The Culture of Power and Governance in Pakistan

The Culture of Power and Governance of Pakistan 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 behavior of the ruling elite. This has meant that in the sixty years of independence from British rule the behavior of the state apparatus and political class has become more arbitrary, proprietorial and delusional. The 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. The 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.

Ilhan Niaz is an Assistant Professor of History at the Quaid-i-Azam University in Islamabad, Pakistan. His research specialization is the history of governance in South Asia and his teaching interests include historiography, world history and Pakistan history. He is the author of An Inquiry into the Culture of Power of the Subcontinent and has been published regularly in academic journals and newspapers. The Culture of Power and Governance of Pakistan is his second book and is based on his PhD dissertation on the same subject.