The Constituent Assembly of Pakistan was the supreme federal legislature of the Dominion of Pakistan. It was established in August 1947 with the primary tasks of framing a constitution; and serving as an interim parliament. It was officially dissolved on 23 March 1956 and succeeded by the Parliament of Pakistan when the first Pakistani constitution was promulgated.
History
The first Constituent Assembly convened on August 10, 1947, on the eve of independence and the end of British rule. Muhammad Ali Jinnah was elected as the president of the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan on the same day and remained its president until his death on September 11, 1948. Subsequently, Liaquat Ali Khan headed it for three years and produced the Objectives Resolution, which was adopted by the Constituent Assembly on March 12, 1949, as an annex to Pakistan's constitution. It is important to mention that 21 members out of 69 voted for the Objectives Resolution. The assembly had a majority of Muslim League members, with the Pakistan National Congress, the successor to the INC in the state, forming the second largest party, solely representing Hindus.
Quaid-e-Azam replying to the Address by Lord Mountbatten in Constituent Assembly on 14 August 1947.
The assembly was widely criticised for its incompetence. Addressing a rally in Lahore on October 14, 1950, Syed Abul Ala Maududi, leader of the Jamaat e Islami demanded its dissolution, arguing that the "lampost legislators" were incapable of drawing up an Islamic constitution.[citation needed]Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy said that assembly did not possess any of the characteristics of a democratic parliament.[citation needed] He argued that the nation would overlook any unconstitutional action on the governor general's part if he exorcised the fascist demon and established representative institutions.
The Constituent Assembly of Pakistan was dissolved on October 24, 1954, by Governor General Malik Ghulam Muhammad. The dissolution was challenged by the president of the assembly in the notable case of Federation of Pakistan v. Maulvi Tamizuddin Khan, in which the federal court took the side of the governor general, in spite of dissent from one judge. Mohammad Ali Bogra was the Prime Minister of Pakistan at the time.
The Muslim League continued to be the largest party in the second assembly, whereas the Krishak Sramik Party led United Front replaced the Pakistan National Congress as the main opposition group.
The constitution was promulgated on March 23, 1956,[citation needed] making Pakistan an Islamic republic. On October 7, 1958, martial law was imposed on the country by Iskander Mirza, with army chief Ayub Khan appointed as the chief martial law administrator. The new leaders abrogated the constitution, declaring it unworkable.
↑The Constituent Assembly officially used its Persian name, alongside the English name. The names in all languages were: Persian: پاکستان مجلس دستورن, romanized:pākistān majlis dastūran Bengali: পাকিস্তান গণপরিষদ, romanized:pākistān goṇoporishod Urdu: آئین ساز اسمبلی پاکستان, romanized:ā'īn-sāz asimblī pākistān Punjabi: پاکستان دا آئین ساز مجلس, romanized:pākastān dā ā'īn-sāz majlas Sindhi: پاڪستان جي آئين ساز اسيمبلي, romanized:pākistān jī ā'īn-sāz assēmblī Pashto: د پاکستان اساسي قانون جوړونکې جرګه, romanized:dá pākistān asāsī qānūn joṛonkī jirgāh Balochi: پاکستان ءِ آئین ساز اسمبلی, romanized:pákastán ay áén sáz ásambali
