No description available.

The Soviet-U.S. rapprochement in the late 1980s ended one of the bitterest rivalries of modern history. Before this landmark event, the study of accommodation as a security strategy hardly received its fair share of attention in international relations theories. This thesis attempts to add to the growing body of work on the dynamics of accommodation. Specifically, it analyzes accommodative moves of Pakistan vis-a-vis India, thereby studying the dynamics of accommodation in the context of developing states. Four cases are studied in depth: first, the Indus Waters Treaty (1960); second, the Tashkent Declaration (1966); third, Post-Brasstacks Accommodative Moves (1987); and finally, Post-1990 Accommodative Moves. This thesis argues that three factors are particularly important in the initiation of accommodation in the developing world, namely, (1) decision-makers' desire to minimize losses (in the external politico-military sphere, the internal economic sphere and the internal political sphere), (2) their commitment to serious domestic reforms and (3) the involvement of a powerful third party that exercises leverage over both adversaries.

This study is a comparative analysis of the marginalizarion of the Baha'is in Iran and the Ahmadis in Pakistan over the last forty years. It explores the relationship between Islam, the ulama and the state as explanatory variables. In particular, the increasing political influence of fundamentalist ulama and their closer association with state mechanisms, accompanied by the creation of a "purist," "Islamic" state ideology in Iran and Pakistan, leads to greater discrimination against these two heterodox Muslim minorities. The outcome is continuing institutionalized, state-sponsored discrimination that denies substantial legal, political and social rights to the Baha'is and the Ahmadis.

Arabs exercised authority in Sind for over three centuries (93-416/711-1025), first as governors appointed directly by the Umayyads and ('c)Abbasids and then, from around 240/854, as independent rulers from the Quraysh tribes of Habbar b. al-Aswad and Samah b. Lu'ayy. This dissertation is concerned with four major topics in the religious history of the period: the identification of the non-Muslim religions and sects at the time of the Arab conquest; the mechanisms encouraging or impeding collaboration and conversion; the prosopography of the Sind(')i Muslim population; and the rise of the Isma('c('))il(')i state at Multan toward the end of the period. Correlations between religious and social factors are examined in two general areas: the observed differential between Buddhist and Hindu collaboration and conversion, and the decline in the recruitment, replication, and circulation of the Muslim religious elite.

No description available.

No description available.

This study examines foreign policy change.In contrast to most previous research this study investigates when trend-and significant foreign policy changes occurs. This study is a case study that examines US foreign policy changes and actions towards the Islamic republic of Pakistan.This study will also be using Jakob Gustavsson’s theory on foreign policy change. This is a qualitative study.A relationship historically defined by its ups and downs. This study finds that it is most likely that in order for significant changes to occur in foreign policy there must be changes in the fundamental structural conditions. A plausible conclusion is that the trend change that has occurred is the result of a series of events under 2011 that led to a crisis between the two countries

Pakistan, a late starter in fertility transition, has been experiencing a rapid fertility decline since 1990. Although existing research often presents patriarchal family systems as a major reason for the delay of the onset of this transition, there is no empirical study investigating the transformations in these family systems or intrafamilial power relationships during the ongoing transition. Published research also often fails to reflect the complex nature and processes behind this fertility transition as it lacks diachronic analysis and remains within disciplinary boundaries. This thesis contributes to filling these gaps through investigating the social processes underpinning the fertility decline in Punjab, Pakistan by: 1. employing an interdisciplinary approach that links demography with sociology, and quantitative approaches with qualitative ones, to provide a more comprehensive analysis of fertility and family change 2. employing an intergenerational approach that enables diachronic analysis of the differences in the reproductive careers of two generations of women and the actors’ perceptions of factors contributing to these differences 3. providing multiple perspectives of family members regarding the reasons for fertility change, how reproduction is negotiated within the existing power hierarchies in the family, and how familial power relationships evolve to adjust these changes The study employs a two-phased explanatory sequential mixed methods approach. Phase one utilises two existing Demographic and Health Surveys to compare the changes in fertility preferences and behaviour of Punjabi women aged 25-34 in 1990/1 and 2006/7. Phase two is a qualitative study conducted in Punjab in 2010/11 among young women, their mothers, mothers-in-law and husbands to gather data on their perceptions of reasons for fertility change and the ways in which families and family relationships bearing on reproductive decision-making has transformed during the ongoing transition. The findings show that “planning a family”, which was seen to be in the hands of God among the older generation, has entered into the “calculus of conscious choice” among young women who have specific preferences with regard to when and how many children to have. This transition has mainly been a response to rapid socioeconomic developments and improved living conditions that are paradoxically experienced as growing economic constraints for the households through increasing costs of childbearing and rearing as well as generating aspirations for social mobility. This was also complemented by changes in values and attitudes regarding family planning, parenthood and familial relationships led by institutional changes and policy developments including expansion of family planning programme, changing religious stances about family planning, the spread of mass media, and increased (importance given to) female schooling. All of these developments also coincide with a subtle transformation of family systems in Punjab, as well as a limited dissolution of previously existing power relationships within the families by expansion of the boundaries of gender roles, honour and obedience. Although young women are expected to be obedient to their husbands and mothers-in-law with regard to fertility decisions, they have been able to influence the power dynamics between themselves and their mothers-in-law by building stronger conjugal relationships and being submissive to their husbands’ desires.

published_or_final_version / Urban Planning / Master / Master of Science in Urban Planning

<p>E-commerce has flourished in the developed world and is playing an important role in the everyday lives of the people and national economies. The developing nations are far behind in this regard even though their governments have made considerable efforts to encourage e-commerce. This thesis is a study of the environmental factors that act as barriers to the development of e-commerce in Pakistan. It shows the nature and the level of hindrance these environmental factors have caused and there relation to one another. In order to make a national analysis, environmental factors have been stretched to include the government, businesses, consumers, physical infrastructures, social and cultural factors. A qualitative study was conducted via telephonic and written interviews from academic and professional experts, users and non users of e-commerce in Pakistan. The analysis of these interviews revealed that not all of the factors considered as e-commerce barriers for developing nations were present in Pakistan. The relation between different e-commerce barriers was studied and further, additional barriers were also identified. Low literacy rate, traditional economic sector, failure of government to successfully implement e-commerce initiatives and regulations, shortage of electrical supply and low demand for online businesses and the consumer purchasing behaviour of Pakistanis were identified as the main e-commerce barriers.</p>