Pakistan Politics

The many political crises that Pakistan has experienced since it came into existence has had an impact on history writing in the nation. Imperatives of political centralisation are reflected in mainstream history writing's attempts to homogenise culture, traditions, the religious and social life of its people.

The underestimation of Pakistan's urban population - due to changes in the census methodology and spatial demography of urbanisation - has resulted in the failure to capture several important aspects of current urban demography. There is an urgent need to understand the significance, magnitude and nature of the phenomenon of urbanisation, as it is the key to developing an understanding of the political process.

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.

This article suggests that without diverting expenditures from large-sized, overstaffed establishments the government will not be able to address the problems of corruption and incompetence in the public sector. The lack of clarity on the role of government and an over-extended regulatory framework also act as a brake on private sector investment and production.