Despite the complexities of the topic and the widespan of history, the author maintains a clear focus: the association of language with power and the implications for group identity. His treatment is exhaustive and painstaking. The narrative remains absorbing and the reader is reassured by theempirical evidence on which the case is constructed. His progressive, imginative proposals deserve serious consideration. The book's organization makes for readability, with its summaries and conclusions at strategic points. An informed and nonpartisan study, this is an important work even for thosewith a general interest in Pakistan's fortunes. However, it will be particularly welcomed by socio-linguists with a special interest in issues of identity, language planning and English-language hegemony. Filling a gap too long empty, its value lies in the systematic collation and analysis ofhistorical events surrounding language movements and language manipulation in British india and in modern day Pakistan.