corruption and venal politics have led to govern-
mental instability. In November 1996 the presi-
dent dismissed Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto;
financial scandals had surrounded her husband
and Swiss bank accounts had been opened in her
name. Her brother was also engaged in violence;
his murderers were never identified. Bhutto’s suc-
cessor, Nawaz Sharif, promised cleaner govern-
ment and a revival of the economy. However,
Pakistan’s long history of corrupt and violent
politics inspires little confidence. Representative
government did not prevail. In October 1999 the
636 TWO FACES OF ASIA: AFTER 1949
Tashkent
Bukhara
Kabul
Karachi
Bombay
Quetta
Khyber
Pass
ARABIAN
SEA BAY OF
BENGAL
TURKESTAN
(SOVIET UNION)
CHINA
AFGHANISTAN
TIBET
SIKKIM
JAMMU
and
KASHMIR
Delhi
Lhasa
Chittagong
Lahore
Srinagar
PA
KI
ST
AN
R.In
du
s
INDIA
SRI LANKA
Katmandu
Dacca
Calcutta
Lucknow
Benares
NE
PAL
R.Brahmaputra
BHU
TAN
AS
SA
M
B
UR
M
A
BAN
GL
AD
ES
H
R.Ganges
Hyderabad
Bangalore Madras
Calicut
GOA
Kandy
Colombo
PA
MIR
India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, 1972