Pakistan

Pervez Hoodbhoy taught physics at Quaid-e-Azam University in Islamabad (1973–2021) as well as other Pakistani universities (Lahore University of Management Sciences and Forman Christian College) for nearly five decades. He was visiting professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Carnegie Mellon University, and the University of Maryland, and a post-doctoral research fellow at the University of Washington.

Hoodbhoy’s richly textured inquiry into Pakistan’s evolution from early days onward brings out reality, myth, hope. With penetrating insight and scrupulous care he explores and dismantles multiple poisonous fallacies. But this is no Jeremiad. The cures, he shows, exist as do hopes for a much brighter future.– Noam Chomsky, Professor of Linguistics (Emeritus), Massachusetts Institute of Technology A hard-hitting and truth-seeking analysis of how Pakistan came to be what it is today with the conclusion, first, that the very idea of Pakistan must be rethought, and second, suggestions as to how this might be done.– Francis Robinson, Professor of the History of South Asia, University of London (UK) The effort which has gone into writing this book can only be called monumental. It is highly recommended to all who are interested in truthful history and is especially recommended to those who disagree with the author - if only to promote rational, intellectual debate on the subject of Pakistan's origins and identity.– Tariq Rahman,​ Linguist, Humboldt Laureate, Distinguished National Professor of Social Sciences, HEC (Pakistan)In a bold sweep, Pervez Hoodbhoy seeks to analyze Pakistan's nationhood, its origins, its present, and its future, as also figures critical to the country's formation. The result is a clinical and candid book, yet one that is also constructive and very readable.– Rajmohan Gandhi, author, biographer, peace activist, IIT Gandhinagar (India)The book unabashedly lays bare facts of history that in the past were only just whispered. A brave expose and, equally, a desire for a different Pakistan that few dare talk about.– Ayesha Siddiqa, author of Military Inc. – Inside Pakistan’s Military EconomyAs a scientist, Hoodbhoy weighs evidence as he fearlessly digs into explaining and resolving crucial issues that present-day Pakistanis face. His scholarship is meticulous and wide-ranging, laying a foundation for an extraordinarily insightful exploration of Pakistan’s history and its social, cultural, and political dynamics extending into the present day. Withal, he reaches out to the reader with straightforward and clear questions, inviting informed revision of the conventional understanding of Pakistan.– Philip K. Oldenburg, Columbia University (USA)Agree with it or not, Pervez Hoodbhoy's book demands to be read. It provides the most thorough reversal of existing narratives about Pakistan's origins. A bracing and counter-intuitive interpretation of nationalist history. – Faisal Devji, Professor of Indian History, University

• ForewordPrefaceAcknowledgmentsIntroductionPart One: Long Before The Two-Nation Idea 1. Identity Formation in Medieval India2. The British Reinvent IndiaPart Two: A Closer Look At Pakistan’s Three Founder-Heroes3. Founder I: The Lonely Modernizer4. Founder II: Premier Poet–Preacher–Politician5. Founder III: Liberal, Secular, Visionary?6. Jinnah Trounces his Muslim OpponentsPart Three: Postnatal Blues7. Stubborn Angularities I: East Pakistan8. Stubborn Angularities II: BalochistanPart Four: Five Big Questions9. Was Partition Worth the Price?10. What Is the Ideology of Pakistan – and Does It Matter?11. Why Couldn’t Pakistan Become an Islamic State?12. Why Is Pakistan a Praetorian State?13. Identity: I’m Pakistani, but What Am I?Part Five: Looking Ahead14. Three Physical Perils up Ahead15. The Paths Travelled Post-197116. Replacing the Two Nation TheoryIndex