Pakistan (2nd ed)

Many dramatic developments have taken place in Pakistan since the publication of the first edition of Oxfam's Profile ("Pakistan: Tradition and Change", 1996).

This up-dated edition contains a supplement which summarises the internal tensions and external shocks that have created turbulence which is extreme even for a country that was born in a ferment of change.

These include: the erosion of democracy under civilian rule in the late 1990s; the military takeover of 1999; strained relations with India, Afghanistan and the USA; an economy reeling from the impact of heavy foreign debt and huge defence expenditure; the legacy of the religious fundamentalism of the 1980s, and its impact on state policies and practices and prospects for a return to democracy.

The original text, which describes Pakistan's history and rich cultural heritage, and self-help community schemes run by grassroots groups, is reproduced in full, with the original illustrations; but the social and economic indicators and the resources section have been revised to bring the book up to date.