Overview
"Ably argued, this volume rests on wide-ranging research both in England and the USA, apart from archives in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh. "
—The Tribune
"Samad's work is detailed in its account of politics, political strategies and the calculations of Muslim leaders as they sought to create unity where there was none. Indeed the book's strongest point is its mastery of provincial politics in the years under study and the deep research into the haphazard manner by which a 'Muslim' leadership was forged. There is a wealth of detail on the construction of the Pakistan demand. "
—Seminar A Nation in Turmoil explores the tension between centripetal and centrifugal forces in Muslim politics as a continuity spanning the partition of the subcontinent in 1947. Thus, it provides new insights for an understanding of the political instability that persists in Pakistan today. Basing his study on a wide range of archival sources, the author describes in detail the events that occurred in the provinces of Punjab, Sind, and Sarhad, thereby providing new information that is essential for our understanding of the rise of Muslim nationalism in the 1940s. Tracing the reemergence of forces that developed in reaction to efforts at centralization, Yunas Samad indicates how the military-bureaucratic oligarchy, fearing that the opposition would gain power and dismantle the military structure, assumed draconian powers.
By examining hitherto unexplored evidence that traces the roots of Pakistan's politics, this book pushes the frontiers of inquiry into this subject beyond familiar limits. A must read for all those interested in the politics of South Asia and in Islamic studies.