This concise and balanced account details Pakistan’s turbulent 73-year history of civil war, military coups, political assassinations, wars with India, cooperation with the U.S. during the Afghan-Soviet war, and events following 9/11. An unpredictable nuclear nation, Pakistan has been variously described as the center of international terrorism, the world’s biggest nuclear weapons proliferator, the most dangerous place in the world and, some experts predict, the most likely site of the world’s first nuclear war.

Stanley B. Sprague is a retired attorney who specialized in civil litigation and appeals. He lives in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Stanley B. Sprague
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 285
Bibliographic Info: chronology, glossary, maps, appendix, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2020
pISBN: 978-1-4766-8151-1
eISBN: 978-1-4766-4170-6
Imprint: McFarland

Preface and Acknowledgments 1
Abbreviations 3
Chronology 5
Glossary 8
Maps 10
Introduction to Pakistan 13
Part One—Pakistan’s Early Years
1. Independence and Partition 19
2. Pakistan Under Jinnah 23
3. Pakistan Under Liaquat Khan 32
4. Transition to Military Rule 39
5. General Ayub Khan’s Military Rule 53
6. General Yahya Khan and Civil War 74
Part Two—Pakistan After Dismemberment
7. Zulfikar Bhutto’s Missed Opportunity 85
8. General Zia and the Death of Bhutto 106
9. The Soviets Invade Afghanistan 116
10. Zia’s Last Years 125
11. Benazir Bhutto’s First Term 132
12. Sharif’s First Term 145
13. Benazir Bhutto’s Second Term 154
14. Sharif’s Second Term 163
15. General Musharraf Takes Control 170
Part Three—Pakistan After Al-Qaeda’s Attack on America
16. Musharraf Joins America’s War on Terrorism 179
17. The End of Musharraf’s Reign 194
18. Civilian Rule Under Gillani and Zardari 218
19. Sharif’s Third Term 242
Epilogue 251
Appendix: List of Pakistan Army Chiefs 255
Chapter Notes 257
Bibliography 273
Index 275