Democracy In Pakistan

Ghulam Muhammad trampled the parliamentary norm under his feet when it was a time to develop democratic traditions. The democratic roots in Pakistan were hampered at the embryonic stage. Ghulam Muhammad dismissed Khawaja Nazim u Din dissolve the first constituent assembly and appointed Muhammad Ali Bogra as Prime Minister.

Appointment of Muhammad Ali Bogra was against the norms of parliamentary government as he was neither the leader of the Majority party nor was he an elected represented. Acceptance of Muhammad Ali Bogra as PM showed lack of party solidarity and no respect of cabinet conventions among the ministers. Afte the removal of Muhammad Ali Bogra from the political arena, Major General Iskander Mirza held the regions of the government,

Since bureaucracy was involved in the decision making process with the politicians, the dictation of the bureaucracy could not be understood by the parliamentarians. (reference no 3 page no 170) Ayub khan believed that democracy did not suit the genius of the people of Pakistan so he introduced the basic democratic system as a framework for Pakistani politics. The people indirectly elected the representatives. Ayub created a new constitution in which he adopted presidential system of government as he argued that parliamentary system has failed in Pakistan. Chaudhary Muhammad Ali explained 1962 constitution as “A constitution of the President, by the President and for the President.” The distinctive features of Ayub system was the total subordination of the legislature to the executive and of the province to the center. His regime was a period of political stagnation, lack of civil liberties, black laws like press and publication ordinance and

He promised to hold elections on adult franchise basis and convene new constituent assembly. Removed the parity between East and West wing and also adopted the principle of one man one vote, this was his biggest political blunder. General elections were held in 1970. In west Pakistan, Bhutto’s party (PPP) won 87 seats in a three hundred member national assembly and Sheikh Mujib’s Awami League won 167 seats thereby obtaining majority in the national assembly. The political leaders failed to reach a compromise on the question of leadership in the assembly. The triangle of political power including Yahya Khan, Mr. Z.A Bhutto, who said I did not win the election to sit on the opposition benches, and Sheikh Mujib u Rehman, who claimed immediate transfer of power to him as he won the majority of seats, he wanted to frame the new constitution in accordance with his six points. No consensus could be reached between the triangles as Bhutto refused to sit in opposition resultantly civil war broke out in East Pakistan. After the bloody war in which India intervene on the side of Bengalis, the forces of West Pakistan surrendered on December 16, 1971. Bangladesh was born out of East