Вы находитесь на странице: 1из 21

Political Economy of Pakistan

Nadia Hasan

Start from the present


Taliban Attacks in Pakistan (NY Times)
Class Dismissed (NY Times)

Some basics
Independence on August 14, 1947
East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) and West
Pakistan
4 provinces: Sindh, Punjab, Balochistan, NWFP
3 territories: Azad Kashmir, Federally
Administered Tribal Areas, and Gilgit-Baltistan
National language is Urdu - but most people
speak Punjabi (60-70%)

Basis of Unity
Recap: Partition
What were the circumstances around
Partition?
What were the justifications for
establishing a Pakistani state?

Basis of Unity
Basis of unity for the Pakistani nation-state: Muslims are
a nation according to any definition of a nation, and they
must have their homelands, their territory, and their
state. (Jinnah, 1940)
We are starting with this fundamental principle that we
are all citizens and equals of one StateI think we
should keep that in front of us as our ideal and you will
find that in course of time Hindus would cease to be
Hindus and Muslims would cease to be Muslims, not in
the religious sensebut in the political sense as citizens
of the State (Jinnah, 1947)

Basis of Unity
3 constitutions since independence (1956,
1962, 1973) each reiterating the
importance of Islam
The last iteration (1973) of the constitution
came after the cessation of East Pakistan
(now Bangladesh) in 1971

Role of religion in the State


Creation of Pakistan was/is often
conflated with survival of Islam in the
subcontinent
But does this mean that Pakistan is an
Islamic state governed by Islamic Law?

Role of Religion in the State


The Ulema were against the creation of the Pakistani
state because they were not interested in sovereignty
based on territorial/cultural definitions
However, when Pakistan gained independence, they
were/are very vocal about the formal implementation of
Islamic law in Pakistan
Jamaat-i-Islami party is a major proponent of this vision
of the Pakistani State
Maulana Maududi (founder of Jamaat-i-Islami Party): Political
power is essential for protecting the Islamic system of life from
deterioration and perversionfor the enforcement of all those
laws that require the sanction of the state and the judiciary for
their operation

Role of Religion in the State


The various degrees of state
secularity/religiousity of different governments
demonstrates the difficulties, at the state level, to
articulate the role of Islam in the state
Zia-ul-Haqs government (1973-1988) came
closest to implementing Shariah law through its
Islamization programs, but no federal
government has fully implemented Shariah Law
Shariah Law has existed, however, in certain
territories

Women in Pakistan
Zia-ul-Haqs Islamization policies had
detrimental effects for women especially
through a set of law called the Hudood
Ordinances
A vocal and vociferous womens
movement emerged during Zias rule
Womens movement in Pakistan
struggling to articulate a balance between
Islam and secularism

Religious Minorities
Ahmadiyyas (1984 law proclaiming
Ahmadiyyas non-Muslim)
Sikhs
Hindus
Christians

Economic Minorities
There are overlaps with religious minorities
But the greatest discrepancy can be seen along
provincial lines, which also translates to ethnic lines
Punjab is largest and wealthiest province, also has
largest presence in the military
Karachi, a port city, is a commercial hub, also
dominated by Mohajirs i.e. non-Punjabi migrants
from different parts of India during partition
Economic alienation of NWFP and Balochistan
and also Sindh (exception of Karachi)

Political Economy of Defence


Ayesha Jalal (1995) has argued that Pakistans
overdeveloped military has had determinative
effects on Pakistans political economy
She argues that there is a key difference
between the political economies of India and
Pakistan:
India has a political economy of development
Pakistan has a political economy of defence

Political Economy of Defence


First decade after independence,
Pakistani military and civil administration
took up 3/4 of the federal budget
Military governments
Ayub Khan (1958)
Zia-ul Haq (1977)
Pervez Musharraf (1999)

Political Economy of Defence


Class aspect of military is tied to the extent to
which the military has been able to infiltrate key
economic structures/entities
Military presence can be felt in: housing
developments, agriculture, transportation,
oil/gas, defence production, hospitals, schools
Greater upward mobility for military personnel
and their families because of access to better
social services (schools, hospitals)

Political Economy of Defence


Dominance of non-elected institutions in
Pakistanpoints to a disjunction between state
power and class power (Jalal, 144)
Support of landowning families alongside failure
to bring about effective land reforms
Mutually constitutive relationship between
dominant social classes and military i.e.
members of military entereing dominant social
classes, and dominant social classes being
protected by military

Political Economy of Defence


Why military overdevelopment?
Pakistan: On a Razors Edge

Opposition to military
The military has been met with opposition
from other political parties
But many of the same parties have often
worked in tandem with the military to
secure their power
The times where political parties have
emerged in opposition to the military is
connected to the degree of economic
marginalization in the country

Opposition to military
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (Pakistan Peoples Party)
took power in 1971 in the context of unrest in
rural areas, including rural Punjab
Roti, kapra, aur makaan - bread, clothes, and
shelter
(1971-1977) Glimmer of democracy
Bhutto legacy (dynasty) is very strong but is
also often romanticized (ex. treatment mohajirs)
Post-Zia - constitutional coups

Strategic Importance of Pakistan in


International Relations
Pakistans neighbours - Afghanistan, Iran,
India, China
Cold War
War on Terror
Not separate from overdevelopment of
military

Conclusion: Where are we now?


Military operations in the Swat and
Waziristan
Displacement of 2 million people (refugee
camps, other cities)
Relationship with US

Вам также может понравиться