Hamid Khan’s book is structured chronologically, but its genius lies in thematic layering. He argues that Pakistan’s constitutional history is a tragedy of missed opportunities.
No book is perfect. While Hamid Khan’s legal analysis is masterful, critics point out: Hamid Khan’s book is structured chronologically, but its
Nevertheless, for a legal-constitutional history, these are minor quibbles. Tashkent Declaration (1966) weakened Ayub.
Khan handles the Benazir-Nawaz rivalry with clinical detachment. He argues that the 8th Amendment made democracy a farce. President Ghulam Ishaq Khan dismissed governments not for corruption, but for political convenience. The book treats the Murtaza Bhutto murder case and the Asghar Khan petition as evidence of deep state interference in politics. for a legal-constitutional history
Hamid Khan is critical of judges who validated martial law. He contrasts the Zafar Ali Shah case (2000) – validating Musharraf’s PCO – with the Lawyers’ Movement – where judges finally resisted.