From Movement to Government: The Transformation of the Muslim League after the Creation of Pakistan (1947–1956)
Keywords:
Muslim League, Constitutional Development, Political History, State Formation, Bureaucracy, PakistanAbstract
Political struggle led by All-India Muslim League under the leadership of Muhammad Ali Jinnah culminated in the creation of Pakistan in 1947. But the shift of the Muslim League from a mass nationalism party to a party in power posed great political, administrative and institutional problems. The present paper will deal with the change in the Muslim League in the formative years of Pakistan (1947-1956) in relation to four broad facets of its role: governance, constitution making, Centre–province relations and democratic institutionalization. The study claims that the Muslim League was effective in mobilizing the Indian Muslims for the creation of Pakistan but failed to reform itself into the demands of state-building and parliamentary governance after independence. With Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Liaquat Ali Khan's deaths, the leadership void led to a weakening of the unity and growth of factionalism within the party. At the same time, new political institutions were weakened, and parliamentary traditions were eroded by increasing influence of bureaucracy and military. The paper also examines the constitutional issues of the time such as the Objectives Resolution, provincial complaints and issues relating to Islamic identity and democratic governance. Although the first constitution was promulgated by 1956, the Muslim League had greatly diminished in its effectiveness as an effective representative political force. This study is analytical and historical in nature which throws light on the structural weaknesses of Muslim League and its far-reaching effect on the political development of Pakistan in the long haul.
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