ABSTRACT

To understand the nature of the state in contemporary Pakistan, this chapter proposes to examine the relationship of the state with violence. It examines the Pakistan state from the Weberian perspective about the legitimization of violence as an important component of state-building. A reasonably good explanation of the nature of the post-colonial state in Pakistan is to be found in Hamza Alavi's formulation of the 'overdeveloped state'. The Weberian concept entails the elimination of private armies and militias. The history of state formation has been one of a very violent process eventually leading to the rise of modern nation-states in the European context. Historically, there has been an interdependence of state-making and war-making. Clearly, the use of Islam in state-building has had its problems. And therefore the modern state's use of religion in its war-making strategies cannot be without complexities.