Book Review

PAKISTAN

Islam, Politics and National Solidarity

By

Anwar H. Syed

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Published By

Vanguard Books LTD

Reviewed By: Ehtisham-ul-Haq

“A sense of nationhood is a sense of solidarity uniting citizens who feel that, despite regional differences, they form a people destined for common statehood. Diverse groups may also want to combine in a common state for reasons of economic and other advantage. But if the advantage is dubious, and solidarity missing, the state will have to rely mainly on its coercive power to maintain itself. In the long run, this may turn out to be a self defeating strategy”

Pakistan came into being on August 14, 1947, by partitioning of India, after a long struggle for independence by the Muslims of the subcontinent. The Muslims considered themselves as a separate nation from Hindus. In 1971 Pakistan was dismembered and the larger part of the nation emerged into a new country Bangladesh. The Pakistan army battled Baluchi insurgents in 1948, 1958 and 1973. it is apparent that cracks in national solidarity had surfaced within months of Pakistan’s establishment.

Anwar H. Syed provides a detailed background for the concept of nationhood, national community and its solidarity by referencing the research work done by different renowned social scientists and jurists including Ibn Khaldun, Max Weber, Rupert Emerson and Barbara Ward. According to him Pakistani nationhood could not be established because a powerful school of thought insisted otherwise.

Pakistan is an Islamic state, created on the basis of Islam, so the stronger cohesive role in the Pakistani nationhood should be of the religion, “Muslim Nationalism”. But this is not the case as Muslim Nationalism has failed to keep Pakistanis together. Hence we should find additional social values and symbols to give us a national personality. The author has very successfully elaborated this sensitive issue in a very effective manner. One of the reasons could be because he occupies a prestigious academic position outside the country. This also gives him ample analytical credibility.

The author has also given a comprehensive account of the Muslim nationhood across the folds of history which is very much accurate. According to him Muhammad Iqbal and M.A. Jinnah were the founding fathers of Muslim Nationhood in Pakistan.

General Muhammad Ayub Khan, overthrew the parliamentary government in 1958, and ruled until 1969. “He seized power to put the country on an even keel, not to Islamize it”. General Yahya Khan succeeded him, following the Pakistan’s army’s surrender in Decca in 1971. He gave way to Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, whose party won election in 1970. Bhutto was of the view that one could not be a good Muslim without being a socialist, and that Islam could only be implemented through socialism. General Zia-ul-Haq ousted Bhutto in 1977.He tried to Islamize Pakistan, which causes more cynicism than improvement in the society.

Generally speaking there are two main groups in Pakistani politics, politicians and ulema. Politicians are willing to implement the Islamic values and principles deduced from Quran and Sunnah whereas the ulema want to implement them as they were in Quran and Sunnah, without any modification. The contest between these two groups is a struggle for power, at the expense of national stability and solidarity.

Conclusion

The reason I selected this book is because of my exposure to his work through a national English daily. Though this book contains some minor proof reading mistakes, I find author’s views methodical, refreshing and scholarly. He has underemphasized our indulgence in ideological self-deception because we look at things through an emotional prism. And this emotional attachment to our religion has slowed down further evolution and progress of Pakistani culture and has been misused by many political and religious leaders for the accomplishment of their objectives. This book is not only useful for the students of Pakistan Studies, Political Science and Sociology, but also equally valuable for all the people who have even casual interest in background of Pakistani political landscape.