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Major attempts to control the natural environment characterized government ‘developmental' activity in twentieth-century Sind. This thesis argues that the construction of three barrage dams across the River Indus, along with a network of irrigation canals, enacted human control over nature as a political project. The Raj and its successor state in Sind, Pakistan, thereby claimed legitimacy through their capacity to benefit humans by re-modelling the landscape. These claims depended on an implied narrative of material progress, which irrigation development was expected to bring about, in a province considered technologically and socially backward. In allocating land that was newly made available for cultivation, government officials found an unprecedented opportunity to also re-shape agrarian society. As well as providing the means by which ‘ideal types' of cultivator could be encouraged to proliferate, the development of Sind's irrigation system was based on concepts of modernization that promoted increasing state intervention in agrarian life to render a ‘disordered' society more easily governable. This trend was constrained, however, by successive administrations' need to balance the lure of radical modernization against the powerful claims on new land of local magnates. The colonial belief in the agricultural, economic, and social benefits of large-scale irrigation projects was transplanted into the post-colonial state. The construction of irrigation works, the colonization of land, and their political implications before and after Independence are therefore analyzed, in order to demonstrate how and why the logic of large infrastructure schemes remained consistent. At the same time, differences in how successive administrations framed and enacted barrage projects are shown to have depended on contemporary circumstances. In the process, the thesis sheds new light on the tensions between and within the central and provincial governments, demonstrating the contested nature of concepts of Imperial governance, nation-building, and material progress.

This thesis examines the recent exponential growth in trade between India and Pakistan which has occurred despite the persistence of heated tension and conflict. It will underscore my research on the factors behind this marked increase, and analyze the transformative effects of domestic actors such as political leaders and business communities in creating new constituencies for peace between the two nations. This thesis makes an important contribution to international relations literature, specifically to existing research in the field of international political economy. Economic interdependence and security have not been analyzed concurrently in the context of the India-Pakistan relationship. In analyzing these issues together, this thesis will highlight the role of domestic political considerations and third parties in facilitating conditions for dialogue even in times of conflict.

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This study aimed to highlight the experiences, struggles and challenges of those women who have experienced facial disability due to acid violence in Pakistan. It addressed the issues in terms of knowing the actual reasons behind acid violence, the role of patriarchal culture and how these women perceive themselves after the incident. Using a qualitative research design, nine in-depth interviews were conducted with women with facial disability. All of them were working in the profession of beauty. They were recruited with the help of one non-profit organization named “Depilex Smileagain Foundation” (DSF). The social/cultural context of disability in Pakistani society was examined from the perspectives of the participants to gain insider knowledge. The participants identified the role of Pakistani society/culture in their lives as negative and discouraging especially in relation to marriage, employability and seeking justice; whereas the role of DSF was strongly supported and appreciated by participants in bringing back their lost confidence post-attack. They shared their experiences which are thought provoking for policy makers, government agencies as well as for other readers in order to understand the continuous powerful societal pressure on the minds of women with facial disability. / May 2016

<p>This dissertation is an account of how contemporary Pakistani ulama grapple with their political realities and the Islamic state of Pakistan. The central conceptual question that scaffolds my dissertation is: How do Pakistani ulama negotiate tradition, authority and sovereignty with the Islamic Republic of Pakistan? In engaging with this issue, this dissertation employs a methodology that weds ethnography with rigorous textual analysis. The ulama that feature in this study belong to a variety of sectarian persuasions. The Sunni ulama are Deobandi and Barelvi; the Shia ulama in this study are Ithna Ashari. </p><p>In assessing the relationship between Pakistani ulama and their nation-state, I assert that the ulama's dialectical engagements with the state are best understood as a dexterous navigation between affirmation, critique, contestation and cultivation. In proposing this manner of thinking about Pakistani ulama's engagements with their state, I provide a more detailed and nuanced view of the ulama-state relationship compared to earlier works. While emphasizing Pakistani ulama's vitality and their impact on their state, this dissertation also draws attention to the manners in which the state impacts the ulama. It theorizes the subject formation of the ulama and asserts the importance of understanding the ulama as formed not just by the ethico-legal tradition in which they are trained but also by the state apparatus.</p> / Dissertation

The shrine of Sufi saint Lal Shahbaz Qalandar is located in the rural city of Sehwan in Sindh, Pakistan. Sehwan is a site of pilgrimage for thousands of devotees at the annual festival known as urs, spanning three days to commemorate the death anniversary of the saint. Men, women, and transgender participants engage in many rituals at the urs among which the prominent is devotional dancing called dhamaal. This thesis project relates sacredness of spaces and hyper-reality of the festival with the performances of rituals that involve diverse publics. At the urs and otherwise, the shrine space provides devotees, largely poor, a collective non-verbal expression in the form of dhamaal. Dhamaal gives expression to the body in a society that does not normally encourage such expressions in the public sphere. This thesis argues that the Sufi discourse in Sehwan makes the body of a devotee an expressive body.

This thesis aims to challenge the Indus Waters Treaty. The Treaty remains as the governing authority, however there are areas in which it could be improved. One of these areas is how the Treaty will respond to climate change. I argue that due to changing environmental conditions, what made the Treaty so successful in the past will no longer be relevant in the future. This argument is supported by relevant literature reviews of journals and reports done by policy analysts, academics, and water management experts. Additionally, I address the need to mitigate for climate change by explaining the consequences climate change will have on the ecosystem and infrastructure of India and Pakistan. Finally, I examine case studies and make suggestions about the changes that can be made in order to create a Treaty that successfully mitigates for climate change.

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