka for his excellent comments on some of the chapters in the book and Shahzada Irfan Ahmed for assisting me in reaching out to the right authors.
Not to be missed is the brilliant Aneeq Ejaz, assistant editor to the project, who made incisive editorial contributions at conceptual, structural and textual levels.
Finally, I owe special gratitude to my family, especially my younger brother – Adil Zahoor – who has been a great support as a researcher and friend.
Bilal Zahoor
February 2019
Introduction
PAKISTAN: TOWARDS NEW BEGINNINGS
Bilal Zahoor
Muhammad Hasan Askari, leading Urdu literary critic, wrote in an article in 1946 that “[Pakistan] would be the first populist and socialist state in the Indian