Historical Evolution of Federalism in Pakistan: From Bewilderment to Setting up of a Path

Abstract

Pakistan‟ federalism has come a long way since independence. It has been a journey of trials and errors, and of crises of historical proportions. Created on the belief that the country would not have any difficulty in adopting a federal system on the pattern of Australia and Canada, it found itself bewildering for years for a viable federal contract. Pakistan‟s oscillating between military and civilian rule also made its search for a genuine federal system difficult. After having experienced different constitutional arrangements, four military rules and the separation of its biggest province in terms of population, Pakistan has finally found some light at the end of the long tunnel it has been passing through. Since 2008, it is witnessing the second civilian regime that has come into office after the completion of the full term of the previous regime. This has happened for the first time in the country where the tenure of all the civilian regimes was aborted due to one or the other reason. Similarly, the 18th Constitutional Amendment has raised hopes about provincial autonomy and a more democratically devolved political system in the country. To what extent these hopes are fulfilled, only time will tell. This article traces the difficult terrain that Pakistan has traversed in its search for a federal arrangement that would have suited its needs and satisfied its federating components. It also analyses changes made by the 18th Amendment in the Constitution to demonstrate that the amendment has in fact made the major departure from the past constitutional documents of Pakistan. But despite this, certain challenges are still there. The paper also looks into them to suggest that meeting them successfully is important for the smooth functioning of federalism in the country. ______