What to read about Pakistan

AS PAKISTAN HEADS for a parliamentary election on February 8th the country has rarely been in such a mess. It is on its 23rd bail-out from the IMF, which demands in return painful fiscal measures, including cuts in subsidies for electricity and fuel. The Pakistani Taliban are resurgent. In January Pakistan exchanged missile fire with Iran; both sides say they were aiming at militants based in the other’s territory. Hopes that the toppling of Pakistan’s last military dictator—Pervez Musharraf—in 2008 would lead to a steady strengthening of democracy have been dashed. The generals are ensuring their role as the most important political players through a continuing “soft coup”. The army is doing all it can to prevent the return to power of Imran Khan, the former prime minister who was once a military favourite and has been recently sentenced to multiple jail terms. Pakistan has 230m people, nuclear arms and borders with Asia’s two biggest powers, China and India. Here are six books on a large and strategically important country.