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Making Sense of Pakistan
Pakistan’s transformation from supposed model of Muslim enlightenment to a state now threatened by an Islamist takeover has been remarkable. Many account for the change by pointing to Pakistan’s controversial partnership with the United States since 9/11; others see it as a consequence of Pakistan’s long history of authoritarian rule, which has marginalised liberal opinion and allowed the rise of a religious right. Farzana Shaikh argues the country’s decline is rooted primarily in uncertainty about the meaning of Pakistan and the significance of ‘being Pakistani’. This has pre-empted a consensus on the role of Islam in the public sphere and encouraged the spread of political Islam. It has also widened the gap between personal piety and public morality, corrupting the country’s economic foundations and tearing apart its social fabric. More ominously still, it has given rise to a new and dangerous symbiosis between the country’s powerful armed forces and Muslim extremists. Shaikh demonstrates how the ideology that constrained Indo-Muslim politics in the years leading to Partition in 1947 has left its mark, skilfully deploying insights from history to better understand Pakistan’s troubled present.
296 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 1, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
December 22, 2017
One of the amazing must-read books on history and geographical knowledge on Pakistan and how it came to existence. Sadly this isn't recommended into CSS course subjects quite often because it speaks honesty and truth more than it is required.
December 18, 2024
Not only Farzana Shaikh but many books have been written on "Making Sense of Pakistan" Like Ayesha Jalal, who thinks of Pakistan as a bargaining chip to secure the interests of India's Muslims, Venkat Dhulipala portrays Pakistan as the Muslim League's New Medina, a base for fulfilling the Ghazwa-e-Hind prophecy of Islamic dominance over the subcontinent. While Haqqani thinks Pakistan was insufficiently imagined and in need of reimagination. In contrast, Shaikh explores today's Pakistan through its conflicting interpretations of Islam in public life. She argues that the nation's core issue is an identity crisis stemming from a lack of consensus over Islam's role. "This book, a work of interpretation rather than of historical research, addresses the political, economic, and strategic implications of Pakistan's uncertain national identity" (Loc:218).
The confusion of Pakistani identity starts from its name, where Pakistan—envisioned as an acronym with "A" being Afghan—was not part of Pakistan, whereas East Bengal was never part of the acronym. This ambiguity trickles into every aspect of statehood, creating internal and external instability. Shaikh asserts that Pakistan's founding vision of unity under Islam has become its Achilles' heel. The inability to resolve issues like sectarianism, ethnic inequality, and minority rights has hindered its progress. On the global stage, Pakistan's identity crisis shapes its foreign policy, often prioritizing ideology over pragmatic national interests.
Shaikh concludes that Pakistan is a state burdened with a negative identity shaped by the circumstances of Partition and could not grow beyond being a challenger to India. Though "It would appear that history, politics and geostrategic compulsions have all conspired to hasten the decline of Pakistan and deepen its uncertainty as a nation. Yet as this study has sought to demonstrate, it is the country's problematic and contested relationship with Islam that has most decisively frustrated its quest for a coherent national identity and for stability as a nation-state capable of absorbing the challenges of its rich and diverse society" (Loc:4461).
Shaikh's insightful analysis highlights how Pakistan's unresolved identity crisis continues to obstruct its potential for stability and development, making this book an essential read for understanding the nation's complexities.
________________________________________
The chapter-wise summary is as follows:
INTRODUCTION:
The introduction sets the stage by examining Pakistan's persistent struggle to define its national identity. Shaikh argues that Pakistan's identity crisis stems from its dual foundation as both a Muslim homeland and a modern nation-state. She emphasizes that the lack of identity definition stems from articulating a single version of Islam, the very foundation on which Pakistan was formed, which has led to political instability and social fragmentation.
CHAPTER 1: WHY PAKISTAN?
This chapter traces the ideological and political roots of Pakistan's creation. Shaikh explains the ambiguity among Muslim leaders—Maulana Madani's alliances with Congress while advocating religious consolidation, Azad's vision of Islamic sanctity in a secular framework, Sir Syed's reformist modernity detached from Indian roots, and Jinnah and Iqbal oscillating between secularism and Islamic nationalism. This confusion, Shaikh argues, prevented the development of a cohesive national narrative.
CHAPTER 2: WHO IS A PAKISTANI?
Shaikh explores the deeply contested topic "Who is a Pakistani?" She explains that just as the idea of Pakistan was torn between communal Islam and secular nationhood, the same was true for Pakistani identity, which was confused between those who did hijrat from India to Pakistan with Jinnah (just like early Muslims who migrated to Madina with Muhammad) and the real sons of the soil. Thus, the nation that was formed in the name of kalma, "being Muslim," did not automatically translate to "being Pakistani." Even Pakistan could not define who is a Muslim; within 25 years of its existence, it got torn into two because of linguistic differences. Even today, there is uncertainty in national identity due to lack of consensus regarding Islam's relation with the state.
CHAPTER 3: THE BURDEN OF ISLAM
This chapter is about how "myths so carefully cultivated to sustain the national edifice turned out after independence to be embarrassments that needed to be shrouded from view or embellished in ways that made them more palatable" (Loc:1833). The chapter is about defining the constitutional identity of Pakistan as Islamic, which can strengthen the monopoly over public expression of Islam.
CHAPTER 4: THE DILEMMAS OF DEVELOPMENT
This chapter explains the stagnation of economic development due to an identity crisis fueled by the lack of Islamic definition. She explains how confusion started by flip-flopping between various types of economic models trying to keep Islam ahead in all, like 1960s "Mohammadan equality" by Ayub, 1970s Bhutto's "Islamic socialism," and Zia's "Islamic economic society" in the 1980s. Though the author feels "Pakistan's early generation of leaders boldly declared that Islam would govern their economic system, the lack of unanimity over Islam effectively precluded the development of a coherent economic model" (Loc:3177), I feel there is a flaw in the thought process itself. "The Long Divergence" book clearly explains flaws in Islamic concepts of economics that hinder growth. Hence, the problem, in addition to corruption, is its use of Islam, which the author missed.
CHAPTER 5: BETWEEN CRESCENT AND SWORD
This chapter is about the symbiotic relationship between army and militant groups. Pakistan's army, with the strategy of using irregular men with the lure of jihad to attack Afghanistan and Kashmir, radicalized itself and society to a point that it reflected in sectarian violence. Pakistan's army, in the absence of a democratic definition of Pakistani identity and Islam, has become the torch-bearer of Islam and its self-proclaimed guardian. The mullah-army nexus has not served its purpose and resulted in international embarrassment after 9/11.
CHAPTER 6: DEMONS FROM ABROAD
In this chapter, Shaikh explains how Pakistan's foreign policy has been dictated by issues of national identity instead of its national interests. She explains how relations with the United States, defined by mutual dependence rather than mutual respect, provided no special status of the kind Pakistan craved.
________________________________________
CONCLUSION
Farzana Shaikh's "Making Sense of Pakistan" provides a compelling analysis of the nation's identity crisis, rooted in its contradictory founding principles. The book demonstrates how unresolved tensions between Islam, ethnicity, and statehood have shaped Pakistan's political instability, societal fragmentation, and foreign policy missteps. Shaikh's insights offer a sobering perspective on the challenges Pakistan faces in achieving stability and progress, emphasizing the urgent need for internal reform and reimagining its national identity.
The confusion of Pakistani identity starts from its name, where Pakistan—envisioned as an acronym with "A" being Afghan—was not part of Pakistan, whereas East Bengal was never part of the acronym. This ambiguity trickles into every aspect of statehood, creating internal and external instability. Shaikh asserts that Pakistan's founding vision of unity under Islam has become its Achilles' heel. The inability to resolve issues like sectarianism, ethnic inequality, and minority rights has hindered its progress. On the global stage, Pakistan's identity crisis shapes its foreign policy, often prioritizing ideology over pragmatic national interests.
Shaikh concludes that Pakistan is a state burdened with a negative identity shaped by the circumstances of Partition and could not grow beyond being a challenger to India. Though "It would appear that history, politics and geostrategic compulsions have all conspired to hasten the decline of Pakistan and deepen its uncertainty as a nation. Yet as this study has sought to demonstrate, it is the country's problematic and contested relationship with Islam that has most decisively frustrated its quest for a coherent national identity and for stability as a nation-state capable of absorbing the challenges of its rich and diverse society" (Loc:4461).
Shaikh's insightful analysis highlights how Pakistan's unresolved identity crisis continues to obstruct its potential for stability and development, making this book an essential read for understanding the nation's complexities.
________________________________________
The chapter-wise summary is as follows:
INTRODUCTION:
The introduction sets the stage by examining Pakistan's persistent struggle to define its national identity. Shaikh argues that Pakistan's identity crisis stems from its dual foundation as both a Muslim homeland and a modern nation-state. She emphasizes that the lack of identity definition stems from articulating a single version of Islam, the very foundation on which Pakistan was formed, which has led to political instability and social fragmentation.
CHAPTER 1: WHY PAKISTAN?
This chapter traces the ideological and political roots of Pakistan's creation. Shaikh explains the ambiguity among Muslim leaders—Maulana Madani's alliances with Congress while advocating religious consolidation, Azad's vision of Islamic sanctity in a secular framework, Sir Syed's reformist modernity detached from Indian roots, and Jinnah and Iqbal oscillating between secularism and Islamic nationalism. This confusion, Shaikh argues, prevented the development of a cohesive national narrative.
CHAPTER 2: WHO IS A PAKISTANI?
Shaikh explores the deeply contested topic "Who is a Pakistani?" She explains that just as the idea of Pakistan was torn between communal Islam and secular nationhood, the same was true for Pakistani identity, which was confused between those who did hijrat from India to Pakistan with Jinnah (just like early Muslims who migrated to Madina with Muhammad) and the real sons of the soil. Thus, the nation that was formed in the name of kalma, "being Muslim," did not automatically translate to "being Pakistani." Even Pakistan could not define who is a Muslim; within 25 years of its existence, it got torn into two because of linguistic differences. Even today, there is uncertainty in national identity due to lack of consensus regarding Islam's relation with the state.
CHAPTER 3: THE BURDEN OF ISLAM
This chapter is about how "myths so carefully cultivated to sustain the national edifice turned out after independence to be embarrassments that needed to be shrouded from view or embellished in ways that made them more palatable" (Loc:1833). The chapter is about defining the constitutional identity of Pakistan as Islamic, which can strengthen the monopoly over public expression of Islam.
CHAPTER 4: THE DILEMMAS OF DEVELOPMENT
This chapter explains the stagnation of economic development due to an identity crisis fueled by the lack of Islamic definition. She explains how confusion started by flip-flopping between various types of economic models trying to keep Islam ahead in all, like 1960s "Mohammadan equality" by Ayub, 1970s Bhutto's "Islamic socialism," and Zia's "Islamic economic society" in the 1980s. Though the author feels "Pakistan's early generation of leaders boldly declared that Islam would govern their economic system, the lack of unanimity over Islam effectively precluded the development of a coherent economic model" (Loc:3177), I feel there is a flaw in the thought process itself. "The Long Divergence" book clearly explains flaws in Islamic concepts of economics that hinder growth. Hence, the problem, in addition to corruption, is its use of Islam, which the author missed.
CHAPTER 5: BETWEEN CRESCENT AND SWORD
This chapter is about the symbiotic relationship between army and militant groups. Pakistan's army, with the strategy of using irregular men with the lure of jihad to attack Afghanistan and Kashmir, radicalized itself and society to a point that it reflected in sectarian violence. Pakistan's army, in the absence of a democratic definition of Pakistani identity and Islam, has become the torch-bearer of Islam and its self-proclaimed guardian. The mullah-army nexus has not served its purpose and resulted in international embarrassment after 9/11.
CHAPTER 6: DEMONS FROM ABROAD
In this chapter, Shaikh explains how Pakistan's foreign policy has been dictated by issues of national identity instead of its national interests. She explains how relations with the United States, defined by mutual dependence rather than mutual respect, provided no special status of the kind Pakistan craved.
________________________________________
CONCLUSION
Farzana Shaikh's "Making Sense of Pakistan" provides a compelling analysis of the nation's identity crisis, rooted in its contradictory founding principles. The book demonstrates how unresolved tensions between Islam, ethnicity, and statehood have shaped Pakistan's political instability, societal fragmentation, and foreign policy missteps. Shaikh's insights offer a sobering perspective on the challenges Pakistan faces in achieving stability and progress, emphasizing the urgent need for internal reform and reimagining its national identity.
April 16, 2021
This is an excellent and well-balanced book. Farzana Shaikh has written a book that captures the issues and problems that surround Pakistan, and has managed to tread the centre line. This was possibly a difficult tight-rope to walk on, but she managed it well.
I was familiar with some of these issues (that she has written about) in Pakistan. Most of us Indians have a biased view about Pakistan, and it was refreshing to read her book. While reading it, I could not help but dwell upon the current state of India, and ask myself if we could learn something.
A weakness: she should have explored Pakistan's relationship with China in more detail.
I was familiar with some of these issues (that she has written about) in Pakistan. Most of us Indians have a biased view about Pakistan, and it was refreshing to read her book. While reading it, I could not help but dwell upon the current state of India, and ask myself if we could learn something.
A weakness: she should have explored Pakistan's relationship with China in more detail.
September 11, 2020
Brilliant portrayal of various factions and forces in the political and religious environment of Pakistan. An illuminating read which helps in understanding to a large extent, the compulsions of some of the macro-level decisions taken in the country.
February 16, 2018
From an ideological perspective, this book frames the idea of Pakistan in its correct historical significance.
January 11, 2025
The author seemed to identify the correct issues of Pakistan's identity crisis, yet sometimes missed the root causes of those issues. The author's attitude towards writing, identifying, and referencing issues is influenced by Western ideas of the state and its relationship to its citizens and foreign policy, and fails to provide solutions to those problems in the context of one of the highly intricate societies of South Asia.
November 8, 2022
A good book fraught with facts but not lucid. May take a while to read especially if reading an ebook
March 8, 2020
Farzana Shaikh's book, Making Sense of Pakistan, is one of the most informative and impressively researched books written on Pakistan. The book has not earned prominence due to the fact that when it's written, many foreign authors got released their books simultaneously on Pakistan at the same time which remain on the forefront due to which Shaikh's book lagged behind to gain attention. The author explores the problematic and contested relationship of the country with the religion, and its search for validation and quest for national identity, and stability as a nation-state capable of absorbing the challenges of its rich diverse society. The author has examined the ills of the country but without presenting prescriptions to those illnesses. However, unlike other books on the topic which present historical accounts, but the author in her this book has made intensive analysis of those historical accounts with substantiating well-researched supporting references which give her book a distinction over the rest. Anyone interested in reading about the country must complement it with any book of their own choice on the topic.
The book has struck my interest to write a comprehensive review for any paper.
The book has struck my interest to write a comprehensive review for any paper.
November 30, 2016
A pretty interesting book as it presents the paradox facing Pakistan from a completely different perspective than the usual historians. Though a little complicated in the beginning but once you get the hang of it, the book gets really interesting. My favourite is the title for Pakistan of "America's sullen mistress." True indeed.
May 18, 2011
A very interesting discussion of Modern Pakistan and how it got where it is.
April 17, 2013
Amazing book that I could read over and over again. Farzana Shaikh is really good at explaining all the different aspects that shaped the country's history.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews