An Estimate of the Nature of Pakistani Civil Society
Abstract
Civil society as an independent identity distinct from state is the product of modern struggle for the division of public and private spheres. Till very recently the terms state and society were used synonymously with the term civil society most often used for the state. However, the modern trend for democratization of polity has brought about a clear division between state and society with the state concerned only with the activities of the public sphere while the civil society with the private sphare. However, in most of the developing states the distinction between the two is still imprecise. This paper investigates the nature and status of Pakistani civil society and highlights the various hurdles in the way of an active, vibrant and functional civil society. The paper shows that the dominant role of the military, extra specialized role of the bureaucracy, centralization of power, non-independent role of the judiciary and discouraging role of the political institutions have been the main hurdles restricting Pakistani civil society with the results that it has remained controlled, restricted and emasculated during both the civilian and military governments.
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