saeed shafqat | Forman Christian College University (original) (raw)
Uploads
Papers by saeed shafqat
Centre for Public Policy and Governance(CPPG), 2020
The purpose of this research is to provide a framework for dialogue on the concept of governance ... more The purpose of this research is to provide a framework for dialogue on the concept of governance and issues of civil service reform in Pakistan in general, and the Provinces in particular. Governance and reform issues still remain peripheral and call for urgent atten- tion. The remedy lies in a synergized top down and bottom up approach that may be pursued to induce behavioral and structural change. So the paper, therefore argues that, following the implementation of the 18th Amendment, provincial and local governments should be the pivot for improving governance and pushing the long overdue civil service reform.
World Bank, 2019
World Bank Report
Cambridge University Press eBooks, Apr 5, 2010
The Kargil conflict evokes contradictory images and responses among Pakistani elites and the publ... more The Kargil conflict evokes contradictory images and responses among Pakistani elites and the public. Although precious few people in Pakistan understand what actually occurred on the frigid heights in the Kargil-Dras sector of Indian-held Kashmir, popular perceptions of the conflict have profoundly affected politics and civil–military relations in Pakistan. Seven years after the Kargil conflict, in his memoirs General Pervez Musharraf claimed that the prime minister Nawaz Sharif was fully informed about the operation, that Kargil was a successful operation, and that the prime minister showed a lack of statesmanship by running to Washington and quickly yielding to US pressure to withdraw troops from Kargil. Nawaz Sharif was quick to refuteMusharraf’s claims. He categorically denied any knowledge about the operation and claimed that he learned about the incursion from Indian prime minister Vajpayee. This controversy led political leaders to demand investigation by a Parliamentary Committee. Some retired generals alleged that Kargil compromised Pakistan’s position on Kashmir. These allegations notwithstanding, the evidence about Kargil remainsmurky and both civil andmilitary elites continue to contest the facts. This chapter provides four main observations about the impact of the Kargil crisis on Pakistani politics and society. First, elite opinion in Pakistan remains fractured. Analysis of the Kargil operation – its purpose, its conduct, and its resolution – varies widely in press accounts and commentary, allowing different commentators to use selective media coverage to articulate their messages for their audience. The government’s insistence on the mujahideen cover story significantly complicated not only the Pakistani media’s reporting of the conflict but also Pakistan’s
RePEc: Research Papers in Economics, 2008
The Papers in this volume analyze and evaluate the problems and challenges that confront Pakistan... more The Papers in this volume analyze and evaluate the problems and challenges that confront Pakistan as a dynamic, diverse and complex society undergoing modernization and change. The central argument of this book is that the contexts and contours of Pakistan are undergoing radical transformations; as the military realigns itself in the global arena; as Islamic forces re-evaluate and redesign their strategies in society; and as new dynamics with United States, China, Russia, India and Central Asian states are being forged. The papers in this volume, on the one hand, provide diverging and competing visions of Pakistan and on the other, reveal how traditional social order and culture are adapting to forces of modernization and globalization. It analyzes the issues of national identity and state formation, Islamization, rise of Jihadi groups and their relationship with the military; de-institutionalization of political parties; erosion of liberal values and challenges of constructing democracy, imperatives of state security and globalization. The book ventures to explain the disabilities, constraints, and missed opportunities and provides a new framework of dialogue and debate on the study of Pakistan. How Pakistan is responding to these domestic and global challenges need to be evaluated by focusing on the capacity and performance of the state and society.
The Journal of Asian Studies, May 1, 2003
... Mahmood takes a very critical look at the governance of Pakistan and is not hesitant to point... more ... Mahmood takes a very critical look at the governance of Pakistan and is not hesitant to point out the series of failures that have haunted the country in its fifty-five years of independence. ... SAEEDSHAFQAT Columbia University The Making of the Pakistan Resolution. ...
Civil-Military Relations in Pakistan, 2019
Rethinking China, the Middle East and Asia in a ‘Mnltiplex World’, 2022
This is a chapter from the book Rethinking China...ina Multiplex World', that analyses the challe... more This is a chapter from the book Rethinking China...ina Multiplex World', that analyses the challenges and opportunities that CPEC offers to Pakistan and in the process the rivalries and confrontations that it could face in Balochistan. The chapter draws attention on the salience of Balochistan for China, Iran, Pakistan & India
This article examines the changes in the nature and direction of civil-military relations over th... more This article examines the changes in the nature and direction of civil-military relations over the past two decades, particularly since 2007 to 2017. I make three sets of arguments. First, despite a transition to democracy and a considerably improved level of trust between the civil and military elites, the military remains a hegemon in Pakistani politics and policymaking. Second, in the past two decades the composition, outlook and orientation of military elites has undergone significant change and their interaction with the civilian leadership has gained greater frequency and that is likely to impact how the military responds to the challenge of sustaining democracy in Pakistan. Third, the political leadership has also become niftier in dealing with the military but has done little effort to understand how the military works as an organisation.
This chapter seeks to explain how, in the post-1971 period, the Muslim League went through a proc... more This chapter seeks to explain how, in the post-1971 period, the Muslim League went through a process of factionalism, splintering, and reunification to result in the eventual emergence of the PML-N, one of the country’s most prominent political parties. The formation and development of the PML-N, as well as the associated rise of Nawaz Sharif as its leader, is a story of the changing dynamics of civil-military relations in Pakistan. I conclude with an analysis of the PML-N’s most recent time in office (2013–18) and the sustained protests it faced from opposition parties, and I offer future scenarios for the party.
Progressive Publishers eBooks, 1989
Journal of International Affairs, Sep 22, 2009
... the linked to controversial Frontier Crime Regulation (FCR) in T^T OTiPratp in the FATA, a ho... more ... the linked to controversial Frontier Crime Regulation (FCR) in T^T OTiPratp in the FATA, a holdover from the British Raj period.^^ In a ... day the NWFP government finalized the peace agreement with Swat militants on 9 May, the ruling ANP party chief, Asfandyar Wali Khan, was ...
Centre for Public Policy and Governance(CPPG), 2020
The purpose of this research is to provide a framework for dialogue on the concept of governance ... more The purpose of this research is to provide a framework for dialogue on the concept of governance and issues of civil service reform in Pakistan in general, and the Provinces in particular. Governance and reform issues still remain peripheral and call for urgent atten- tion. The remedy lies in a synergized top down and bottom up approach that may be pursued to induce behavioral and structural change. So the paper, therefore argues that, following the implementation of the 18th Amendment, provincial and local governments should be the pivot for improving governance and pushing the long overdue civil service reform.
World Bank, 2019
World Bank Report
Cambridge University Press eBooks, Apr 5, 2010
The Kargil conflict evokes contradictory images and responses among Pakistani elites and the publ... more The Kargil conflict evokes contradictory images and responses among Pakistani elites and the public. Although precious few people in Pakistan understand what actually occurred on the frigid heights in the Kargil-Dras sector of Indian-held Kashmir, popular perceptions of the conflict have profoundly affected politics and civil–military relations in Pakistan. Seven years after the Kargil conflict, in his memoirs General Pervez Musharraf claimed that the prime minister Nawaz Sharif was fully informed about the operation, that Kargil was a successful operation, and that the prime minister showed a lack of statesmanship by running to Washington and quickly yielding to US pressure to withdraw troops from Kargil. Nawaz Sharif was quick to refuteMusharraf’s claims. He categorically denied any knowledge about the operation and claimed that he learned about the incursion from Indian prime minister Vajpayee. This controversy led political leaders to demand investigation by a Parliamentary Committee. Some retired generals alleged that Kargil compromised Pakistan’s position on Kashmir. These allegations notwithstanding, the evidence about Kargil remainsmurky and both civil andmilitary elites continue to contest the facts. This chapter provides four main observations about the impact of the Kargil crisis on Pakistani politics and society. First, elite opinion in Pakistan remains fractured. Analysis of the Kargil operation – its purpose, its conduct, and its resolution – varies widely in press accounts and commentary, allowing different commentators to use selective media coverage to articulate their messages for their audience. The government’s insistence on the mujahideen cover story significantly complicated not only the Pakistani media’s reporting of the conflict but also Pakistan’s
RePEc: Research Papers in Economics, 2008
The Papers in this volume analyze and evaluate the problems and challenges that confront Pakistan... more The Papers in this volume analyze and evaluate the problems and challenges that confront Pakistan as a dynamic, diverse and complex society undergoing modernization and change. The central argument of this book is that the contexts and contours of Pakistan are undergoing radical transformations; as the military realigns itself in the global arena; as Islamic forces re-evaluate and redesign their strategies in society; and as new dynamics with United States, China, Russia, India and Central Asian states are being forged. The papers in this volume, on the one hand, provide diverging and competing visions of Pakistan and on the other, reveal how traditional social order and culture are adapting to forces of modernization and globalization. It analyzes the issues of national identity and state formation, Islamization, rise of Jihadi groups and their relationship with the military; de-institutionalization of political parties; erosion of liberal values and challenges of constructing democracy, imperatives of state security and globalization. The book ventures to explain the disabilities, constraints, and missed opportunities and provides a new framework of dialogue and debate on the study of Pakistan. How Pakistan is responding to these domestic and global challenges need to be evaluated by focusing on the capacity and performance of the state and society.
The Journal of Asian Studies, May 1, 2003
... Mahmood takes a very critical look at the governance of Pakistan and is not hesitant to point... more ... Mahmood takes a very critical look at the governance of Pakistan and is not hesitant to point out the series of failures that have haunted the country in its fifty-five years of independence. ... SAEEDSHAFQAT Columbia University The Making of the Pakistan Resolution. ...
Civil-Military Relations in Pakistan, 2019
Rethinking China, the Middle East and Asia in a ‘Mnltiplex World’, 2022
This is a chapter from the book Rethinking China...ina Multiplex World', that analyses the challe... more This is a chapter from the book Rethinking China...ina Multiplex World', that analyses the challenges and opportunities that CPEC offers to Pakistan and in the process the rivalries and confrontations that it could face in Balochistan. The chapter draws attention on the salience of Balochistan for China, Iran, Pakistan & India
This article examines the changes in the nature and direction of civil-military relations over th... more This article examines the changes in the nature and direction of civil-military relations over the past two decades, particularly since 2007 to 2017. I make three sets of arguments. First, despite a transition to democracy and a considerably improved level of trust between the civil and military elites, the military remains a hegemon in Pakistani politics and policymaking. Second, in the past two decades the composition, outlook and orientation of military elites has undergone significant change and their interaction with the civilian leadership has gained greater frequency and that is likely to impact how the military responds to the challenge of sustaining democracy in Pakistan. Third, the political leadership has also become niftier in dealing with the military but has done little effort to understand how the military works as an organisation.
This chapter seeks to explain how, in the post-1971 period, the Muslim League went through a proc... more This chapter seeks to explain how, in the post-1971 period, the Muslim League went through a process of factionalism, splintering, and reunification to result in the eventual emergence of the PML-N, one of the country’s most prominent political parties. The formation and development of the PML-N, as well as the associated rise of Nawaz Sharif as its leader, is a story of the changing dynamics of civil-military relations in Pakistan. I conclude with an analysis of the PML-N’s most recent time in office (2013–18) and the sustained protests it faced from opposition parties, and I offer future scenarios for the party.
Progressive Publishers eBooks, 1989
Journal of International Affairs, Sep 22, 2009
... the linked to controversial Frontier Crime Regulation (FCR) in T^T OTiPratp in the FATA, a ho... more ... the linked to controversial Frontier Crime Regulation (FCR) in T^T OTiPratp in the FATA, a holdover from the British Raj period.^^ In a ... day the NWFP government finalized the peace agreement with Swat militants on 9 May, the ruling ANP party chief, Asfandyar Wali Khan, was ...
CPPG Position Paper, 2019
Despite the various challenges arising from the implementation of the CPEC, it is clear that the ... more Despite the various challenges arising from the implementation of the CPEC, it is clear that the initiative holds great promise for the national development of Pakistan. However, the Indian government and indeed a segment of Indian policy makers and analysts assert that the CPEC is China’s device to ‘encircle India,’ and Pakistan is only a collaborator in this scheme. Pakistani policymakers, on the other hand, claim that it is a ‘game-changer’ and a pivot of the China-Pakistan strategic partnership. It is noteworthy that China has demonstrated enormous skill in managing territorial disputes with India while continuing to expand its trade and commerce. In fact, India-China economic relations are booming with the volume of trade and investment estimated at over 80 billion US dollars. China-Pakistan trade and investment is less than 18 billion US dollars.
Pakistan was born as a pluralist society and, in reality, continues to be vibrant and diverse—eth... more Pakistan was born as a pluralist society and, in reality, continues to be vibrant and diverse—ethnically, linguistically, culturally and in terms of the understanding of these aspects. Yet, over the past four decades, security imperatives of the state and governing elites have attempted to change this reality into a monolithic society. This has created a constant schism between state building and nation building processes. Increasingly, the proponents of monolithic ideologies have captured the state. Resultantly, pluralist dimensions of the society are not being shored up by the state. The paper will examine how the decisions of governing elites have shrunk pluralist space in Pakistan and continue to threaten its pluralist character. Yet the society is changing and becoming more diverse and multi cultural and the governing elites appear hesitant in recognizing and comprehending the scale of this change. The role of the state in constructing knowledge and narrative is widely recognized. Given this context, the paper will argue that the 18th Amendment offers a tremendous opportunity to reshape and revive pluralist character and articulate responsible citizenship through civic education in Pakistan. Would the governing elites seize the moment and realign monist state to Pakistan's pluralist reality?
Pakistan AD2000, 1989
This paper was written as part of an exercise in Future Forecasting I thought it may interest som... more This paper was written as part of an exercise in Future Forecasting
I thought it may interest some, who are interested in understanding political transformations in Pakistan : Predicting the fu tu re dire ctio n o f a political system is a hazardous task. However, given some understanding o f historical experience, socioeconomic conditions, changes in the international environm ent and p o licy choices exercised by the decision making elites o f a state, one can forecast (w ith some c re d ib ility) the like ly d ire ctio n o f its p olitica l developm ent.
Contemporary Issues in Pakistan Studies, 2000
Given interest by the readers in my earlier article ,A Case for Pakistan Studies(1978), I am uplo... more Given interest by the readers in my earlier article ,A Case for Pakistan Studies(1978), I am uploading another version, which was originally written in 1995, updated in 1998 & in 2000. It was published in my book, Contemporary Issues in Pakistan Studies(2000) ,out of print now. The issue is still live and may interest scholars, students, policy makers, HEC and could lead to further improvement & policy change.
Society and Disctatorship, 1993
This paper attempts to explain and analyse two sets of q.uestions. First, how nation-state in th... more This paper attempts to explain and analyse two sets of q.uestions. First, how nation-state in the Third World has emerged as a response to colonial rule? Secondly, how bureaucracy evolved in British India and what kind of role it began to play in the post-colonial society? Both these questions will be dealt with specific reference to Pakistan.
Pakistan Studies: A Book of Readings(Sang-e-Meel,Lahore), 2023
Foreign policy of a state is shaped by three critical elements, its geography, history, and orien... more Foreign policy of a state is shaped by three critical elements, its geography, history, and orientations of leadership and institutions that manage its foreign relations. In Pakistani case, like in most states, Ministry of Foreign Affairs has acted in concert with the civil and military leadership in the formulation of foreign policy. Here, it is pertinent to note, as I will illustrate in the following pages that the undercurrents of domestic politics do impact the foreign policy orientation of a state and Pakistani case is no different. This chapter will provide a brief overview of interplay of these factors in the evolution and development of Pakistan’s foreign policy.
Pakistan 2005, 2005
We argue that LGO 2001 may have truncated the powers of the Deputy Commissioner and the higher bu... more We argue that LGO 2001 may have truncated the powers of the Deputy Commissioner and the higher bureaucracy but it could not enhance the powers of the elected public official.
Pakistan's Political Parties: Surviving between Dctatorship and Democracy , 2020
This chapter seeks to explain how, in the post-1971 period, the Muslim League went through a proc... more This chapter seeks to explain how, in the post-1971 period, the Muslim League went through a process of factionalism, splintering, and reunification to result in the eventual emergence of the PML-N, one of the country’s most prominent political parties. The formation and development of the PML-N, as well as the associated rise of Nawaz Sharif as its leader, is a story of the changing dynamics of civil-military relations in Pakistan. I conclude with an analysis of the PML-N’s most recent time in office (2013–18) and the sustained protests it faced from opposition parties, and I offer future scenarios for the party.
Development Challenges Confronting Pakistan, 2013
China Pakistan Economic Corridor: Demands, Dividends and Directions, 2018
The China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is one of the pivotal components of China’s high prof... more The China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is one of the pivotal components of China’s high profile BRI. facilitating connectivity, China promotes a vision where a ‘win-win’ situation of mutual benefits can be achieved. Invoking a 2000 year old history that China shares with Central Asia, Eurasia and other parts of the world, President Xi Jinping has been persistent in conveying that the BRI, including the CPEC, aims to revive regional connectivity through, infrastructure development, trade and investment in industry from which development dividends can be shared across the world. Openness and inclusive growth thus form core principles of this ‘project of the 21st Century’ while any skepticism over the geo-strategic ambitions of the BRI have categorically been rejected by the Chinese leadership. Yet, some academia, policy experts, ThinkTanks and social activists in the Western world and Asia remain suspicious.
THE JOU RN AL OF ASIAN STUDIES, 2001
The book provides perceptive analysis and information on the functioning of public bureaucracy in... more The book provides perceptive analysis and information on the functioning of public bureaucracy in India, rather than corruption in it. Politicians may not like the study, but it has the potential of becoming a trusted guide for the Indian bureaucracy.