Reviews for Between Dreams and Realities: A Political History of Pakistan

The average rating for Between Dreams and Realities: A Political History of Pakistan based on 2 reviews is 2.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2011-07-26 00:00:00 Chris Wicecarver Notwithstanding the author's bias towards Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (his political party), Its a decent account of Pakistan's political and economic history from a person who has lived it. The book has editing flaws though. There is repetition here and there. The chapters about Nawaz Sharif's second term, the Kargil conflict, and the 1999 coup are particularly interesting. Anyone who doesn't want to take another ride through the history of Pakistan, should read Chapter 10 "The Perils of a Heavy Mandate", Chapter 12 "Kargil Crisis 1999" and Chapter 13 "The Fourth Military Takeover, October 1999". The basic theme of the book is that dictatorships have been disruptive for Pakistan's politics, economy, and society, and that if democracy was left to test itself, the situation in Pakistan would have been far better. Aziz brings forth some strong arguments in favor of his assertion. Aziz writes in his concluding remarks in th book, "Irrespective of the initial reasons of any army takeover, the net impact of such takeovers has been highly negative for the strength and unity of the federation and for the growth of a sustainable political process."

Review # 2 was written on 2018-10-18 00:00:00 Mark Pickens One expects a more neutral analysis from someone of such stature. A bit disappointed!