Historical Perspective of Political and Constitutional Development in Pakistan

The political and constitutional history of Pakistan over the years has been quite enigmatic. The unprecedented political crises, security threats, failure of domestic and external policies impaired the political development of the country considerably. While looking at the historical underpinnings, the political system was dominated by bureaucratic-military elites. They developed symbiotic relationship along with feudal lords who readily accepted the policy of second fiddle. Military along with bureaucracy collaborated to re-structure the political system and brought constitutional changes to consolidate power. On the other hand the political parties were unable to capitalize upon political power. They remained averse to solving political issues, invariably contributed in strengthening the hands of extra constitutional forces. The ineffective system of accountability, weak organization of judiciary and social backwardness were among other factors which hampered political development considerably. This paper attempts to unfold the historical analysis of political and constitutional development and how those developments impacted the political system of Pakistan.