Cambridge Scholars Publishing Tribes of Pakistan

The book is a modern take on the subject of the tribes and other socio-ethnic groups that inhabit Pakistan within the wider academic framework in the field of social sciences. While there has already been work carried out on the Pashtun and Afghan tribal territories and peoples, this text describes in detail the tribal societies of the whole of Pakistan–their origins, history, social profile and administrative structure. It also discusses these issues within the context of the areas’ geostrategic significance, historical processes, social ideology and institutional structure. The narrative promotes an understanding of the disruptive effects of external and internal factors and the distortions caused in these societies by the introduction of institutional, legal, political and social reforms which failed to take into account their deep-seated cultural sensitivities. It utilizes a wide variety of sources―both modern and old–to present a concise work on an extremely complex and detailed topic dealing with caste, ethnicity, socio-economic status, and tribal enmities and affinities. The book contains maps of the areas along with brief geo-specific descriptions to acquaint the reader with the terrain and topography of the region, which play an important role in the lives of these societies. About the Author Dr Mansoor Bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan is a Visiting Professor in Political Science at the American University of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. He holds a Master’s degree in Public Health and Health Administration (MPH) from the Harvard School of Public Health, and a Master’s in Public Administration (MPA) from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He received his PhD in International Relations and Security Studies from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, USA. He has previously served as the Chairman of the Emirates Medical Association, and was one of the five members of the UN mission to Pakistan and Afghanistan after the fall of the Taliban government in 2001. He is the author of Karachi in the Twenty-First Century. A veteran of the Pakistan Air Force, Jamal Hussain has been actively involved in literary work since his retirement. In addition to his operational experience as a combat pilot, he is a graduate of the Air Command and Staff College, USA, and the National Defence College (NDC) Pakistan, and has served as the Commandant of the Joint Services Staff College Pakistan. Since his retirement, he has been the Director of the Centre for the Aerospace Power Studies located at Pakistan Air Force Base, Faisal. He is the author of Air Power in South Asia and Nuclear Dynamics of South Asia, as well as over a hundred newspaper and journal articles. Asad ul Ghafoor holds a Master’s Degree in Human Resources and has served in the Pakistan Air Force as a pilot. He has a keen interest in tribal socio-political dynamics of Pakistan and its effects on security policymaking, and is also a contributor to civil and military publications within Pakistan on the matters of security and strategic interest.