Tag: Liaquat Ali Khan

During Jinnah’s 13-month governorship, the name of the country remained only “Pakistan.” However, it was labeled as an “Islamic Republic” in 1956. After the demise of its founder, orthodox religious strata and state-supported radicalization emerged with the Objectives Resolution in March 1949, prepared by Liaquat Ali Khan and passed by the first National Assembly of Pakistan. This historic resolution was the first step toward legislation as well as the religious bias of all three constitutions categorizing Pakistani citizens as Muslims and non-Muslims. Steadily, religious factions pierced through the socio-political fabric of Pakistan. The religious political parties became more powerful and patronized during the reigns of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq because of public ignorance, as people could not differentiate between religion and politics. Some of these parties and religious politicians have most of their vote banks in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and the interior of Balochistan. Political forces also use these religious clutches to obtain political benefits. Religious political parties seek votes to implement sharia, Islamic laws, development of Islamic society, and so forth. Divided into various religious thoughts, the religious political parties have different approaches to promote their religious/communal thoughts with the political force of concerned associated religious party and its leadership, which further subdivides the religious vote bank. The big guns of religious politics have entirely failed to serve even their agendas on Islam; invigorating and contributing only hatred, violence, sectarianism in the society of “Islamic Republic of Pakistan.” The political warfare of religious political parties are the misfortune of an Islamic society and fuel momentum toward a destabilized, radicalized society.