Historical Dictionary of Pakistan

Since its hasty and messy creation in 1947, Pakistan has repeatedly been in the world news. It has experienced more turbulent internal events and been involved in more dramatic external ventures than most countries. These include partition, wars, coups, the Afghan resistance, internal dissension, and terrorism, as well as a recent deadly earthquake. Nevertheless, it […]

Pakistan is an easy place for a journalist to work. Most Pakistanis, from policemen to politicians, shopkeepers to soldiers, love to talk about pol itics. Admittedly, the more they know the less willing they are to speak on the record but nevertheless Pakistan remains a very open country. Indeed, Pakistan’s willingness to tolerate the scrutiny […]

This book would not have been possible had it not been for the immense kindness and hospitality of many Pakistanis, who invited me to their homes and talked to me frankly about their lives and their opinions– so many that the great majority will have to go unthanked. I am especially indebted to Ashraf and […]

This book has undergone many permutations, but has emerged all the better. I owe my thanks and gratitude to Professor Brendan O’Leary, who nurtured my interest in ethnic conflict regulation and encouraged me to be a thorough, logical, and dedicated student of South Asia. I also owe an enormous debt to Lord Professor Meghnad Desai […]

There have been a number of studies of colonial Lahore in recent years. These have explored such themes as the city’s modernity, its cosmopolitanism and the rise of communalism which culminated in the blood-letting of 1947. There has also been a study of how the city recovered from the socio-economic dislocation arising from the Partition […]