MCM404 Handouts Lectures 1-45

MCM404

Table of Contents:

Page no.

Lesson 1

Lesson 2

“PAKISTAN: THE FIRST 11 YEARS 1947-1958” PART 1

Lesson 3

“Pakistan: The first 11 years 1947-1958”Part-2

Lesson 4

ROOTS OF CHAOS: TINY ACTS OR GIANT MIS-STEPS?

Lesson 5

“FROM NEW HOPES TO SHATTERED DREAMS: 1958-1971”

Lesson 6

“RENEWING PAKISTAN: 1971-2005”

PART-I: 1971-1988

Lesson 7

RENEWING PAKISTAN:

PART II 1971-2005 (1988-2005)

Lesson 8

THE CONSTITUTION OF PAKISTAN, PARTS I & II

Lesson 9

THE CONSTITUTION OF PAKISTAN, PARTS I & II

Lesson 10

THE POLITICAL SYSTEM OF PAKISTAN

Lesson 11

THE ELECTION COMMISSION OF PAKISTAN

Lesson 12

“POLITICAL GROUPINGS AND ALLIANCES: ISSUES AND

PERSPECTIVES”

Lesson 13

THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS AND INTEREST GROUPS

Lesson 14

“THE

POPULATION,

EDUCATION · AND · ECONOMIC · DIMENSIONS OF PAKISTAN”

Lesson 15

THE NATIONAL ENVIRONMENT POLICY 2005

Lesson 16

NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY 2005

Lesson 17

THE CHILDREN OF PAKISTAN

Lesson 18

THE HEALTH SECTOR OF PAKISTAN”

Lesson 19

NGOS AND DEVELOPMENT

Lesson 20

“THE INFORMATION SECTOR OF PAKISTAN”

Lesson 21

MEDIA AS ELEMENTS OF NATIONAL POWER

Lesson 22

ONE GLOBE: MANY WORLDS

Lesson 23

“THE UNITED NATIONS” PART-1

Lesson 24

“THE UNITED NATIONS” PART-2

Lesson 25

“MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS (MDGS)”

Lesson 26

“THE GLOBALIZATION: THREATS AND RESPONSES –

PART-1”

Lesson 27

THE GLOBALIZATION: THREATS AND RESPONSES –

PART-2”

Lesson 28

“WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION (WTO)”

Lesson 29

“THE EUROPEAN UNION”

Lesson 30

“REGIONAL PACTS”

Lesson 31

“OIC: ORGANIZATION OF THE ISLAMIC CONFERENCE”

Lesson 32

“FROM SOUTH ASIA TO SAARC”

Lesson 33

“THE PAKISTAN-INDIA RELATIONSHIP”

Lesson 34

“DIMENSIONS OF TERRORISM”

Lesson 35

FROM VIOLENT CONFLICT TO PEACEFUL CO-EXISTENCE

Lesson 36

“OIL AND BEYOND”

Lesson 37

“PAKISTAN’S FOREIGN POLICY”

Lesson 38

“EMERGING TRENDS IN INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS”

Lesson 39

Lesson 40

“GLOBALIZATION AND INDIGENIZATION OF MEDIA”

Lesson 41

“BALANCING PUBLIC INTERESTS AND COMMERCIAL

INTERESTS”

Lesson 42

“CITIZENS’ MEDIA AND CITIZENS’ MEDIA DIALOGUE”

Lesson 43

“CITIZENS’ MEDIA RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES”

Lesson 44

“CITIZENS’ · PARTICIPATION · IN · PUBLIC · SERVICE · BROADCASTING”

Lesson 45

“MEDIA IN THE 21ST CENTURY”

Lesson 1

Some scientific estimates state that human beings in their present form have lived together for

about the past 200,000 years.

However, records of history i.e. in symbolic scripts such as hieroglyphics, symbols, figures, inscriptions

on tablets, writings on papyrus, text on paper, when taken together begin to cover only the past 5000 to

6000 years. We have no documented records for about 97% of human history!

Different forms of social and political organisation have evolved in the 6000 years for which records are

available.

These organisational forms begin at the most basic level with tribes and clans, with small-scale

principalities, with large-scale monarchies, with communities clustering together to become regional

entities or alliances, and then, more recently, emerging on a major scale as distinct peoples, countries

and nations.

The phenomenon of colonialism at different times in history and particularly in the 18th and 19th

centuries also had a decisive influence on shaping these new identities.

In the 20th and 21st centuries, the form and structure in which the peoples of the world have organised

themselves and the basis on which they relate to each other, is the form and structure of the “nation-

state”.

This lecture is not meant to provide a detailed history of how the nation-state structure has evolved.

That aspect is better covered in detail in a separate course.

The aim of this lecture in this course is to establish the unique nature of the Pakistani nation-state: in

the context of the world that exists in the 21st century, in which there are 191 member-states of the

United Nations, each with one identical vote in the UN General Assembly but which are, at the same

time, quite different from each other. They also reflect the existence of 5 distinct categories of nation-

states.

It is relevant to note at the outset that a state need not comprise a single nation. One state may comprise

several nations within itself because these nations have agreed to live together within a singular political

structure called a “state”.

However, by the act of different nations living together, they inevitably surrender some of their

individual features that make them separate nations and therefore become part of a broad, general,

singular, new “nation-state” identity.

In the opinion of some significant leaders and substantive numbers of people in Pakistan as well,

Pakistan itself is an example of a “multi-national state”. There is a political movement which describes

itself as: “Poonam”: “The Pakistan Oppressed Nations Movement”. This movement does not have

notable representation as a result of the October 2002 elections in the Federal Parliament or in the

Provincial Assemblies. But the fact is that some of its leaders have been elected by popular vote to the

legislatures.

In the opinion of many, Switzerland is also an example of a “multi-national” state. There is a

distinct French-speaking part of Switzerland, the German-Swiss part of Switzerland and an Italian-

Swiss part of Switzerland. And there is also a fourth part which claims to be the original, genuine

Swiss-part of Switzerland! Yet, Switzerland has existed as a singular and stable country for several

hundreds of years, and as a declared “neutral” state.

Be that as it may, the focus of this lecture is on the unique nature of the Pakistani nation-state.

The reasons for making this strong and extreme claim about the uniqueness of Pakistan will become

apparent when we examine the categorisation of the 191 members of the UN into 5 categories.

These categories have been created purely at the discretion of the lecturer and there is therefore a

subjective and arbitrary aspect to this categorisation.

This categorisation into 5 types of nation-states is open to challenge and to amendment.

But, for the purposes of this lecture, and for the purpose of explaining why Pakistan is truly unique, the

categorisation is a necessary and unavoidable starting point.