Pakistan's Political Parties: Surviving between Dictatorship and Democracy (South Asia in World Affairs series) (PDF) (Print)

PakistanÕs 2018 general elections marked the second successful transfer of power from one elected civilian government to anotherÑa remarkable achievement considering the countryÕs history of dictatorial rule. PakistanÕs Political Parties examines how the civilian side of the stateÕs current regime has survived the transition to democracy, providing critical insight into the evolution of political parties in Pakistan and their role in developing democracies in general.

PakistanÕs numerous political parties span the ideological spectrum, as well as represent diverse regional, ethnic, and religious constituencies. The essays in this volume explore the way in which these parties both contend and work with PakistanÕs military-bureaucratic establishment to assert and expand their power. Researchers use interviews, surveys, data, and ethnography to illuminate the internal dynamics and motivations of these groups and the mechanisms through which they create policy and influence state and society.

PakistanÕs Political Parties is a one-of-a-kind resource for diplomats, policymakers, journalists, and scholars searching for a comprehensive overview of PakistanÕs party system and its unlikely survival against an interventionist military, with insights that extend far beyond the region.