Pakistan's dynastic legacy

Dynasties in South Asia have provided a compelling narrative of their own as a means of understanding contemporary politics. India’s case is well known but it is striking how much it is replicated over the region. In Bangladesh, Mujibur Rahman and Sheikh Hasina, in Sri Lanka the Bhandaranayakes, in Myanmar Aung San and Aung San Suu Kyi; and in Pakistan the Bhuttos.

In each charisma, tragedy and politics merge seamlessly to make much larger-than-life stories, intriguing political scientists and tempting biographers. But the story of a dynasty is at its most compelling only when it also tells the story