Pakistan: Search for Stability
Pakistan faces a number of critical challenges, a ‘polycrisis’ that comprises multiple crises – political, constitutional, economic, security, geo-political, demographic, and ecological. These systemic challenges are the cumulative consequence of decades of poor governance and squandered opportunities whose convergence creates a formidable, overall challenge.
Dr Maleeha Lodhi, the country’s well-known diplomat, political scientist, and journalist holds that the country’s leaders, both civilian and military, have failed to take a long view and outline a vision for the country. They have spent much of the time in crisis management or power-preservation modes, postponing meaningful reform and looking for short term, expedient ‘solutions’ to Pakistan’s problems. The consequences of those sins of omission and commission in numerous but interconnected areas have now come together to create a moment of truth for the country.
This volume is a compilation of nineteen essays by Pakistan’s distinguished experts offering analyses of these challenges and proposing solutions. These essays are essential reading for those seeking to understand Pakistan’s present-day immediacies and trends into the future.
Dr Maleeha Lodhi is a former diplomat and political scientist. She served as Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, the first woman to hold the position. Previously, she served as Pakistan's High Commissioner to the UK and twice as its ambassador to the United States.
Contributors: Maleeha Lodhi, Dushka H. Saiyid, Salman Akram Raja, Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, Uzair Younus, Salman Shah, Khurram Husain, Murtaza Syed, Ishrat Husain, Adil Najam, Tariq Banuri, Muhammad Amir Rana, Khawar Mumtaz, Jamil Ahmad, Zeba Sathar, Riaz Mohammad Khan, Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, Sadia Sulaiman, and Zahid Hussain
| ISBN | 9780199062041 |
|---|---|
| Rights | For sale in Pakistan only |
| Year of Publication | 2024 |
| Binding | Paperback |
| Pages | 468 |
This collection of essays by Pakistan’s leading policy intellectuals is a vital contribution to debate on the reforms that the country so desperately needs. It should be read by every Pakistani politician. Anatol Lieven, Director of the Eurasia Program at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft and author of Pakistan: A Hard Country.
Dr Maleeha Lodhi, one of Pakistan’s most distinguished public intellectuals, has brought together some of Pakistan’s top thought leaders to examine a complex but crucial question: How can Pakistan overcome the governance constraints that have held the country back for so long? Search for Stability is a brilliant and vital read for anyone interested in Pakistan, as it’s poised to become a seminal volume. Micheal Kugelman, Director of the South Asia Institute at the Wilson Center, Washington DC.
Maleeha Lodhi’s edited volume is an illuminating and comprehensive study of contemporary Pakistan’s mounting political, socio-economic, security, demographic, and environmental challenges. The nineteen essays offer a rare combination of historical analysis alongside discussion of future trends and policy requirements. The result is a rich account which is destined to become an indispensable work in its field. Ian Talbot, Emeritus Professor of Modern South Asian History, University of Southampton.
Before Pakistan undergoes another meltdown, its leaders need to outline a vision for the country that is sustainable and long term. Dr Maleeha Lodhi, senior diplomat and journalist holds that both the country’s civilian and military leaders have failed to take a long view and have spent much of the time in crisis management rather than build an infrastructure of ideas and introduce reforms. The consequences have created a moment of truth for the country. In this volume, Dr Lodhi has brought together some of Pakistan’s most distinguished experts to analyse various challenges and suggest solutions. Ahmed Rashid, author, and journalist.