
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
About this book
Established as a homeland for India's Muslims in 1947, Pakistan has had a tumultuous history. Beset by assassinations, coups, ethnic strife, and the breakaway of Bangladesh in 1971, the country has found itself too often contending with religious extremism and military authoritarianism. Now, in a probing biography of her native land amid the throes of global change, Ayesha Jalal provides an insider's assessment of how this nuclear-armed Muslim nation evolved as it did and explains why its dilemmas weigh so heavily on prospects for peace in the region.
"[An] important book…Ayesha Jalal has been one of the first and most reliable [Pakistani] political historians [on Pakistan]…The Struggle for Pakistan [is] her most accessible work to date…She is especially telling when she points to the lack of serious academic or political debate in Pakistan about the role of the military."
—Ahmed Rashid, New York Review of Books
"[Jalal] shows that Pakistan never went off the rails; it was, moreover, never a democracy in any meaningful sense. For its entire history, a military caste and its supporters in the ruling class have formed an 'establishment' that defined their narrow interests as the nation's."
—Isaac Chotiner, Wall Street Journal
Frequently asked questions
- Essential is ideal for learners and professionals who enjoy exploring a wide range of subjects. Access the Essential Library with 800,000+ trusted titles and best-sellers across business, personal growth, and the humanities. Includes unlimited reading time and Standard Read Aloud voice.
- Complete: Perfect for advanced learners and researchers needing full, unrestricted access. Unlock 1.4M+ books across hundreds of subjects, including academic and specialized titles. The Complete Plan also includes advanced features like Premium Read Aloud and Research Assistant.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Information
Table of contents
- Cover
- Half Title
- Title Page
- Copyright
- Dedication
- Contents
- Preface
- Abbreviations
- Prologue: “Speak, for Your Lips Are Free”
- 1. From Minority to Nation
- 2. Truncated State, Divided Nation
- 3. A Sprawling Military Barrack
- 4. Pitfalls of Martial Rule
- 5. Toward the Watershed of 1971
- 6. The Rise and Fall of Populism
- 7. Martial Rule in Islamic Garb
- 8. Democracy Restored?
- 9. A Geostrategic Riddle
- 10. Entangled Endgames
- Epilogue: Overcoming Terror
- Notes
- Glossary
- Acknowledgments
- Index