PAKISTAN: Land of Mystery, Tragedy and Courage

Edmonds' sympathetic evaluation of Pakistani leader Yahya Khan is likely to be controversial (at one point he compares him with Abraham Lincoln) and indeed the best solution Edmonds can see for the country is yet another ""strong man."" Yet the student who is really motivated to dig to the roots of Pakistan's heritage of religious conflict will fred Edmonds just about invaluable. This is far more detailed history than anything available in standard juvenile series and though the early chapters are a virtual maze of unfamiliar ethnic groups and rulers, there are important lessons here--Akbar's failed attempt to create a synthetic, unifying religion, the persecution of the Sikhs which turned their peaceable religion into a militarist sect, the bitter results of the British policy of playing off Hindu against Moslem. Meaty and challenging with a visible point of view.