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Breaking the Curfew: A Political Journey Through Pakistan
Examines the current volatile political complexion of Pakistan and the effects of President Zia's murder, the war in neighboring Afghanistan, and the booming heroin and weapons trades that threaten the stability of the nation
320 pages, Paperback
First published February 23, 1989
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
May 8, 2020
Candid,refreshing,funny and insightful,one of the best books ever written on Pakistan's politics and society.Doesn't matter that it was written in the 1980s,the conclusions don't change today.
Emma Duncan was a correspondent for The Economist in Pakistan.It seems to be the only book she has written,that's just too bad.I would have loved to read more of her work.
This book does have plenty of negative observations and at times appears condescending.Some readers might find it offensive,but that still doesn't detract from my five star rating.I found her observations and criticism spot on and very valid.Another bonus is her great sense of humour.
Pakistan had just been through eleven years of General Zia ul Haq's extremely heavy handed rule,when there was no dissent and no freedom of expression.Zia was ruthless,a strongman like no other Pakistan has ever had.So,the title of the book is very apt.
Duncan takes a look at what makes Pakistan tick,at the people who matter,at what ails the system.It is a brilliant analysis,the best I've read by a foreign writer
Generals,politicians,businessmen,bureaucrats and feudals,these are the people who matter in Pakistan.The list of those she meets is impressive,it is a who is who of Pakistani society of the time.She even interviews General Zia himself,and some of his key lieutenants.
These encounters are memorable,there are anecdotes aplenty.I found myself chuckling repeatedly.
Recently,I tried to read a 1,000 plus page tome on Pakistan,which exhausted my patience.Duncan does the job in one tenth the number of pages.A far superior book compared to Christina Lamb's Waiting for Allah,written at the same time.
A firm favourite of a book,timeless in its conclusions.
Emma Duncan was a correspondent for The Economist in Pakistan.It seems to be the only book she has written,that's just too bad.I would have loved to read more of her work.
This book does have plenty of negative observations and at times appears condescending.Some readers might find it offensive,but that still doesn't detract from my five star rating.I found her observations and criticism spot on and very valid.Another bonus is her great sense of humour.
Pakistan had just been through eleven years of General Zia ul Haq's extremely heavy handed rule,when there was no dissent and no freedom of expression.Zia was ruthless,a strongman like no other Pakistan has ever had.So,the title of the book is very apt.
Duncan takes a look at what makes Pakistan tick,at the people who matter,at what ails the system.It is a brilliant analysis,the best I've read by a foreign writer
Generals,politicians,businessmen,bureaucrats and feudals,these are the people who matter in Pakistan.The list of those she meets is impressive,it is a who is who of Pakistani society of the time.She even interviews General Zia himself,and some of his key lieutenants.
These encounters are memorable,there are anecdotes aplenty.I found myself chuckling repeatedly.
Recently,I tried to read a 1,000 plus page tome on Pakistan,which exhausted my patience.Duncan does the job in one tenth the number of pages.A far superior book compared to Christina Lamb's Waiting for Allah,written at the same time.
A firm favourite of a book,timeless in its conclusions.
May 12, 2012
Wonder what has taken me so long to read this great book on Pakistan? I think the desire to read it was triggered after reading 'Eye of the storm' by OB Jones. The book is a series of interviews across the various classes of the Pakistani society, a bit like 'A million mutinies now' by Naipaul. I loved the skeptical narrative as she interviewed and compared events around her with the narrative on offer. I think she very nicely catches the mood of the country and the various challenges across the gamut of the society. It was enjoyable to see her interview the President and the taxi driver and present their views in an equal measure. Why can't our own Pakistani journalists or authors write similar books you may wonder. It is because they do not find it easy to get access to the rich and mighty which this particular author or indeed any foreigner seems to enjoy in Pakistan. Maybe it is throwback to the British Raj? Go figure.....
July 2, 2013
Finally! It took forever to read but it is by at one of the most informative and comprehensive books I have ever read about Pakistan. Emma Duncan's wit and extensive research is a delight to read. She has covered absolutely every facet there is to know about Pakistan; from it's birth, to it's tumultuous milestones, all the way up to it's 1988 elections.
This book is a great reference point for anyone beginning to understand Pakistan and it's myriad of politics, army, bureaucracy and landlords. As a journalist myself, it never ceased to amaze me the extent to which this woman has gone to in writing and analysing what has always been a tricky topic for locals. This is the kind of diligence and tenacity a reporter must possess before he or she is even considered worth being acknowledged as a journalist.
Her sourcing, quotations, analysis is absolutely impeccable. This is a all time favourite for me. It's strange how Duncan never wrote any more books about the countries she visited. It would be a huge honour to interview this woman for her extensive and remarkable work on Pakistan.
This book is a great reference point for anyone beginning to understand Pakistan and it's myriad of politics, army, bureaucracy and landlords. As a journalist myself, it never ceased to amaze me the extent to which this woman has gone to in writing and analysing what has always been a tricky topic for locals. This is the kind of diligence and tenacity a reporter must possess before he or she is even considered worth being acknowledged as a journalist.
Her sourcing, quotations, analysis is absolutely impeccable. This is a all time favourite for me. It's strange how Duncan never wrote any more books about the countries she visited. It would be a huge honour to interview this woman for her extensive and remarkable work on Pakistan.
January 18, 2021
This is a short but very dense book and I found myself lost quite a bit. This is all about policy/corruption/bureaucracy so it's a bit dry, focused on the inner machinations of power through chapters in businessmen, landlords, tribal leaders, etc. I thought the first chapter "Foreignness" was very clarifying, five stars there. I also enjoyed the chapters "Money" and "Religion" but the rest was kind of a slog and I'm skeptical of how relevant it is since it was published 32 years ago. I generally prefer books about culture rather than politics, and I'm just realizing that perhaps the dearth of interviews with women contributed to my negative feelings. The few women who show up here are fascinating.
October 14, 2024
Breaking the Curfew by Emma Duncan is like attempting to solve a jigsaw puzzle with pieces that don’t quite fit. Duncan embarks on a political journey through Pakistan, seeking to understand its complexities, but her narrative is filtered through the remnants of a colonial mindset. The picture she tries to construct feels incomplete—fragments of Pakistan’s political chaos, social struggles, and military dominance dominate the scene, but the whole remains elusive.
Pakistan, with its shifting socio-political landscape, refuses to conform to Duncan's attempts to simplify it. Her portrayal reflects a Western tendency to view former colonies through a lens that often fails to grasp the nuanced reality. Duncan dissects the country's military rule, corruption, and ideological tensions, focusing heavily on what is broken while failing to fully appreciate the cultural, historical, and human forces that have shaped it.
But as Duncan attempts to piece together Pakistan’s story, the shadow of colonialism looms large. The legacy of British rule—arbitrary borders, divisive governance, and the exploitation of resources—is ever-present, though only quietly acknowledged. The systems of power left behind continue to reverberate, but Duncan’s analysis doesn’t always connect these colonial roots to the modern political and social dynamics she observes.
Her analysis, like many from the West, treats Pakistan as a product—an experiment in post-colonial governance gone awry—without fully accounting for the deeper historical scars. It’s as though Duncan is holding a map drawn by colonial hands, trying to navigate a terrain that has long since changed, but with the wrong compass in hand.
While she accurately captures the confusion and contradictions within Pakistan’s power structures, her narrative ultimately reveals the limitations of an outsider's view. Pakistan remains an enigma, a country whose story can’t be told from afar, where the puzzle will never be complete as long as the lens is blurred by inherited biases.
Pakistan, with its shifting socio-political landscape, refuses to conform to Duncan's attempts to simplify it. Her portrayal reflects a Western tendency to view former colonies through a lens that often fails to grasp the nuanced reality. Duncan dissects the country's military rule, corruption, and ideological tensions, focusing heavily on what is broken while failing to fully appreciate the cultural, historical, and human forces that have shaped it.
But as Duncan attempts to piece together Pakistan’s story, the shadow of colonialism looms large. The legacy of British rule—arbitrary borders, divisive governance, and the exploitation of resources—is ever-present, though only quietly acknowledged. The systems of power left behind continue to reverberate, but Duncan’s analysis doesn’t always connect these colonial roots to the modern political and social dynamics she observes.
Her analysis, like many from the West, treats Pakistan as a product—an experiment in post-colonial governance gone awry—without fully accounting for the deeper historical scars. It’s as though Duncan is holding a map drawn by colonial hands, trying to navigate a terrain that has long since changed, but with the wrong compass in hand.
While she accurately captures the confusion and contradictions within Pakistan’s power structures, her narrative ultimately reveals the limitations of an outsider's view. Pakistan remains an enigma, a country whose story can’t be told from afar, where the puzzle will never be complete as long as the lens is blurred by inherited biases.
December 8, 2020
A must read for a Pakistani!
July 27, 2019
30 years old but feels like a current affairs book. That's how much things have not changed.
July 22, 2008
One of the better books I've read about Pakistan and its politics. Pretty readable, and quite broad ranging, but also pretty consistently cynicial!
May 3, 2008
This book is twenty years old, and so it's a little dated, but still very relevant. A good book to read for a basic understanding of how Pakistan works.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews