Asian Journal of Social Sciences & Humanities Vol. 3(3) August 2014
ISSN: 2186-8492, ISSN: 2186-8484 Print
www.ajssh.leena-luna.co.jp
Leena and Luna International, Oyama, Japan. Copyright © 2014
株 リナアンドルナインターナショナル 小山市、日本 Page| 164
Constitutional and Political Heritage of Pakistan:
An Analysis in Democratic Perspective
Muhammad Rizwan
1
, Qazi Sultan Mehmood
2
, Sidra Sabir
3
,
Muhammad Waqar
4
, Muhammad Arshid
5
1-2
Department of Pakistan Studies,
4-5
Department of Political Science,
Hazara University, Mansehra,
2
Department of Pakistan Studies, Hazara University, Havellian Campus,
PAKISTAN.
1
drmuhammadrizwan_hu@yahoo.com,
4
waqar.peace@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
To understand the nature and functioning of democracy in Pakistan, it is important to
trace the evolution of representative government in Indian sub-continent during the
Colonial era. With the fall of great Mughal Empire in India, the British Crown
successfully established the colonial authority in order to fill the power vacuum.
Although at that time democratic government was effectively functioning in England,
however, being a colonial power they intentionally avoided to launch a full-scale
democracy in India, because introduction of democracy would meant a rule of locals
with a little place for foreigners. However, with the passage of time elected
institutions were introduced at central and provincial level yet ultimate power
remained in the hands of official administrators. Extraordinary powers lied with the
institutions of military and civil bureaucracy whereas feudalism remained an
important pillar of colonial government. In point of fact, feudal class, on most of the
occasions, helped the colonial state to strengthen its control and exercised through
civil bureaucracy over the vast rural areas. This paper is an attempt to analyze these
aspects of colonial government and their impact on political system of Pakistan.
Keywords: Colonial legacy, civil bureaucracy, democratic process, feudalism,
Pakistan
INTRODUCTION
Pakistan inherited the state institutions that had evolved during the course of more than a
century of British colonial rule. In this perspective, it is important to trace evolution and
growth of system of representative government in colonial South Asia, because it exerted
considerable influence on political dynamics of post-partition Pakistan (Syed, 1995 p 110).
According to the political analyst, Mohammad Waseem (1993), “most of the problems of
electoral democracy in Pakistan have their roots in institutional and constitutional nature of
the state system which it inherited from the colonial period”.
Political structure of the Muslim rule in India was mainly a monarchical and non-democratic.
They knew that it is not possible for them to introduce a democratic system based on the
concept of majority rule in a country where they have formulated a marginal representation
not enough to maintain their hold on the governmental affairs. While explaining the nature
and functioning of the government of Muslim empire during the period of “Ghiyasuddin
Balban” K. Ali (1985) writes, “he was absolute in all affairs of the state and there was no
check on his powers. His government was no doubt a highly organized dictatorship”.
Succeeding Muslim rulers followed the same pattern of the government. Similarly, Robert L.
Hardgrave thinks that British rule started in 1857, introduced a system of government which