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Durham E-Theses Durham E-Theses The working of parliamentary government in Pakistan, 1947 - 1958: with particular reference to the central government and major political trends Harun, Chowdhury S. H. How to cite: Harun, Chowdhury S. H. (1970) The working of parliamentary government in Pakistan, 1947 - 1958: with particular reference to the central government and major political trends, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/8039/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk 2 ABSTRACT Pakistan came into being in August, 1947 with the marginal characteristics of a developed polity. Despite the apparent existence of disagreeable political phenomena all the components of Parliamentary democracy, and for that matter a developed polity, were beginning to surface in Pakistan as the year 1958 wore on; and a general election was becoming imminent. The first significant index of political development was Pakistan's achieving a general ideological consensus and resolution of regional cleavages in the country. On the question of integrative institution - building, the amalgamation of all units of West Pakistan into one unified province was a political landmark. The formula of parity between the two wings in all matters and the machineries: for implementing it were duly incorporated in the constitution. Proper machinery for deciding disputes over secular versus Islamic issues were also envisaged by the constitution. In sum, the constitution of 1956 laid the foundation of Pakistan nationhood. The period 1956 - 1958 witnessed fufcther strengthening of institu• tions which were created. The one-unit scheme was further solidified. The edges of centrefugal forces were blunted, and the grievances of the former smaller units of West Pakistan were attended to. The regionalism of East Pakistan, comparatively speaking, was dwindling. The controversy over the definition of the Pakistan state, whether it would be secular or Islamic -2- l\ \\ was also finally solved with the ushering of a joint electorate system. :| It can be thus maintained that within the period 1954- i958> "the regional and ideological cleavages were greatly resolved paving the way i for a " Common value orientation H - the desideratum for a developed j polity. Also, there occured a significant change in the political system, in that the early domination of the Services was on the wane. The Hindus which were looked upon with jaundiced eye in the early period were given a sense of partnership with the majority community in the use of political power. Similarly, the parliament in the period 1956-1958 made some f headway towards the right direction. What is more, the trend®, were identifiable in that, the two parties namely, the M.L. and A.L. were \ emerging as the two major political parties of Pakistan. Despite all these achievements towards political development, Pakistan could not retain the parliamentary apparatus on the Westminister model, for ; some small group of people who happened to have their fingers on the triggers of power, had no loyalty to democratic institutions and sabotaged the working of the parliamentary government in Pakistan. i "THE WORKING OP PARLIAMENTARY GOVERNMENT IN PAKISTAN 1947 - 1958" Wita Particular Reference to Central Government and Major Political Trends The Working of Parliamentary Government in Pakistan, 1947 - 1958: With Particular Reference to the Central Government and major Political Trends By Ghowdhury S.H. Harun, M.A. (English) Dacca; M.Sc. (Journalism) U.S.A.; M.A. (Political Science) U.S.A. A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, University of Durham, England, U.K. Department of Politics Ootober, 1970. I. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The writer must especially acknowledge his heavy debt to his supervisor, Mr. G.G. Atkinson, Senior lecturer, Department of Politics, University of Durhamj for, without his patient supervision, guidance, contribution of time, energy and incentive no thesis of this magnitude could have heen produced. II PREFACE To concur with the proposition that Government is indispensible, independently of all accompanying deficiencies, by virtue of the very nature of human society, is not apparently a problem. But there involves a judicious judgement, a prggmatic insight in the hard choice of appropriate form of Government which is in consonant with the genius of a given people and its own characteristic social structure. The Westminister system of government is at bottom a democratic institution. It is both'a form of Government and a way of life'. Normally, it has functioned smoothly in an homogeneous environment. When Pakistan came into being parliamentary democracy was adopted as her form of Government. Since all the paraphernalia of parliamentary democracy were decreed null and void following the advent of a martial law regime in 1958 an impression has gained ground, at home and abroad, that the parliamentary system of government might have essen• tially failed in Pakistan - a reinforcement in the belief of the so-called a priori theory that representative institutions are fish out of water in the newly independent countries just freed from the foreign rule. There are some publications available on Pakistan Politics including the illuminating studies of Prof. K. Callard and Dr. K.B. Sayeed. But the fact remains, that all the available studies are lopsided in that they are more prone to discover the debit side of Pakistan Politics to the exclusion of the credit. A decade 8r two is inadequate for the full development of a nation. Ill Hitherto, there has been no attempt to decipher the 'dynamics* that lay beneath Pakistan's baffling political events - 1947-1958. After four years of hard slogging in research the author has made an attempt in this thesis to analyse the cumulative effects of events and discern the redeeming features of Pakistan's Parliamentary Politics. Important institutions and great national issues have been analysed and their resultant underlying meanings explained. It will appear at the end of this thesis that all the components of parliamentary democracy, and for that matter a developed polity, were beginning to surface in Pakistan despite the apparent existence of disagreeable political phenomena as the year 1958 wore on and a general election was becoming imminent. While surveying the period 1947-1958 the author has aimed at giving a panoramic view of Pakistan's political aspects, and taken reoourse to a broad socio-psychological approach towards political development. This has necessarily entailed the amassing of a considerable amount of detail. In this thesis considerable stress has been laid on primary sources and published materials. This procedure has been duly supple• mented by interviews with people who were deeply committed to Pakistan1 politios. In this connection the author records his deepest gratitude to the late General Meander Mirza who in a series of interviews gave an authoritative account of his political experiences in Pakistan. On another count I am equally grateful to the late general for allowing me to use some of his secret documents for research purposes, the result of which has been to throw new insight on Pakistan politics, IV. though, unfortunately, inspite of the author*s personal respect for the late General, some parts of the documents have not been used as he would have wished so as to ensure that this thesis should be impersonal• The author places on record his gratitude to his teachers and friends for providing him with incentives in many a way, and especially has greatly benefitted through contact with Prof. C.H. Phillip, Prof. Morris-Jones, Prof. H. Tinker, Mr. C.H. Dodd, Dr. Paris, Mr. D. Arundell and Dr. Zaidi. I thank Miss Mary Manuel for the amount of labour she has put in while typing the thesis. Last but not least, I register my tribute to my wife, Shahzadi, who constantly travelled between East and West Pakistan to help me get valuable materials as a research assistant, and as a wife sustained me during these years with encouragements, prayers and love. C.S.H. Harun London, October, 1970. v. Abbreviation of Words P.R.O.D.A. Public Representatives Official Disqualification Act M.L. Muslim league G.A.D. (Leg.) Constituent Assembly Debates (Legislative) M.C.A. Member Constituent Assembly N.W.F.P. North West Frontier Province A. P.P. Azad Pakistan Party P.I.D.C. Pakistan Industrial Development Corporation P.I.F.C. Pakistan Industrial Finance Corporation P.A.D.P.C. Pakistan Agricultural Development Finance Corporation P.C.I.D.C. Pakistan Cottage Industries Development Corporation C.S.P. Central Service of Pakistan B. P.C. Basic Principles Committee A.M.L. Awami Muslim league I.M.F, International Monetary Fund Gr-in-C Commander in Chief U.P. United Provinces U.F, United Front G.D. Ganatantri Dal CP. Communist
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