Spineless politicians, a subservient judiciary, and a iron-fisted civil service made military control and intervention easier. The military has developed like an octopus, with its tentacles firmly embedded in politics, economy, and society. It zealously guards Pakistan's ideology crafted around the ideas that Pakistan and Islam are in danger and that extreme centralization of power, militarization, and elimination of dissent can only contain this danger. Yet, the national security state has failed to remove national insecurities. In fact, the cost of maintaining the security state has pushed Pakistan dangerously close to the precipice of economic disaster.
Hoodbhoy admits that the future of Pakistan is the shortest chapter in the book. The incoherent national ideology, the parasitic military-civil-feudal elite, the rampaging Mullah, enforced religious homogeneity, and dogmatic thinking are the primary obstacles to building a modern state. Pakistan needs justice, fairness, and equal representation of all its citizens to progress. Hoodbhoy suggests replacing the failed two-nation theory with a Single Nation theory, keeping religion out of politics, and embracing science and technology. This would be a very tall order indeed.
In conclusion, the book makes a unique scholarly contribution to South Asia and Pakistan studies. It is a well-argued book--contesting the standard Pakistani social science texts. Whether one agrees with it or not, the reader will find it worth the while.
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