Belkacem Belmekki, Michel Naumann

For many people, Pakistan is a rogue state, but for those who think of it as Pakistani citizens do, it is the place where they are confronted with dangers and issues to which they answer with incredible courage and dignity. This volume, a reflection on Pakistan’s history from a compassionate insider’s perspective, pays homage to the many Pakistanis who face with a generous and open heart the problems created by a complex geopolitical context, many ethnic and religious contradictions, a tormented path towards self-definition, independence, democracy, and freedom.

Belkacem Belmekki is professor in British and Commonwealth studies at the University of Oran 2 Mohamed Ben Ahmed, Algeria. He wrote his doctor’s thesis on the genesis and development of Muslim nationalism in British India. He has published a range of articles on the theme of Indian Muslim communalism/separatism. He is the author of Sir Sayyid Ahmad Khan and the Muslim Cause in British India (Klaus Schwarz Publishing, Berlin, Germany). His current research is mainly focused on identity construction and the notion of cultural exclusivism among the Muslims in pre-independence India.



Michel Naumann, born in Paris (1946), has taught in African and Indian Universities. He wrote biographies of Gandhi and MN Roy and created the SARI (Société d’activités et de recherches sur les mondes indiens) that is dedicated to studies on cultures of the Indian subcontinent.

“Paradoxes of Pakistan: A Glimpse lays out the historical, regional, and global circumstances which gave rise to what its authors characterize as an ‘Islamic Atomic Bomb’ in a systematic and methodical manner. I recommend the book to anyone who seeks deep historic roots for current events on the subcontinent.”—Professor Elizabeth Bishop, Texas State University