The 1949 Objectives Resolution of Pakistan forms the basis of our constitution and has remained central to our national interests. However, in the almost 70 years since, Pakistan is a state of limbo, as the true purpose behind adopting this resolution has failed.
Instead, its focus on religion has only managed to fuel fanaticism and dogmatism in our society, and has robbed it of its objectivity and rationality. Its impact on all future constitutions was only in the religious codification of ordinary laws that served little purpose, except for individuals with vested interests.
An example can be found during the eighties, when Islam was used as a tool to legitimise the longest and, arguably, the most contentious era in our history, under the rule of ruthless dictator General Ziaul Haq. In the end, all it managed to do was to fracture our society even further, and to create even more divides amongst the population of Pakistan.
It would be harsh to blame the Resolution itself for all the problems it has caused over the years, because if you put aside its religious doctrine, there are many other aspects that have yet to be accomplished by our political elite. As time went on, the significance of the Resolution grew with it, and it had become an important part of the Constitution by 1985. However, its true purpose was once again ignored, and the focus was instead once again directed towards its religious section.
Not one of the three major political parties in the country attract supporters based on their beliefs or vision for the future
The founding fathers of Pakistan had envisioned a state which would exercise political authority through the chosen representatives of the public. However this fundamental promise for true democracy has since been transformed in to a mere exercise every few years, in which the general will of the people has largely been ignored for personal gain. In all those years, we have failed to establish proper democratic traditions, focusing instead on family and feudal politics. All three of the major political parties in the country do not attract supporters based on their beliefs or vision for the future, but rather on the basis of a particular personality or family name, like the Bhuttos for Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), the Sharifs for Pakistan Muslim League-Noon (PML-N) and Imran Khan for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). So to expect our country to turn into a true liberal democracy with the current political structure in place is not only immature, but impossible in the near future.
Furthermore, the Resolution highlighted the principles of freedom, equality, tolerance and social justice as the building blocks for the future state of Pakistan. However, an objective analysis of our history quickly lays bare the actual truth that even after 70 years, these principles are still a long way off from being achieved.
We don’t have freedom in our state, as the dissenting voices of the underprivileged fall on deaf ears, only to be silenced by those in power. The people of this country have no freedom of thought, expression or speech, and the principles of tolerance and social justice are marginalised in our society. In fact, intolerance towards opposing views is the order of the day. Incidents like the Mashal Khan lynching, the rape and murder of Zainab and countless other innocents, the genocide of Shia Hazaras and the hate directed at political opponents are all examples of how the state has failed to implement the ideals of tolerance and social justice, as stated in the Objectives Resolution all those years ago.
Another intriguing objective was that Pakistan would be a federation of autonomous units. However, the mainstream political and security establishment has remained oblivious to the demands of the disenfranchised. This has changed somewhat in recent years, with a spate of movements taking place across the country, like the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), while people from Baluchistan, FATA and Gilgit-Baltistan have long fought for their constitutional rights within the federation of Pakistan. The recent merger of FATA and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is a step in the right direction, but there is still a long way to go.
The resolution goes on to talk about the status of minorities in the country as well, and outlines the basic rights that each of these groups deserve. Followers of every faith have been granted the right to practice their religion without the fear of prosecution, while different cultures are to be preserved and respected as well. They are promised equal status yet the reality has been entirely different.
Over the course of our history, minorities have largely been sidelined from public life and have been subject to restrictions, persecution, and even fatal attacks. Our current constitution of 1973 went further by contradicting the very basic principles of equality, and declaring that only a Muslim can be head of the state in Pakistan. Minorities have faced attacks on their places of worship, while many have been subject to public lynching and ‘mob justice’. However, the state keeps on ignoring the plight of the minorities and refuses to address the many problems they face in their daily life.
In the end, it seems we have only managed to achieve only one of the many objectives outlined in the Resolution: the preservation of territorial integrity and sovereignty over land, air and sea. And the coming year promises nothing new either. What the nation needs most at the moment is the unity among every segment of our society, and the rectification of past mistakes. Only then can we be ready to move forward with the changing times, and embrace the similarities and differences that make us people of one nation.
The writer is an Islamabad-based attorney at law, teaching constitutional law and principles of political science at Quaid-e-Azam University (QAU). He can be reached at [email protected]
Published in Daily Times, June 7th 2018.