CSS Pakistan Affairs Constitutional and Political Development of Pakistan Syllabus

Constitutional and Political Development of Pakistan syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Constitutional and Political Development of Pakistan in CSS Pakistan Affairs, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Initial Problems and Early Governance (1947-1958)

   3 topics

   • Problems at Independence
   • Objectives Resolution (1949)
   • Constitution-Making Challenges and the 1956 Constitution
2. 2

   Constitutions of Pakistan

   4 topics

   • Constitution of 1956
   • Constitution of 1962
   • Constitution of 1973
   • Major Constitutional Amendments
3. 3

   Military Rule and Democratic Phases

   5 topics

   • Ayub Khan Era and the Decade of Development
   • Yahya Khan, 1970 Elections and Fall of Dhaka
   • Bhutto Era (1971-1977)
   • Zia-ul-Haq and Islamization
   • Democratic Decade and Musharraf Era (1988-2008)
4. 4

   Separation of East Pakistan

   3 topics

   • Causes of the 1971 Crisis
   • Indian Intervention and Fall of Dhaka
   • Consequences and Lessons
5. 5

   Evolution of the Democratic System

   3 topics

   • Civil-Military Relations
   • Role of Judiciary and Doctrine of Necessity
   • Federalism and Center-Province Relations

Constitutional and Political Development of Pakistan flashcards for CSS Pakistan Affairs

23 of 60 cards from the Constitutional and Political Development of Pakistan deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. What were the major administrative problems Pakistan faced at independence in 1947?

   Lack of a capital, no established government machinery or central secretariat, shortage of trained civil servants, division of military and financial assets, and the influx of millions of refugees requiring rehabilitation.

2. What was the dispute over the division of financial assets between India and Pakistan at independence?

   Of the Rs. 4 billion cash balance, Pakistan was allotted Rs. 750 million but India initially withheld it, releasing only Rs. 200 million; the remaining Rs. 550 million was released only after Gandhi's intervention and fast.

3. What problem did the Radcliffe Award (Boundary Commission) create for Pakistan?

   The Radcliffe Award unjustly awarded Muslim-majority areas like Gurdaspur and Ferozepur to India, giving India a land route to Kashmir and creating a flawed, disputed border that triggered communal violence and migration.

4. When and where did Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah die, and what leadership crisis followed?

   Jinnah died on 11 September 1948, just over a year after independence, depriving the new state of its founding leader; Liaquat Ali Khan was assassinated on 16 October 1951, creating a leadership vacuum that weakened civilian institutions.

5. What was the Objectives Resolution and when was it passed?

   The Objectives Resolution was passed by the Constituent Assembly on 12 March 1949 under Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan; it laid down the fundamental principles and framework on which Pakistan's future constitutions would be based.

6. What key principle about sovereignty did the Objectives Resolution declare?

   It declared that sovereignty over the entire universe belongs to Almighty Allah alone, and the authority exercised by the people of Pakistan is a sacred trust to be used within the limits prescribed by Him.

7. How did the Objectives Resolution gain permanent legal status in Pakistan?

   Originally a preamble, it was made a substantive and operative part of the Constitution through Article 2-A, inserted by President Zia-ul-Haq via Revival of the Constitution Order (RCO) in 1985 (8th Amendment).

8. What was the Basic Principles Committee and what controversy did its reports cause?

   Set up in 1949 to frame constitutional proposals, its 1950 Interim Report and 1952 Report drew opposition; East Pakistan objected to Urdu as sole national language and to under-representation, while religious groups debated the Islamic provisions.

9. What was the 'parity formula' adopted to resolve the representation dispute between East and West Pakistan?

   Under the parity principle, the two wings were given equal representation in the legislature despite East Pakistan having a larger population, achieved partly by merging West Pakistan's provinces into One Unit in 1955.

10. What was the One Unit scheme of 1955?

    The One Unit scheme merged all provinces and states of West Pakistan into a single administrative province in 1955 to create parity with East Pakistan; it was deeply resented by smaller provinces and was finally dissolved in 1970.

11. When was Pakistan's first Constitution enforced and what type of state did it declare?

    The first Constitution was passed on 29 February 1956 and enforced on 23 March 1956, declaring Pakistan the 'Islamic Republic of Pakistan' for the first time.

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

    It established a parliamentary (Westminster) system with a unicameral National Assembly of 300 members (150 from each wing under parity), with a President as head of state and a Prime Minister as head of government.

13. Who were the first President and the architect Prime Minister associated with the 1956 Constitution?

    Major General Iskander Mirza became the first President under the 1956 Constitution, while Chaudhry Muhammad Ali was the Prime Minister whose government framed and passed it.

14. What Islamic provisions did the 1956 Constitution contain?

    It named the country the Islamic Republic, required the head of state to be a Muslim, incorporated the Objectives Resolution as preamble, and provided that no law repugnant to the Quran and Sunnah would be enacted.

15. How long did the 1956 Constitution remain in force and how did it end?

    It lasted only about two and a half years; it was abrogated on 7 October 1958 when President Iskander Mirza declared martial law, after which General Ayub Khan took power within weeks.

16. How and when did Ayub Khan come to power, and what happened to Iskander Mirza?

    Ayub Khan was appointed Chief Martial Law Administrator on 7 October 1958; on 27 October 1958 he ousted President Iskander Mirza and sent him into exile, becoming President himself.

17. When was the 1962 Constitution promulgated and what system of government did it introduce?

    The 1962 Constitution was enforced on 8 June 1962; it introduced a presidential system with a powerful President in whom executive authority was concentrated, replacing the parliamentary system.

18. What was the Basic Democracies system under Ayub Khan?

    Introduced in 1959, Basic Democracies was a four-tier local government system with about 80,000 elected 'Basic Democrats' who served as an electoral college to elect the President and the National/Provincial Assemblies.

19. How was the President elected under the 1962 Constitution?

    The President was elected indirectly by an electoral college of 80,000 (later 120,000) Basic Democrats, not by direct universal adult franchise, which limited popular participation.

20. What was the 'Decade of Development' associated with Ayub Khan?

    It refers to roughly 1958-1968 when Pakistan saw rapid industrialization, a high GDP growth rate (around 6-7%), the Green Revolution, and large dams (Mangla, Tarbela planning), celebrated in 1968 even as inequality grew.

21. What was the Indus Waters Treaty and when was it signed under Ayub Khan?

    Signed in 1960 between Pakistan and India (brokered by the World Bank), it allotted the three western rivers (Indus, Jhelum, Chenab) to Pakistan and the three eastern rivers (Ravi, Beas, Sutlej) to India.

22. What was the significance of the 1965 presidential election under Ayub Khan?

    In the 1965 election, Ayub Khan defeated Fatima Jinnah (the Combined Opposition Parties' candidate) through the Basic Democrats electoral college; the contest is often cited as flawed and a turning point against Ayub's legitimacy.

23. What led to the fall of Ayub Khan in 1969?

    Economic inequality, the unpopular Tashkent Declaration after the 1965 war, the Agartala Conspiracy case, and a mass anti-Ayub movement (1968-69) forced him to hand power to General Yahya Khan on 25 March 1969, who imposed martial law.

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