Power and Civil Society in Pakistan

Pakistani society is gripped today by a number of fundamental crises that have created extreme distortions in state and society. There is a dramatic increase in the perception, and tendency, that it is necessary and acceptable to attain power by any means. This has contributed significantly to a sense of uncertainty and social chaos. There is a surface conformity amid growing cynicism and skepticism, about the legitimacy of authority. The social aspects underpinning these problems have been largely ignored, as has the relationship between such problems and the delayed emergence of a vibrant, effective, civil society. This volume seeks to create a baseline understanding of the historic relations between traditional structures of power and authority. More importantly, it grapples with the causes behind the disintegration of a consensus within Pakistani civil society, and questions if indeed one ever existed. Focusing on shifting power relationships in various social domains, this volume examines changing power dynamics and their effect on existing local social contracts and the emergence of alternative contracts between peoples. The purpose is not to criticize but to contribute to the rebuilding of a pluralistic, confident and culturally rich society, with the ultimate objective of reconceptualizing Pakistan’s development priorities.