Author: Avtar Singh Bhasin
Translator(s)/ Editors(s): Avtar Singh Bhasin
Publisher: Geetika Publishers
Year: 2012
Language: English
Pages: 9062
ISBN/UPC (if available): 9789381417027
Description
The Birth of Pakistan was a unique occurrence in History. It split a country, its people, its landmass, and its bounty; the linkages built over centuries vanished overnight. Roads and railroads were cut, rivers and streams divided, assets and liabilities apportioned, civil and defense services split.
A single trading mart, where goods and services flowed freely, suddenly found itself split into two with tariff, non-tariff and immigration barriers. It was a great exercises in splitting an ancient civilization, a composite culture, a shared inheritance, all that constituted a nation and its wealth History was made to stand on its head.
Pakistan, spread over two wings separated by over one thousand miles, was an artificial state. The majority of its people lived in the eastern wing but the centre of political power was in the western wing, making the majority subservient to the minority. The language of the majority was denied an honorable place; and given an iniquitous share in the power structure and resources. Dissatisfaction in the East against the Western wing was inevitable. It was only when the east consolidated its numbers, and challenged the West’s monopoly of power at the centre, that the West was shaken out of its wits. What followed is history, as they say.
The partition was an opportunity for the two newly-born countries to go their own ways and build egalitarian societies, growing together and complementing each other. Unfortunately Pakistan, unable to transcend the two-nation theory, kept alive the animosities of the past and added fresh ones. They bogey of Indian hegemony was constructed and an anti-India bias was created. The democratic aspirations of its people remained constrained. The feeling of insecurity that it created for itself and its people drove Pakistan to seek security from sources, which exploited it for their own strategic needs.
This vitiated the politics of the sub-continent and brought the cold war to its door step. Obsession with Kashmir drove Pakistan to an uncompromising confrontation with India, which proved disastrous for its socio-political growth and economic development Massive foreign involvement including in Pakistan’s militarization encouraged lopsided growth leading to an overwhelming role and influence of the military establishment in its society.
The present study is the Saga of these pernicious developments which after more than six decades of the post-colonial history, have made South Asia among the Most volatile regions in the world.
Contents
VOLUME 1
Preface
Introduction
Contents
Section : 1 – Political 1947-54
VOLUME 2
Political 1955-69
VOLUME 3
Political 1970 – 1974
VOLUME 4
Political 1975- 89
VOLUME 5
Political 1990 – 2007
Section : 2 – No War Declaration
VOLUME 6
Section : 3 – Defense Issues
Section : 4 – Nuclear
Section : 5 – Junagadh
Section : 6 – Kashmir
VOLUME 7
Section : 7 – Kutch
Section : 8 – Canal/Indus Waters
Section : 9 – Eastern Waters
VOLUME 8
Section : 10 – Trade and Commerce
Section : 11 – India-East Pakistan Border
Section : 12 – India-West Pakistan Border
VOLUME 9
Section : 13 – Minorities
Section : 14 – Evacuee Property
VOLUME 10
Section : 15 – Financial Issues
Section : 16 – Passport & Visa
Section : 17 – Miscellaneous