REGIME TYPE AND WOMEN’S SUBSTANTIVE REPRESENTATION IN PAKISTAN: A STUDY IN SOCIO POLITICAL CONSTRAINTS ON POLICYMAKING PhD DISSERTATION Submitted by Naila Maqsood Reg. No. NDU-GPP/Ph.D-009/F-002 Supervisor Dr. Sarfraz Hussain Ansari Department of Government & Public Policy Faculty of Contemporary Studies National Defence University Islamabad 2016 REGIME TYPE AND WOMEN’S SUBSTANTIVE REPRESENTATION IN PAKISTAN: A STUDY IN SOCIO POLITICAL CONSTRAINTS ON POLICY MAKING PhD DISSERTATION Submitted by Naila Maqsood Reg. No. NDU-GPP/Ph.D-009/F-002 This Dissertation is submitted to National Defence University, Islamabad in partial fulfillment for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Government and Public Policy Supervisor Dr. Sarfraz Hussain Ansari Department of Government & Public Policy Faculty of Contemporary Studies National Defence University Islamabad 2016 Certificate of Completion It is hereby recommended that the dissertation submitted by Ms. Naila Maqsood titled “Regime Type and Women’s Substantive Representation in Pakistan: A Study in Socio-Political Constraints on Policymaking” has been accepted in the partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of PhD in the discipline of Government & Public Policy. __________________________________ Supervisor __________________________________ External Examiner Countersigned By: …………………………………………… …………………………………….. Controller Examination Head of department Supervisor’s Declaration This is to certify that PhD dissertation submitted by Ms. Naila Maqsood titled “Regime Type and Women’s Substantive Representation in Pakistan: A Study in Socio-Political Constraints on Policymaking” is supervised by me, and is submitted to meet the requirements of PhD degree. Date: _____________ Dr. Sarfraz Hussain Ansari Supervisor Scholar’s Declaration I hereby declare that the thesis submitted by me titled “Regime Type and Women’s Substantive Representation in Pakistan: A Study in Socio- Political Constraints on Policymaking” is based on my own research work and has not been submitted to any other institution for any other degree. Date: _____________ Ms. Naila Maqsood Ph.D Scholar . Acknowledgement On onset I would like to thank Almighty Allah (all praise belongs to Him) who blessed me with the abilities to complete this research work. I would like to express my gratitude to Dr Sarfraz Hussain Ansari, who encouraged me to take up this study and provided valuable guidance throughout the completion of the work. His deep analytic remarks and comments help to improve both the theoretical framework and content of this study. I offer my sincere appreciation to Dr. Syed Bashir Hussain, Head of Department, Government and Public Policy, National Defence University Islamabad, for providing learning opportunities in the department and for his warmth, kindness and support. I could not have wished for a better chair of GPP department. I am also thankful to Dr. Shahzad for his valuable help. The cooperation of all my colleagues at UET especially Dr. Sultan, Mr. Mahmood Akhter, Miss Kulsoom, Mrs. Sumaira and my students will forever remain alive in my memory. This study based on extensive library work. It is pleasure giving expression to feelings of deepest gratitude to all those who made it possible for me to complete this thesis. I wish to acknowledge with thanks the cooperation of library staff of National Defence University, DRSM Library, Quaid-i-Azam University Islamabad for their assistance in locating books and other material important for this study. I am deeply indebted to the Directors and library staff of National Library of Pakistan Islamabad; National Archives of Pakistan Islamabad; Islamic International University, Islamabad; Allama Iqbal Open University, Islamabad and University of the Punjab, Lahore extended generous help in locating various books and other publications crucially important for this study. I cannot express enough thanks to Lt.Col Dr Umair Masood, Lt.Col Rafaqat, Ms Tasleem Kiyani and Col. Mubarak for their support. No calculated formula can properly express my feelings of indebtedness to all those souls who gave me strength to proceed with my work when my morale was sagging. I would like to special thanks to my father-in-law for providing moral support. I could not have wished for a more caring and kinder father-in-law. Many Thanks to my brothers-in-law Mubashar Hussain, Adnan Wali and sister-in-law for their i cooperation. I would like to thanks to Hussein, Ayesha, Fatima and Emaan who have provided me with much needed amusement. I wish to extend my gratitude to my siblings Saadia Maqsood, Asifa Irum and Muhammad Ali Minhas whose constant words of encouragement were very valuable for me but above all for always keeping it light, their humour and for bringing things in perspective. As for my husband Muddassar Hussain Naqvi, I find it difficult to express my appreciation because it is so boundless. With his practical and emotional support as I added the roles of wife and then mother, to the competing demands of work, study and personal development. He is my most enthusiastic cheerleader; friend; and an amazing husband. Without his sunny optimism, love and support, I would be lost. I am grateful to my husband not just because he has given up so much to make my reseach a priority in our lives, but because he has seen me through the ups and downs of the research process. He has shared this amazing journey with me. The completion of this dissertation could not have been accomplished without the cooperation of my little Princess Sarah Syed (my biggest source of joy and greatest love of all) – thank you so much for allowing me time away from you to research and write. Considering that Sarah is toddler, it’s hard to imagine, how she could contribute to a doctoral dissertation but infact, it was her sweetest smile and twinkling eyes which reminded me daily of all that was yet to be and motivated me to take the final huge leaps towards the completion of the research. Beyond this, I want to acknowledge my child for being such a bundle of joy and laughter. She deserves a trip to Disney World! Everything I write is for her. In the last but not at least, from the bottom of my heart, I express my deepest gratitude for my father Maqsood Ahmed and mother Nasim Akhtar (The best parents in the world) whose encouragement in all of my pursuits and support emotionally and financially at different stages of completion of the present study. I always knew that they believed in me and wanted the best for me. Thanks for teaching me that my job in life was to learn, to be happy, and to know and understand myself; only then could I know and understand others. Thanks to my mother, for guiding me as a person and teacher and edifying me empathy, the art of working around obstacles, and the importance of just getting it done. From my father, I learned to work hard, to stand up ii for myself, and to pick apart an argument. Since Sarah’ birth, my parents have been especially supportive, as we fumbled our way through the early days of parenthood. Without them, I have no idea how we would have made it through our three moves from Taxila to UET to NDU over the past year and a half. But my parents have not only been a source of logistical support, they have also taught me skills that have made me a better researcher. I am grateful to them both for being wonderful role models to me. In the end I am solely responsible for the short-comings (if any) in this study. Ms Naila Maqsood Ph.D Scholar iii Abstract Over the past few decades, academic interst has grown in the subject of women’s role in public life with a major question whether women are adequately represented in decision-making structures. An important aspect of the academic debate is whether, and how effectively, can women or, for that matter anyone else, substantively represent women. Women in Pakistan have generally suffered low social status in the society, unable to exercise their political, economic and social rights in any meaningful way. Many of the miserable conditions that women face often tend to be justified in terms of the country’s cultural ethos. This study assumes the Islamic contexts of Pakistani society. Adopting a qualitative approach, the study uses archieval material comprising authentic Muslim legal literature, Tafsir literature (i.e. literature in the interpretation of the Qur’anic texts), and accounts of women’s conditions and Pakistan’s politics. Relevant primary data was collected through semi-structured interviews of women and local councillors, members of provincial and national assembiles. The study argues that a proper interpretation of Islamic texts, historical appreciation of the evolution of Muslim jurisprudence and social practices, indicate that, over time, some of Islamic teachings on the status of women became tinged with anti-women practices and customs. Inequality in matters of divorce, problems for harmonious family life arising out of polygamous marriage culture, dissolution of marriage by impromptu ways illegal by the male partner–all these came to create conditions usually unbearable for women. With growth in consciousness that accretions had occurred in Islamic teachings, Muslim women, even before the creation of Pakistan as an independent state, made efforts to rectify the situation. In the independent Pakistan, several measures were suggested for rectification. However, such reform efforts proved fruitless under democratic regimes (1947-58) because of pressure on such regimes from social meliue often claiming to be based on Islamic ethos. On the other hand, two important measues namely, changes in Muslim Family Laws in favour of women, and reserved seats for women’s increased political representation in policymaking institutions, were affected under military regimes of Ayub Khan and Pervez Mushararaf, respectively. iv List of Tables Table Table Title Page No.