Constituent Assembly of Pakistan
Constituent Assembly of Pakistan | |
|---|---|
 Seal of the Constituent Assembly | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| History | |
| Founded | 10 August 1947 |
| Disbanded | 23 March 1956 |
| Preceded by | Constituent Assembly of India |
| Succeeded by | National Assembly of Pakistan |
| Leadership | |
President | |
Leader of the House | |
Leader of the Opposition | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 72 |
 | |
Political groups | Government (50)
Opposition (12)
Others (10)
|
| Elections | |
First election | July 1947 |
Last election | 21 June 1955 |
| Meeting place | |
| Sindh Assembly building, Karachi | |
The Constituent Assembly of Pakistan[a] was the supreme federal legislature of the Dominion of Pakistan. It was established in August 1947 with the primary tasks of framing a constitution; and serving as an interim parliament. It was officially dissolved on 23 March 1956 and succeeded by the Parliament of Pakistan when the first Pakistani constitution was promulgated.[1]
History
[edit]The first Constituent Assembly convened on August 10, 1947, on the eve of independence and the end of British rule.[2] Muhammad Ali Jinnah was elected as the president of the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan on the same day and remained its president until his death on September 11, 1948.[2] Subsequently, Liaquat Ali Khan headed it for three years and produced the Objectives Resolution, which was adopted by the Constituent Assembly on March 12, 1949, as an annex to Pakistan's constitution.[3] It is important to mention that 21 members out of 69 voted for the Objectives Resolution.[4] The assembly had a majority of Muslim League members, with the Pakistan National Congress, the successor to the INC in the state, forming the second largest party, solely representing Hindus.
The assembly was widely criticised for its incompetence. Addressing a rally in Lahore on October 14, 1950, Syed Abul Ala Maududi, leader of the Jamaat e Islami demanded its dissolution, arguing that the "lampost legislators" were incapable of drawing up an Islamic constitution.[citation needed] Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy said that assembly did not possess any of the characteristics of a democratic parliament.[citation needed] He argued that the nation would overlook any unconstitutional action on the governor general's part if he exorcised the fascist demon and established representative institutions.[5] The Constituent Assembly of Pakistan was dissolved on October 24, 1954, by Governor General Malik Ghulam Muhammad.[6] The dissolution was challenged by the president of the assembly in the notable case of Federation of Pakistan v. Maulvi Tamizuddin Khan, in which the federal court took the side of the governor general, in spite of dissent from one judge. Mohammad Ali Bogra was the Prime Minister of Pakistan at the time.[2]
The Muslim League continued to be the largest party in the second assembly, whereas the Krishak Sramik Party led United Front replaced the Pakistan National Congress as the main opposition group. The constitution was promulgated on March 23, 1956,[citation needed] making Pakistan an Islamic republic.[1] On October 7, 1958, martial law was imposed on the country by Iskander Mirza, with army chief Ayub Khan appointed as the chief martial law administrator.[7] The new leaders abrogated the constitution, declaring it unworkable.[7]
Members
[edit]First Assembly
[edit]The members were originally elected to the Constituent Assembly of India before they abdicated in the aftermath of the partition of India. Later the members were elected in 1947 elections. The members were as follows:[8]
Second Assembly
[edit]The second Constituent Assembly was elected in the Second Constituent Assembly election on June 21, 1955.
The members of the 2nd constituent assembly were[9]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 "Pakistan - Constitutional framework". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on 9 June 2020. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
- 1 2 3 "Parliamentary History". National Assembly of Pakistan. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
- ↑ Hasan, Ali Dayan (6 August 2010). "Objective reality". Dawn. Pakistan. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
- ↑ Khan, Hamid Constitutional and Political History of Pakistan (2017). Constitutional and Political History of Pakistan (3rd ed.). Karachi: OUP. ISBN 9780199407828.
- ↑ Inamur Rehman (1982). Public Opinion and Political Development in Pakistan. Karachi: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-577268-7.
- ↑ "History of Parliaments in Pakistan". nationalassembly.tripod.com. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
- 1 2 "Pakistan's Constitution". Council on Foreign Relations. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
- ↑ "1st Constituent Assembly" (PDF). National Assembly of Pakistan. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 April 2013.
- ↑ "2nd Constitute Assembly from 1955- 1958" (PDF). National Assembly of Pakistan.
Notes
[edit]- ↑ The Constituent Assembly officially used its Persian name, alongside the English name.
The names in all languages were:
Persian: پاکستان مجلس دستورن, romanized: pākistān majlis dastūran
Bengali: পাকিস্তান গণপরিষদ, romanized: pākistān goṇoporishod
Urdu: آئین ساز اسمبلی پاکستان, romanized: ā'īn-sāz asimblī pākistān
Punjabi: پاکستان دا آئین ساز مجلس, romanized: pākastān dā ā'īn-sāz majlas
Sindhi: پاڪستان جي آئين ساز اسيمبلي, romanized: pākistān jī ā'īn-sāz assēmblī
Pashto: د پاکستان اساسي قانون جوړونکې جرګه, romanized: dá pākistān asāsī qānūn joṛonkī jirgāh
Balochi: پاکستان ءِ آئین ساز اسمبلی, romanized: pákastán ay áén sáz ásambali