Pakistan was founded on the concept of the two-nation theory, which was largely based on Muslim nationalism. The Zia-ul-Haq's administration in the 1980s decade was anti-secular and Islamist. The supporters of Islamism assert that Pakistan was founded as a Muslim state and that in its status as an

Islamic republic The term Islamic republic has been used in different ways. Some Muslim religious leaders have used it as the name for a form of Islamic theocratic government enforcing sharia, or laws compatible with sharia. The term has also been used for a s ...

, it must thereby implement Islamic laws, known as

Sharia Sharia, Sharī'ah, Shari'a, or Shariah () is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition based on Islamic holy books, scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran, Qur'an and hadith. In Islamic terminology ''sharīʿah'' ...

. On the other hand, secularists describe that

Muhammad Ali Jinnah Muhammad Ali Jinnah (born Mahomedali Jinnahbhai; 25 December 187611 September 1948) was a barrister, politician, and the founder of Pakistan. Jinnah served as the leader of the All-India Muslim League from 1913 until the inception of Pa ...

wanted a state where religious oligarchy will be absent and all Muslims will be liberal, he envisioned for a progressive and liberal Muslim state of Pakistan. One of Pakistan's most popular media outlets, ''

Dawn Dawn is the time that marks the beginning of twilight before sunrise. It is recognized by the diffuse sky radiation, appearance of indirect sunlight being Rayleigh scattering, scattered in Earth's atmosphere, when the centre of the Sun's disc ha ...

'', was originally founded by Jinnah and still identifies as secular. Other popular media outlets like ''Express Tribune'', ''Daily Times'', and ''Pakistan Today'' also identify on a liberal and progressive platform.

History

The 1949

Objectives Resolution The Objectives Resolution () was adopted by the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan, Constituent Assembly of Pakistan on 12 March 1949. The resolution proclaimed that the future constitution of Pakistan would not be modeled entirely on a European p ...

envisaged an official role for Islam as the state religion. The state retained most of the laws that were inherited from the secular British legal code that had been enforced by the

British Raj The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule ...

since the 19th century. In 1956, the state adopted the name of the "Islamic Republic of Pakistan", declaring Islam as the official religion.

Objectives resolution

Early in the history of the state of Pakistan (12 March 1949), a parliamentary resolution (the

) was adopted : This resolution later became key source of inspiration for writers of

Constitution of Pakistan The Constitution of Pakistan ( ; ISO 15919, ISO: '' Āīn-ē-Pākistān''), also known as the 1973 Constitution, is the supreme law of Pakistan. The document guides Pakistan's law, political culture, and system. It sets out the state's outlin ...

and is included in constitution as preamble.

Islamization

As a reaction to the bifurcation of Pakistan (due to the rise of secessionist movement in

East Pakistan East Pakistan was the eastern province of Pakistan between 1955 and 1971, restructured and renamed from the province of East Bengal and covering the territory of the modern country of Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India and Burma, wit ...

) in 1971, Islamic political parties began to see an increase in popular support. In the 1970s, the populist and elected

Prime minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (5 January 1928 – 4 April 1979) was a Pakistani barrister and politician who served as the fourth president of Pakistan from 1971 to 1973 and later as the ninth Prime Minister of Pakistan, prime minister of Pakistan from 19 ...

caved in to a major demand of the Islamic parties by declaring the Ahmadiyya Community to be non-Muslims. Under the

constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organization or other type of entity, and commonly determines how that entity is to be governed. When these pri ...

of 1973, Bhutto also banned alcohol, gambling and night clubs. Bhutto was overthrown in 1977 by Chief of Army Staff General Zia-ul-Haq, who went considerably further with the formal campaign of Islamization of Pakistan (1977–1988).

Secularization

The Ayub Khan's administration in the 1960s decade was secular and modernist, he renamed the country from 'Islamic Republic of Pakistan' to 'Republic of Pakistan' in 1962 through constitutional change and in 1964 he banned the Islamist political party

Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan (JIP), is a Pakistani Islamism, Islamist political party. It is the Pakistani successor to Jamaat-e-Islami, which was founded in colonial India in 1941. JIP is a "vanguard party", whose members are intended to be leade ...

. Pakistan elected

Muslim world The terms Islamic world and Muslim world commonly refer to the Islamic community, which is also known as the Ummah. This consists of all those who adhere to the religious beliefs, politics, and laws of Islam or to societies in which Islam is ...

's first female prime minister

Benazir Bhutto Benazir Bhutto (21 June 1953 – 27 December 2007) was a Pakistani politician who served as the 11th prime minister of Pakistan from 1988 to 1990, and again from 1993 to 1996. She was also the first woman elected to head a democratic governmen ...

in 1988 (and again in 1993). She did not repeal most of the Islamic laws of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto (her father) and General Zia-ul-Haq, but promoted secularism through media, cultural policies, general policy making and style of governance, etc. Military ruler Gen.

Pervez Musharraf Pervez Musharraf (11 August 1943 – 5 February 2023) was a Pakistani general and politician who served as the tenth president of Pakistan from 2001 to 2008. Prior to his career in politics, he was a four-star general and appointed as ...

promoted secularism under the banner of ''

Enlightened Moderation Enlightened moderation is a term coined by a former Pakistani president, Pervez Musharraf; it applies to practicing a moderate Islam, as opposed to the interpretations of fundamentalist Islam. To think properly as to rationalize thoughts, to be ...

'' during his nine years long military rule (1999–2008). Benazir Bhutto's assassination in 2007 and the murder of Salman Taseer in 2011, a Pakistani politician calling for the removal of the blasphemy laws, have provoked secularists in Pakistani politics, media and civil society. Government led by Bhutto's

Pakistan Peoples Party The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) is a political party in Pakistan and one of the three major List of political parties in Pakistan, Pakistani political parties alongside the Pakistan Muslim League (N) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. With a Cent ...

has followed the legacy of

's secular style of governance during five years long democratic period (2008–2013).

History

Objectives resolution

Islamization

Secularization

References

Further reading