The Culture of Power and Governance of Pakistan

 The Culture of Power and Governance of Pakistan 1947-2008 Ilhan Niaz

 This book attempts to explain Pakistan’s crisis of governance in historical and philosophical terms. It argues that South Asia’s indigenous orientation towards the exercise of power has reasserted itself and produced a regression in the behaviour of the ruling elite. This has meant that in the sixty years of independence from British rule the behaviour of the state apparatus and political class has become more arbitrary, proprietorial and delusional. e resulting deterioration in the intellectual and moral quality of the state apparatus is a mortal threat to Pakistan. Regrettably, much of the academic and public discussion about developing societies has been vitiated by the heedless repetition of fashionable

jargon that emphasizes national security, democracy and development. e Culture of Power and Governance of Pakistan draws upon the primary declassified record of Pakistan and a diverse array of theoretical inputs to try and balance the debate on the crisis of governance.

Author Description

Ilhan Niaz, is the author of several books including An Inquiry

into the Culture of Power of the Subcontinent (Islamabad: Alhamra,

2006); The Culture of Power and Governance of Pakistan, 1947–2008 (OUP, 2010); Old World Empires: Cultures of Power and Governance in Eurasia (New York: Routledge, 2014; South Asia edition by OUP); and The State During the British Raj: Imperial Governance in South Asia 1700–1947 (OUP, 2019). His work has been published in leading international academic journals including The Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society; Asian Affairs; Asian Profile; The New Zealand Journal of Asian Studies; South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies; and The Journal of South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies. He also occasionally contributes articles and reviews to leading national news publications. Old World Empires: Cultures of Power and Governance in Eurasia received the HEC national award for Best Book Publication in Social Sciences, 2013–14. The Culture of Power and Governance of Pakistan was awarded the Best Non-Fiction Book of 2010 at the Karachi Literature Festival and has also received the Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan award for Best Book in Social Sciences, Arts, and Humanities for 2010. The State During the British Raj was awarded the 2021 Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan Award for Best Book in the Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities. Dr Ilhan Niaz is also the recipient of the Kodikara Award for 2013 (RCSS, Colombo).