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CSS Law (Constitutional) Constitutional History of Pakistan Syllabus

The Constitutional History of Pakistan syllabus for CSS Law (Constitutional) in full: 7 chapters and 24 topics, every one listed below, plus 51 Constitutional History of Pakistan flashcards with answers.

7Chapters
24Topics
51Flashcards

Constitutional History of Pakistan syllabus: all 7 chapters

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics.

  1. Pre-Independence Constitutional Development

     3 topics
    • Constitutional Development in the Subcontinent
    • Government of India Act 1935
    • Indian Independence Act 1947

  2. Foundational Documents

     3 topics
    • Objectives Resolution 1949
    • Work of the First Constituent Assembly
    • Dissolution of the Constituent Assembly

  3. Constitution of 1956

     3 topics
    • Salient Features
    • Islamic Provisions and Federal Structure
    • Causes of Abrogation

  4. Constitution of 1962

     3 topics
    • Salient Features
    • Presidential System and Basic Democracies
    • Fundamental Rights and Amendments

  5. Constitution of 1973

     3 topics
    • Salient Features
    • Distribution of Powers Between Federation and Provinces
    • Federal Legislative Lists

  6. Constitutional Disruptions and Instruments

     5 topics
    • Martial Laws and Military Interventions
    • Legal Framework Order 1970
    • Provisional Constitution Order 1981
    • Revival of the Constitution Order 1985
    • Legal Framework Order 2002

  7. Constitutional Amendments

     4 topics
    • Eighth Amendment and Article 58(2)(b)
    • Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments
    • Seventeenth Amendment
    • Eighteenth Amendment

CSS Law (Constitutional) Constitutional History of Pakistan flashcards — 51 questions with answers

  1. Which two key documents authored by the British Parliament are considered the immediate constitutional foundations on which Pakistan's early governance was built?

    The Government of India Act 1935 (as the interim constitution) and the Indian Independence Act 1947.

  2. What was the Morley-Minto Reforms (Indian Councils Act 1909) most significant contribution to constitutional development in the subcontinent?

    It introduced separate electorates for Muslims, granting them the right to elect their own representatives.

  3. Which reform act of 1919 introduced 'dyarchy' in the provinces of British India?

    The Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms (Government of India Act 1919).

  4. Define 'dyarchy' as introduced by the 1919 reforms.

    A dual system of government dividing provincial subjects into 'transferred' subjects (administered by ministers responsible to the legislature) and 'reserved' subjects (administered by the Governor).

  5. What were the Nehru Report (1928) and the Fourteen Points (1929) in the context of constitutional development?

    The Nehru Report was the Congress proposal for a constitution that rejected separate electorates; Jinnah's Fourteen Points (1929) were the Muslim counter-demands safeguarding minority and provincial rights.

  6. On what date did the Government of India Act 1935 receive royal assent?

    2 August 1935.

  7. What form of government at the centre did the Government of India Act 1935 propose, and was it ever implemented?

    An All-India Federation comprising provinces and princely states; the federal (central) part was never implemented because insufficient princely states acceded, though the provincial part came into force in 1937.

  8. Under the Government of India Act 1935, into how many provinces was British India divided?

    Eleven provinces.

  9. How many lists divided legislative powers under the Government of India Act 1935, and what were they?

    Three lists: the Federal List, the Provincial List, and the Concurrent List.

  10. What office was created at the provincial level by the Government of India Act 1935 in place of dyarchy?

    Provincial autonomy under a fully responsible ministry, with the Governor retaining special 'discretionary' and 'special responsibility' powers; dyarchy was instead introduced at the centre.

  11. Which 1935 Act feature is most criticised as giving the Governor-General and Governors override authority over elected governments?

    The extensive 'discretionary powers' and 'special responsibilities' reserved to the Governor-General and Governors.

  12. On what date did the Indian Independence Act 1947 receive royal assent and on what date did the partition take effect?

    It received royal assent on 18 July 1947, and partition took effect on 15 August 1947 (Pakistan celebrated 14 August 1947).

  13. Under the Indian Independence Act 1947, what title and authority did each new dominion's legislature receive?

    Each dominion's Constituent Assembly was given full sovereign power to make laws and to frame its own constitution, also acting as the federal legislature until then.

  14. Which body determined the boundaries between India and Pakistan under the 1947 settlement, and who chaired it?

    The Boundary Commission, chaired by Sir Cyril Radcliffe (the Radcliffe Award).

  15. Until a new constitution was framed, which document served as Pakistan's interim constitution after 1947 and with what modifications?

    The Government of India Act 1935, adapted by the Indian Independence Act 1947 (with the office of Governor-General as head of state).

  16. Who moved the Objectives Resolution and on what date was it passed?

    Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan moved it; it was passed by the First Constituent Assembly on 12 March 1949.

  17. According to the Objectives Resolution 1949, in whom does sovereignty over the entire universe belong, and how is authority exercised by the state?

    Sovereignty belongs to Almighty Allah alone; the authority He delegated to the State of Pakistan is to be exercised by the people within the limits prescribed by Him, as a sacred trust.

  18. Name three core principles guaranteed in the Objectives Resolution 1949.

    Democracy, freedom, equality, tolerance and social justice as enunciated by Islam; enabling Muslims to order their lives according to Islam; and safeguarding the legitimate rights of minorities (any three).

  19. What is the lasting constitutional status of the Objectives Resolution in Pakistan's later constitutions?

    It served as the preamble to the 1956, 1962 and 1973 constitutions, and was made a substantive, operative part of the 1973 Constitution as Article 2A by the Eighth Amendment (1985).

  20. Who chaired the First Constituent Assembly of Pakistan when it convened, and on what date did it first meet?

    It first met on 10 August 1947 (electing Jinnah as its President on 11 August 1947), with Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah as its first President.

Show the other 31 Constitutional History of Pakistan flashcards

  1. What was the Basic Principles Committee (BPC) set up by the First Constituent Assembly?

    A committee formed in 1949 to frame the principles of the future constitution in light of the Objectives Resolution; it issued Interim (1950) and Final (1952) reports.

  2. What was the most controversial proposal of the BPC reports that caused inter-provincial dispute?

    The proposal regarding the composition and equal representation in the legislature (especially the language and the powers of an Urdu/Bengali balance and provincial parity), provoking strong reaction from East Bengal.

  3. What were the 'One Unit' scheme and the 'parity formula' debated by the First Constituent Assembly?

    Parity gave East and West Pakistan equal seats despite East Pakistan's larger population; One Unit (1955) merged the western provinces into a single province of West Pakistan to balance the two wings.

  4. Who dissolved the First Constituent Assembly of Pakistan and on what date?

    Governor-General Ghulam Muhammad dissolved it on 24 October 1954.

  5. Which landmark court case challenged the 1954 dissolution of the Constituent Assembly, and what doctrine did it establish?

    Maulvi Tamizuddin Khan v. Federation of Pakistan; the Federal Court (via Justice Munir) upheld the dissolution and effectively invoked the 'doctrine of necessity'.

  6. Who was the President of the Constituent Assembly that was dissolved in 1954, and who challenged the dissolution?

    Maulvi Tamizuddin Khan was the President (Speaker) of the Assembly, and he challenged the dissolution in court.

  7. On what date was the Constitution of 1956 enforced and what did it declare Pakistan to be?

    It was enforced on 23 March 1956 and declared Pakistan an 'Islamic Republic' for the first time.

  8. What form of government and legislature did the 1956 Constitution establish?

    A parliamentary (federal) form of government with a unicameral legislature (the National Assembly) and a President as constitutional head of state.

  9. State two salient Islamic provisions of the 1956 Constitution.

    The President must be a Muslim; no law repugnant to the injunctions of Islam (Quran and Sunnah) shall be enacted, and existing laws were to be brought into conformity with Islam.

  10. How did the 1956 Constitution structure the federation and provincial representation?

    A federation of two units, East Pakistan and West Pakistan (after One Unit), with parity of seats between the two wings in the National Assembly.

  11. What were the main causes of the abrogation of the 1956 Constitution?

    Political instability, frequent changes of government, weak political parties, civil-bureaucratic dominance, East-West tensions, and President Iskander Mirza's imposition of martial law on 7 October 1958.

  12. Who abrogated the 1956 Constitution and who soon took over as Chief Martial Law Administrator?

    President Iskander Mirza abrogated it on 7 October 1958; General Ayub Khan, as Chief Martial Law Administrator, took over and removed Mirza within 20 days (27 October 1958).

  13. On what date was the 1962 Constitution enforced and who promulgated it?

    It was enforced on 8 June 1962 and was promulgated by President Ayub Khan.

  14. What form of government did the 1962 Constitution introduce?

    A presidential system with a powerful President as both head of state and head of government, and a unicameral National Assembly.

  15. What was the system of 'Basic Democracies' under the 1962 Constitution?

    A four-tier system of local government whose roughly 80,000 elected members ('Basic Democrats') formed the electoral college that elected the President and the assemblies.

  16. How were Fundamental Rights treated in the original 1962 Constitution and how was this changed?

    The original 1962 Constitution contained only 'Principles of Law-making' (non-justiciable), not justiciable Fundamental Rights; justiciable Fundamental Rights were added by the First Amendment in 1963.

  17. By what name was the country designated in the 1962 Constitution at first, and how was 'Islamic' restored?

    It was initially named the 'Republic of Pakistan'; the word 'Islamic' was restored to make it the 'Islamic Republic of Pakistan' by the First Amendment (1963).

  18. Name two key amendments or institutions in the 1962 Constitution dealing with Islamic provisions.

    The Advisory Council of Islamic Ideology (to advise on conformity of laws with Islam) and the Islamic Research Institute; the President was also required to be a Muslim.

  19. What event/movement led to the downfall of Ayub Khan and abrogation of the 1962 Constitution?

    Widespread agitation (1968-69) over economic disparity, the unpopular presidential system and Basic Democracies; Ayub handed power to General Yahya Khan, who imposed martial law on 25 March 1969 and abrogated the constitution.

  20. On what date was the 1973 Constitution passed and on what date enforced?

    Passed by the National Assembly on 10 April 1973 and enforced on 14 August 1973.

  21. What form of government and legislature did the 1973 Constitution establish?

    A federal parliamentary system with a bicameral legislature (Majlis-e-Shoora): the National Assembly (lower house) and the Senate (upper house), with a Prime Minister as chief executive and a President as ceremonial head of state.

  22. State two salient Islamic provisions of the 1973 Constitution.

    Islam is the State religion; both the President and the Prime Minister must be Muslims; no law repugnant to the injunctions of Islam may be enacted (any two).

  23. How does the 1973 Constitution distribute legislative powers between the Federation and the provinces?

    Originally through two lists in the Federal Legislative List (Part I and Part II) plus a Concurrent List; residuary powers vested in the provinces. The Concurrent List was abolished by the 18th Amendment (2010), devolving those subjects to the provinces.

  24. After the 18th Amendment, how are subjects divided in the 1973 Constitution's Federal Legislative List?

    Federal Legislative List Part I (purely federal subjects, e.g. defence, foreign affairs, currency) and Part II (subjects handled with the Council of Common Interests, e.g. railways, electricity, major ports); residuary subjects belong exclusively to the provinces.

  25. Which constitutional body resolves federal-provincial disputes over Part II Federal List subjects under the 1973 Constitution?

    The Council of Common Interests (CCI).

  26. Name three Fundamental Rights guaranteed under the 1973 Constitution.

    Security of person, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, equality of citizens, right to fair trial, and protection against arbitrary arrest (any three).

  27. How many provinces formed the federation under the original 1973 Constitution and what is the position now?

    Originally four provinces (Punjab, Sindh, NWFP, Balochistan); today still four, with NWFP renamed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by the 18th Amendment (2010).

  28. What was the Legal Framework Order (LFO) 1970 and who issued it?

    An order issued by President Yahya Khan in 1970 laying down the framework, principles and 120-day time limit under which the new National Assembly was to be elected and to frame a constitution; it dissolved One Unit and restored provinces in West Pakistan and abolished parity in favour of representation by population.

  29. Which historic election was held under the Legal Framework Order 1970 and what was its outcome?

    Pakistan's first general election on adult franchise (December 1970); the Awami League (Mujibur Rahman) won a majority in the East, the PPP (Bhutto) led the West, the deadlock contributing to the 1971 crisis and the separation of East Pakistan (Bangladesh).

  30. What was the Provisional Constitution Order (PCO) 1981 and under whom was it issued?

    An order issued by General Zia-ul-Haq on 24 March 1981 to provide a legal framework for governance during martial law, suspending parts of the 1973 Constitution and requiring superior court judges to take a fresh oath under the PCO; judges who refused ceased to hold office.

  31. Compare the chief executive arrangement of the 1956, 1962 and 1973 Constitutions.

    1956: parliamentary, Prime Minister is chief executive with a ceremonial President. 1962: presidential, the President is both head of state and government. 1973: parliamentary, Prime Minister is chief executive with a ceremonial President (originally).

CSS Law (Constitutional) Constitutional History of Pakistan FAQ

What is in the CSS Law (Constitutional) Constitutional History of Pakistan syllabus?

CSS Law (Constitutional) Constitutional History of Pakistan is split into 7 chapters: Pre-Independence Constitutional Development, Foundational Documents, Constitution of 1956, Constitution of 1962, Constitution of 1973, Constitutional Disruptions and Instruments and Constitutional Amendments. Together they contain 24 topics.

How many chapters are in CSS Law (Constitutional) Constitutional History of Pakistan?

7 chapters, containing 24 topics. The largest chapter is Constitutional Disruptions and Instruments, with 5 topics.

Are there flashcards for CSS Law (Constitutional) Constitutional History of Pakistan?

Yes — a 51-card Constitutional History of Pakistan deck, printed in full in the flashcards section of this page and available in the Examius app with spaced repetition. The free plan covers one exam of your choice, including its flashcards; Examius Pro, a one-time purchase, unlocks every other exam and deck.