ISLAMISING PAKISTAN: THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONTOURS

Abstract

There had been a lot of debate in Pakistan over the nature of its constitution when it got independence from the British rule in 1947. Islamic parties such as Jamiat Ulama-i-Islam and Jamat-i-Islami demanded that the constitution of Pakistan should be an Islamic one. However, there existed ambiguity over the form of Islamic constitution as there was no pre-existing model. This article shows that what an Islamic constitution meant for them and how did their idea of Islamic Constitution evolve? It has taken up the Islamisation of the constitution of Pakistan in three phases i.e., period of concessions and compromises for the first constitution (1956), strategic retreat of the Islamic Parties in the second constitution (1962), sharpening the pencils again for the third constitution (1973).