This original study of the relationship between state and civil society in Pakistan demonstrates how the courts have influenced constitutional development and state structure.

In an original study of the relationship between state and civil society in Pakistan, Paula Newberg demonstrates how, over the course of almost five decades, the courts have influenced the development of its constitutions and state structure. By examining judicial decisions, particularly at times of political crisis, she considers how tensions within the judiciary, and between courts and other state institutions, have affected the ways political society views itself, and explores the effects of these debates on the organization of political power.