Political Economy of Pakistan
We readily blame feudalism for most of our problems. In my view, such knee-jerk analysis is flawed. Let me explain. Feudalism is a particular historical term that captures the obligatory relationships between a monarch (state), and the feudal lord on the one hand, the feudal lord, and the peasant on the other. The feudal lord supplied tax collector, administrator and supplier of soldiers to the monarch. In return, he got land and power over the peasant. This has never prevailed in Pakistan . The colonial government did leave some princely states behind but both India and Pakistan got rid of them fast! Much has been made of irrigation land grants given out by the British. These also included land for military supplies program! The result was that some prominent families accumulated large landholdings! Does this mean that they have had dominant political and economic power? To answer this question, recall that the colonial masters for their own administrative reasons had...