Nida Amir Afridi- History in a glance

  A Note on Foreign Policy of Pakistan Since the End of the Cold War: Strategic Realignments, Structural Constraints, and Geoeconomic Transitions Abstract This study explores how Pakistan’s foreign policy shifted after the Cold War, moving from bipolarity to American unipolar dominance and now toward a multipolar order. Four turning points stand out: the sanctions and isolation of the 1990s, the post‑9/11 alliance with Washington, the consolidation of ties with China through the China‑Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), and the current effort to reframe policy around geoeconomics. External shocks repeatedly forced tactical adjustments. Yet one concern remained constant: keeping pace with India’s military and diplomatic strength (Sattar, 2019). Introduction and Theoretical Framework The collapse of the Soviet Union left Pakistan suddenly exposed. For decades, Islamabad had leveraged its geography to secure Western patronage as a frontline state against communism. With that ri...

  The Silhouette of Red Lucknow: Syed Sajjad Zaheer, the Progressive Writers’ Movement, and the Structural Fractures of the Early Pakistani Left Abstract This paper looks at the intellectual path, the aesthetic choices, and the actual political work of Syed Sajjad Zaheer (1905–1973). It follows him in his two main roles: chief organiser of the Progressive Writers’ Association and founding General Secretary of the Communist Party of Pakistan. From the comfortable circles of Lucknow and the student rooms at Oxford into the underground networks of post-Partition Pakistan, Zaheer tried—sometimes successfully, often not—to join Marxist-Leninist ideas with the cultural forms of South Asia. The study covers his part in the 1932 collection *Angarey*, the 1935 London Manifesto, and the effort to make socialist realism a real force in modern Urdu writing. It also examines the limits, the misjudgements, and the geopolitical pressures that weakened the CPP after 1948, above all the 1951 Ra...

Abstract Meraj Muhammad Khan (1938–2016) occupies a singular position in the political history of Pakistan. Recognized as a foundational theoretician, charismatic mass orator, and a key intellectual architect of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), his transition from a radical student leader to a federal minister, and subsequently to a political prisoner, mirrors the turbulent trajectory of the Pakistani Left. This paper provides a comprehensive, scholarly examination of his life, ideological contributions, and political trials. Crucially, it addresses a persistent challenge in South Asian historiography: the documentation of a leader whose primary impact was made through street mobilization, public oratory, and underground organizing rather than formal academic publishing. By conducting a meticulous bibliographical audit, this study clarifies the academic footprint of Meraj Muhammad Khan. It distinguishes his actual historical legacy from contemporary digital indexing anomalies, catego...

  Institutionalizing Sovereignty: A Critical Assessment of Sartaj Aziz's Contributions to Pakistan's Political Economy Academic Review Essay   By Nida Amir Afridi   Abstract Sartaj Aziz (1929–2024) stands as a seminal figure in Pakistan's political history, embodying the rare paradigm of a 'technical statesman' who prioritized structural planning and institutional discipline over populist politics. Spanning over five decades, his career traversed critical epochs, including the Pakistan Movement, the mid-century state-building era within the Planning Commission, high-level international civil service at the United Nations, and top-tier ministerial leadership in finance and foreign affairs. This paper critically examines Aziz's development paradigms, specifically his early rejection of trickle-down economics in favor of rural decentralization, and his insights drawn from the Chinese agrarian model. It evaluates his dual structural l...