Press and Civil Society in Pakistan: Seeds of Democracy in a Terrorism-torn Country

This book is a journey into a country infested with terrorism and militancy arising from the US war against terrorism. Having remained under US-backed military rule for most of time since its independence from the British Raj in 1947, Pakistan has been struggling to acquire a civilian face , a task made difficult by a powerful elite, clergy and an ideologically rigid media. Civil society, the crux of democracy, in the country has shown a great potential to lead the effort towards democracy, but it has not received support from the media. The book using an analytical framework explores whether the press in Pakistan has promoted civil society or not. It covers the period of General Ziaul Haq, who foisted his own brand of Islam on people of Pakistan, and moves to political governments of Benazir Bhutto, the first Muslim woman prime minister, and Nawaz Sharif. The regime of staunchest US ally General Pervez Musharraf is also included to show how the press during his regime dealt with civil society in Pakistan. Of course, it is about seeds of democracy in Pakistan versus terrorism and militancy.