'An important contribution ... Delving lucidly into the most significant ideological battles of the era, this book deftly outlines the thinking and dialogue that laid the foundations of the Republic - and which remain deeply relevant and contentious today'Shashi Tharoor, author of Inglorious Empire
This fascinating book uncovers the hidden stories behind Pakistan's fixation with blasphemy--tales of revenge, political scheming and sovereign betrayal. Hussain's account opens in nineteenth-century colonial Punjab and traces blasphemy killings to the present, linking their emergence to polemic encounters between Hindu and Muslim revivalist sects, namely the Arya Samaj and the Ahmadiyya. It offers, for the first time, the arresting backstories to the assassinations of Pandit Lekh Ram, a leading Hindu nationalist; Swami Shraddhanand, an early progenitor of Hindu nationalism and the principal advocate for converting Muslims; and Rajpal, the Hindu publisher of a sensationalist book on the Prophet Muhammad.'Revenge, Politics and Blasphemy in Pakistan' then maps the curious afterlives of these killings, illuminating the most critical moments in Pakistan's history: 1953, when outraged protestors smashed stores owned by religious minorities, triggering the country's first state of emergency; 1974, when Islamist parties pressured Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto to put blasphemy on the constitutional agenda; 1984, when Zia-ul-Haq transformed Pakistan according to his Islamist vision, which included more severe punishments for blasphemy; and the twenty-first century, when digital media has dramatically increased the visibility of blasphemy killings, prompting political parties to demonstrate their commitment to the cause.
Sixteen Stormy Days narrates the gripping story of the First Amendment to the Constitution of India, a pivotal moment in the nation’s political and constitutional history. Passed in June 1951 amid fierce opposition, this amendment significantly curtailed freedom of speech, enabled caste-based reservations, restricted property rights, and validated the abolition of the zamindari system. It also created a special schedule of unconstitutional laws that were immune to judicial review. Enacted just months before India’s first election, it marked profound changes to the Constitution. Confronted with a liberal Constitution hindering major socio-economic plans, a judiciary upholding civil liberties, and a press resisting control, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru reasserted executive power, laying the groundwork for repression. What led Nehru—who initially championed the Constitution in 1950—to radically amend it after just sixteen days of debate? Drawing on parliamentary debates, press reports, judicial rulings, official correspondence, and existing scholarship, this work challenges conventional views on key figures like Nehru, B.R. Ambedkar, and others, revealing the stark contrast between the liberal ideals of India's Constitution and the authoritarian tendencies of its first government.