Constitutional and Political Heritage of Pakistan: An Analysis in Democratic Perspective

To understand the nature and functioning of democracy in Pakistan, it is important to trace the evolution of representative government in Indian sub-continent during the Colonial era. With the fall of great Mughal Empire in India, the British Crown successfully established the colonial authority in order to fill the power vacuum. Although at that time democratic government was effectively functioning in England, however, being a colonial power they intentionally avoided to launch a full-scale democracy in India, because introduction of democracy would meant a rule of locals with a little place for foreigners. However, with the passage of time elected institutions were introduced at central and provincial level yet ultimate power remained in the hands of official administrators. Extraordinary powers lied with the institutions of military and civil bureaucracy whereas feudalism remained an important pillar of colonial government. In point of fact, feudal class, on most of the occasions, helped the colonial state to strengthen its control and exercised through civil bureaucracy over the vast rural areas. This paper is an attempt to analyze these aspects of colonial government and their impact on political system of Pakistan.