Contested Vision of Pakistan

Introduction:

Pakistan was founded in 1947 as a homeland for Muslims in the Indian subcontinent.

Contested Vision of Pakistan:

From the beginning, determining what kind of state Pakistan ought to become was a contested issue. Building a consensus was as complex as it could be as the competing groups needed to agree more on what direction to give the new state.

Power Struggle:

The issue could have been settled through democratic politics of rights and general agreement on a constitution that gave ethnic and regional groups a stake in the political system. Still, sadly, the political factions got more embroiled in persistent bouts of a power struggle rather than building a consensus on a constitution.

Lack of Consensus on the Constitution:

Framing a constitution in the early years of public enthusiasm and the relative innocence of political leaders proved to be an elusive quest. A constitution might have laid the foundation for the state's construction and espoused nationalism among pluralistic ethnic communities that constituted Pakistan.

Role of Islam and Central/Federating Units:

The contentious issue of Islam and the state, on the one hand, and the power of the centre and the federating units, on the other hand, further complicated the quest for consensus.

Rise of Military and Bureaucracy:

As the political leaders lost their legitimacy in intrigue, infighting and power politics, the bureaucracy and military began to capture much of the political ground. They projected themselves as the 'guardians' of the state with their ideas about the constitution and the vision of Pakistan.

Importance of a Social Contract:

Pakistan was a perplexingly diverse state requiring guaranteed protection of individual and regional rights, which was only possible under constitutional politics. Suppose we demystify the ideas or ideology behind Pakistan. In that case, it becomes apparent that it was a struggle to safeguard the rights of the Muslim community, which consisted of diverse ethnic and regional constituents.

Failures in Negotiating a Constitution:

But soon after independence, the 'ideology' of Pakistan started to be defined mainly in the religious idiom. Pakistani leaders and political factions, driven by individualistic interests more than collectivist thinking, failed to negotiate the constitution (a social contract) required to build the state they had founded.

Delay in Reaching Consensus:

By the time they reached some understanding of the constitution, though imperfect, and roughly after a decade after the creation of Pakistan, there needed to be more in resolving the central issues. The manufactured consensus rested on dissolving the historical provincial boundaries of four provinces in West Pakistan and sabotaging the majority principle to keep the more populous East Pakistan at par with West Pakistan.

Disruption of State Institutions:

In the meantime, factional power bouts, politics of intrigue, and elite conflicts disoriented state institutions. The political elite associated with the politically shallow Muslim League lost legitimacy as they became engrossed in settling personal political scores and conspiring with the condescending powerful bureaucrats to outmanoeuvre each other.