Historical Dictionary of Pakistan

by Shahid Javed Burki

Overview

Pakistan is unlike most other countries in the emerging world. It is one of the two nations – the other being the state of Israel – founded on the basis of religion. Although it was created to provide a homeland for the Muslim community of British India, in its original form it was able to accommodate only about half of the people of Islamic faith who lived in the subcontinent. Pakistan’s birth in 1947 resulted in one of the largest movements of people in human history when some 14 million people left their homes, with 8 million Muslims leaving India for what is now Pakistan and 6 million Hindus and Sikhs moving in the opposite direction. This was the first large-scale incidence of ethnic cleansing the world was to witness.

This fourth edition of Historical Dictionary of Pakistan covers its history through a chronology, an introductory essay, appendixes, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 700 cross-referenced entries on important personalities, politics, economy, foreign relations, religion, and culture. This book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about Pakistan.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781442241473
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	03/19/2015
Series:	Historical Dictionaries of Asia, Oceania, and the Middle East
Edition description:	Fourth Edition
Pages:	726
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 9.10(h) x 2.30(d)

About the Author

Shahid Javed Burki joined the Civil Service of Pakistan in 1960, his assignments in Pakistan included chief economist of West Pakistan, and economic advisor, Ministry of Commerce, Government of Pakistan. He worked as a senior research fellow at Harvard’s Center for International Affairs and the Harvard Institute for International Development. He also worked at the World Bank where he was director of the China Department and vice president of Latin America and the Caribbean. In 1996-1997 he was finance minister in Pakistan. He took early retirement from the Bank in early 1999 and joined the Emerging Markets partnership, a private equity firm, where he worked as an advisor until 2005. He is now the chairman of the Institute of Public Policy, a Lahore-based think tank, as well as a Senior Visiting Fellow at the National University Singapore’s Institute of South Asian Studies. He concurrently holds a senior fellowship at the Woodrow Wilson Center of International Scholars in Washington.

Table of Contents

Editor’s Foreword (Jon Woronoff)
Acknowledgements
Reader’s Note
Acronyms and Abbreviations
Map
Chronology
Introduction
THE DICTIONARY
Appendix: Important Personalities
Bibliography
About the author

Editorial Reviews

In 1947, Pakistan was established to provide an independent state for the Indian Muslim population when India attained independence from the British Empire. This fourth edition, following the general pattern of other titles in this series, outlines Pakistan's history and establishes its formative periods through a chronology section and an introductory essay. The dictionary section expands on earlier editions—the last was reviewed in 2000—all authored by Burki, a renowned Pakistani scholar and economist who has been involved in national affairs since 1960, lending an intimate, firsthand perspective on the forces that have forged the modern nation over the past 50 years. The work's 700 cross-referenced entries highlight Pakistan's politics, economy, foreign relations, religion, and culture; more than 250 pages and perhaps 200 new entries were added. An appendix covering important personalities and an extensive bibliography are also included, along with a list of acronyms and abbreviations. This work is an excellent reference resource for general readers, students, and scholars who want to learn more about the broad history of Pakistan from 712 AD, when the region was incorporated into the Umayyad Caliphate, to the present day. Summing Up: Recommended. All academic audiences; general readers.

Choice Reviews

In 1947, Pakistan was established to provide an independent state for the Indian Muslim population when India attained independence from the British Empire. This fourth edition, following the general pattern of other titles in this series, outlines Pakistan's history and establishes its formative periods through a chronology section and an introductory essay. The dictionary section expands on earlier editions—the last was reviewed in 2000—all authored by Burki, a renowned Pakistani scholar and economist who has been involved in national affairs since 1960, lending an intimate, firsthand perspective on the forces that have forged the modern nation over the past 50 years. The work's 700 cross-referenced entries highlight Pakistan's politics, economy, foreign relations, religion, and culture; more than 250 pages and perhaps 200 new entries were added. An appendix covering important personalities and an extensive bibliography are also included, along with a list of acronyms and abbreviations. This work is an excellent reference resource for general readers, students, and scholars who want to learn more about the broad history of Pakistan from 712 AD, when the region was incorporated into the Umayyad Caliphate, to the present day. Summing Up: Recommended. All academic audiences; general readers.

Choice

In 1947, Pakistan was established to provide an independent state for the Indian Muslim population when India attained independence from the British Empire. This fourth edition, following the general pattern of other titles in this series, outlines Pakistan's history and establishes its formative periods through a chronology section and an introductory essay. The dictionary section expands on earlier editions—the last was reviewed in 2000—all authored by Burki, a renowned Pakistani scholar and economist who has been involved in national affairs since 1960, lending an intimate, firsthand perspective on the forces that have forged the modern nation over the past 50 years. The work's 700 cross-referenced entries highlight Pakistan's politics, economy, foreign relations, religion, and culture; more than 250 pages and perhaps 200 new entries were added. An appendix covering important personalities and an extensive bibliography are also included, along with a list of acronyms and abbreviations. This work is an excellent reference resource for general readers, students, and scholars who want to learn more about the broad history of Pakistan from 712 AD, when the region was incorporated into the Umayyad Caliphate, to the present day. Summing Up: Recommended. All academic audiences; general readers.

CHOICE

Entries explain how and why Pakistan was founded, shed light on the economy and political system, provide insight on social and cultural factors, and profile key figures in Pakistan's history. An introduction provides a historical context. Includes a list of abbreviations and acronyms, a b&w map, and a chronology. This second edition reflects changes in the country since 1991. The author previously worked in the Civil Service of Pakistan, and recently served as the minister in charge of finance planning and economic affairs in the interim government in Pakistan in the late 1990s. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews

A former longtime official of the World Bank, Burki served in the interim government of Pakistan in the mid-1990s. His reference text features a cross-referenced dictionary containing some 500 entries for key individuals, places, events, and aspects of Pakistan's economy, society, culture, and religious practices; a chronology; a list of acronyms and abbreviations; an introductory essay; and an extensive bibliography grouping materials by topic-history, government and politics, economics, society, newspapers and magazines, and websites. The text has been expanded and updated throughout, including the incorporation of entries on the "Muslimization" and "Islamization" of Pakistani society to reflect changing Western concepts of Pakistan over recent years.

Reference and Research Book News

Well informed.

"American Reference Books Annual"

New coverage reflects events since the terrorist attack on the U.S. in 2001 as well as the earthquake of October 8, 2005, and Pakistan's economic growth, among the highest in the developing world.

Booklist

Provides an overview of Pakistani history in encyclopedic format with an emphasis on events that occurred after the country's independence from Britain.

Middle East Journal

Well informed.

Reference Reviews