Pakistan has emerged as a strategic ally of the United States in the "war on terror." It is the third largest recipient of U.S. aid in the world. But how stable is Pakistan? Ayesha Siddiqa shows how the military has gradually gained control of Pakistan's political, social, and economic resources. T his power has transformed Pakistani society, where the armed forces have become an independent class. The military is entrenched in the corporate sector and controls the country's largest companies and large tracts of real estate. So Pakistan's companies and its main assets are in the hands of a tiny minority of senior army officials. Siddiqa examines this military economy and the consequences of merging the military and corporate sectors. Does democracy have a future in the new Pakistan?…
"This is another remarkable book. Husain Haqqani is today Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States. In his book he tells of the no-holds-barred relationship between the army and the Islamic religious parties and institutions and civil society. And the picture he paints is of an army that has gradually taken over more and more control. It has built an intelligence service that has become deeper and deeper enmeshed in Pakistani life. In some ways the book is now a bit of an embarrassment for Ambassador Haqqani because it is so blunt, and that is undiplomatic, but that is what makes it such a good book and such a useful insight into how Pakistan really works. I think at the end of the day the way that the Pakistani military will be tamed and kept in the barracks is by changing the strategic orientation of the country. The only reason the military plays such a large role is because of the rivalry between Pakistan and India. There is this state of semi-war which has existed for 60 years. The big idea that needs to be promoted in Pakistan is trying to find peace with India, because peace – or at least a significant reduction in tensions – would take away much of the argument for the army getting a disproportionate share of the country’s wealth. I think you can trace it very clearly. The war against the Soviets in the 1980s and the dictatorship of Zia-ul-Haq was a transformative and critical moment in Pakistani history. Zia took a country which had many weaknesses but which was struggling to build a democracy and he put it firmly on the road towards a much more Islamist society. He also strengthened the hands of the Pakistani intelligence service and the hands of the religious parties. He was responsible for the blasphemy law which is at the heart of the current debate about the future of the country."
