The alienation of Pakistan's elite from the country's politics, culture and society, which had its roots in the opposition to Z A Bhutto's populist political culture, gathered pace with the 'Islamisation' process under Zia. The resulting isolation and their disengagement from the social and political processes damaged the country's academic institutions, public places and the social and physical environment. The new elite generation is entirely Englishspeaking, with no relationship to the country's literature, history or geography and especially to the physical space in which the vast majority of Pakistanis live.
