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    09 Constitutional Development 1949-56

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    asiya rani
    The document summarizes the constitutional development in Pakistan between 1949-1956, including reports produced by the Basic Principles Committee on recommendations for Pakistan's constitution. It discusses the formation of the One Unit scheme in 1955, which merged West Pakistan's four provinces into a single administrative unit, and the reasons for its implementation to reduce expenditures and provincial prejudices. However, the One Unit policy failed to achieve its objectives and instead increased tensions between ethnic groups and the sense of alienation in East Pakistan.

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    09 Constitutional Development 1949-56

    Uploaded by

    asiya rani
    180 views17 pages
    The document summarizes the constitutional development in Pakistan between 1949-1956, including reports produced by the Basic Principles Committee on recommendations for Pakistan's constitution. It discusses the formation of the One Unit scheme in 1955, which merged West Pakistan's four provinces into a single administrative unit, and the reasons for its implementation to reduce expenditures and provincial prejudices. However, the One Unit policy failed to achieve its objectives and instead increased tensions between ethnic groups and the sense of alienation in East Pakistan.

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    09 constitutional Development 1949-56(1)

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    The document summarizes the constitutional development in Pakistan between 1949-1956, including reports produced by the Basic Principles Committee on recommendations for Pakistan's constitution. It discusses the formation of the One Unit scheme in 1955, which merged West Pakistan's four provinces into a single administrative unit, and the reasons for its implementation to reduce expenditures and provincial prejudices. However, the One Unit policy failed to achieve its objectives and instead increased tensions between ethnic groups and the sense of alienation in East Pakistan.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
    180 views17 pages

    09 Constitutional Development 1949-56

    Uploaded by

    asiya rani
    The document summarizes the constitutional development in Pakistan between 1949-1956, including reports produced by the Basic Principles Committee on recommendations for Pakistan's constitution. It discusses the formation of the One Unit scheme in 1955, which merged West Pakistan's four provinces into a single administrative unit, and the reasons for its implementation to reduce expenditures and provincial prejudices. However, the One Unit policy failed to achieve its objectives and instead increased tensions between ethnic groups and the sense of alienation in East Pakistan.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
    of 17

    Constitutional

    Development in
    Pakistan

    1949-1956
    Prepared by: ARSHI NAUREEN
    Basic Principles Committee

    Federalism

    Franchise
    Basic Principles
    Committee
    24 Members

    Fundamental Rights

    Board of Talimat-e-
    Islamia

    Judiciary
    BASIC PRINCIPLES COMMITTEE’S FIRST REPORT
    The Committee presented its Report to the Constituent Assembly on 28th September 1950.
    1: The Objectives Resolution to be included in the Constitution as the directive principles.
    2: Bicameral Legislature: There would be two houses of the parliament.
    Upper House: (House of Units) Equal representation for all the five federating units.
    Lower House: (House of People) Representation of five federating units on the basis of
    Population.
    Central Assembly
    (Two Houses)

    UPPER HOUSE LOWER HOUSE


    Equal representation of five Representation of five units on
    units Population Basis
     Both the Houses would enjoy the equal powers.
    BASIC PRINCIPLES COMMITTEE’S FIRST REPORT

    3: PRESIDENT
     The Head of State will be elected by joint session of parliament for five years (Two terms only).
     President was not answerable to anyone regarding his powers.
     Might be a Muslim or non-Muslim.
     Assisted by the Prime Minister (PM) and Cabinet.
     Parliament may impeach him by 2/3 majority.
     He was given the power to abrogate the constitution.

    4: Cabinet will responsible to both the Houses.

    5: No mention of national language


    BASIC PRINCIPLES COMMITTEE’S FIRST REPORT
    Criticism on 1st Report
    This report was severely criticized throughout the country.
     The religious group objected that the report contained nothing about Islamization.
     Over-centralization: Concentration of powers in central Government. Strong center with
    vast powers in financial matters.
     On the question of representation, the East Pakistan protested that their majority had been
    denied by the Report because both the Houses were given equal powers. So the domination
    of West Pakistan was intolerable for the Eastern wing.
     The Eastern Pakistanis condemned the proposal of making Urdu as official language.
    Assassination of Liaqat Ali Khan

     Liaqat Ali Khan assassinated in a public session in Rawalpindi on 16th


    October 1951.
     Khawaja Nazimuddin became second
    Prime Minister of Pakistan.
    Basic Principle Committee’s Second Report
    BPC presented its 2nd report in Constituent Assembly on 22nd December, 1952.
    Recommendations:
    Head of the State would be Muslim.
    Bicameral legislature with equal representation to East and West wings in both houses

    Central Assembly
    (Two Houses)

    UPPER HOUSE (120 Seats) LOWER HOUSE (400 Seats)


    Equal representation of East and Equal Representation of East and
    West Pakistan West Pakistan
    EP : 60 Seats EP : 200 Seats
    WP : 60 Seats WP : 200 Seats
    Basic Principle Committee’s Second Report

     No law would be made in violation of Islamic principles.


     Advisory Board of five Islamic scholars was founded.
     Silent on national language.

    Reaction to Second Report:


    • The report was decidedly an improvement over the previous one. But the politicians
    avoided to agree on a constitution, due to unknown reasons.

    • Law and Order situation deteriorated due to Anti-Ahmiddiyya riots in Punjab.


    • Governor-General Ghulam Muhammad used the situation in his favor and dismissed Kh.
    Nazimuddin from premiership for his inability to check the riots.
    • In the same month, he summoned Muhammad Ali Bogra, the then Pakistan's ambassador to United
    States and appointed him the prime minister in place of Khawaja Nazimuddin.

    Malik Ghulam Khwaja MUHAMMAD


    Muhammad Nazimuddin ALI BOGRA
    Muhammad Ali Bogra Formula
    Prime Minister Muhammad Ali Bogra presented his proposals to the constituent Assembly on 7 th
    October 1953. Regarding the representation Bogra Formula proposed:

    Bicameral
    Legislature

    Upper House
    Lower House
    Total seats
    Total seats 300
    50

    East Pakistan West Pakistan East Pakistan West Pakistan


    10 seats 40 seats 165 135

    175 175
    Muhammad Ali Bogra Formula

     Urdu and Bengali were suggested as National Languages.

     A Drafting Committee was appointed to prepare the draft Constitution by


    January 1st, 1955.
    Dissolution of 1st Constitutional Assembly

     On October 24, 1954 Malik Ghulam Muhammad surprised everyone and dissolved the
    Constituent Assembly which proved a fatal blow to democratic process.
     Maulvi Tameez-ud-Din Khan, then Speaker of the Assembly challenged the dissolution
    order in Sindh High Court, which decided in the favor of the applicant.
     The Federal Government went in appeal in the Federal Court, which accepted the
    appeal by set-a siding the order of Sindh High Court.

     The Government was advised to conduct elections of the Constituent Assembly.


    Second Constitutional assembly of Pakistan

    • The second Constituent Assembly of Pakistan


    was created on 28th May 1955 under Governor
    General's Order No.12 of 1955.
    •  The Electoral College for this Assembly was the
    Provincial Assemblies of respective Provinces. 
    • The strength of this Assembly was 80 Members,
    half each from East Pakistan and West Pakistan.
    • Ch. Muhammad Ali became the new Prime CH. MUHAMMAD ALI
    Minister Of Pakistan on 12th August 1955. Aug 1955 - Sep 1956
    FORMATION of ONE UNIT
     The presence of Four provinces in West Pakistan has complicated
    the issue of representation of West Pakistan in Central Assembly.
     Keeping in view the administrative difficulties the Government
    of Pakistan decided that all the four provinces and states of West
    Pakistan should be merged into ONE UNIT.
     The idea of ‘One Unit System’ was conceived by Malik Ghulam,
    the then Governor General of Pakistan.
     The drafting of ONE UNIT bill was completed by Prime Minister
    Mohammad Ali Bogra who had made the first official
    announcement on 22 November 1954.
     The National Assembly of Pakistan passed a bill merging of all
    West Pakistan into a single province on 30 September 1955, and
    finally, it was implemented on 14 October 1955.
    Reasons of Formation ONE UNIT

    Earlier in 1954, Prime Minister Mohammad Ali Bogra praised the idea and said, “There will be no
    Bengalis, no Punjabis, no Sindhis, no Pathan, no Balochis, no Bahawalpuris, no Khairpuris. The
    disappearance of these groups will strengthen the integrity of Pakistan”.

    Iskander Mirza who put forward the bill in the Assembly also gave following reasons;
     It would end the curse of provincial prejudices.
     It would allow the development of backward areas.
     It would reduce administrative expenses.
     It would make it easier to draw up a new constitution.
     It would give East and West Pakistan maximum autonomy.
    ONE UNIT

     As a follow up of the plan after the general election of 1955, the


    four provinces
    and Tribal areas were merged in the western wing.

     West Pakistan was composed of twelve divisions, and the


    provincial capital was established at Lahore.

     The province of East Bengal, now Bangladesh, was renamed as


    East Pakistan with the provincial capital at Dacca.
    EVALUATION of ONE UNIT SCHEME
    Most of the objectives mentioned as a cause of the “One Unit” were not met.
     The One Unit policy was regarded as an administrative reform that would reduce expenditure and help to eliminate racial and
    parochial prejudices. However the expenditures were not controlled and limited.

     Remote areas of the country were ignored, and some local problems emerged with high intensity.

     The people of different provinces of West Pakistan protested against this new scheme and insisted on the separate, distinct identities
    of regional cultures of the provinces. The demand for the restoration of small provinces came up through various movements.
     In East Pakistan, many political parties and groups questioned the principle of parity between the two wings and perceived that the
    whole of West Pakistan is together against East Pakistan. These facts increased the sense of alienation among them.
     The ‘One Unit Scheme’ sustained the highly centralized and bureaucratic political order that suffered from a legitimacy crisis in the
    NWFP and Sindh. Some leaders of Baluchistan, too, opposed the ‘One Unit Scheme.’
     Overall, ‘One Unit’ created more problems internally in West Pakistan, even the disparity between West and the East was neither
    removed nor was any other issue was resolved.

    one unit system remained to enforce from 1955 to 1970.

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