From Islamic Republic to Islamic State in Pakistan

Abstract

This essay presents reflections on the political history of Pakistan. It is constructed around a theme that continues to challenge both the participant and the observer of the Pakistan drama. That theme briefly examines Pakistan's Islamic heritage in the context of the nation's present political condition and its projected future. What I have attempted to do in these few pages is to suggest a theoretical framework for the study of Pakistan. No less important, I have sought to explain the realities of a shift away from what I would describe as democratic nationalizing to more rigidly authoritarian government. A study of the historic record reveals a strong democratic inclination, undiminished and possibly strengthened by references to an Islamic ordering of sociopolitical affairs between 1947 and 1971. Pakistan did not have to escape the incubus of its birth in order to emphasize its democratic purpose. Although Islam was in its national blood and the country seemed to survive because of it, Islam was not judged incompatible with free expression and liberal pursuits. But it was also obvious that authoritarian norms long dominated the country's political life. Moreover, Islam was equally adaptable to authoritarian legacies and democratic aspirations. For purposes of this essay I therefore refer to the Islamic Republic as a version of democratic expression. By the same token, my juxtaposition of the Islamic State stresses the durability of authoritarianism. Any reference to the Islamic Republic must be understood in comparison to what I have labeled the Islamic State. I see the emphasis on the Islamic Republic as stressing the development of secular, constitutional government and society. The essential focus is the separation of religion from politics and government. The knowledge that this may not be sound theory in the context of multidimensional Islamic practices does not prevent me from suggesting that there were and are people in