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Key research themes
1. How has federalism evolved constitutionally and practically in Pakistan, and what challenges does it pose for provincial autonomy?
This area examines the historical evolution, constitutional provisions, and real-world implementation of federalism in Pakistan, focusing on the distribution of powers and autonomy between the federal and provincial governments. Understanding federalism's trajectory is vital as it affects governance, ethnic relations, resource distribution, and national unity in a multi-ethnic and politically complex country like Pakistan.
Key finding: The 1973 Constitution established Pakistan as a federal parliamentary republic with legislative, executive, and fiscal powers divided between federal and provincial governments, further reaffirmed and strengthened by the 18th... Read more
Key finding: Through an expert-coded dataset spanning 1956 to 2020, this work quantifies levels of decentralization and provincial legislative, administrative, and fiscal autonomy across 22 policy areas, revealing marked fluctuations tied... Read more
Key finding: Using original longitudinal data, this study challenges the simplistic assertion that military regimes always centralized power by showing that both military and civilian actors—including political parties and judiciary—have... Read more
2. What constitutional, legal, and societal factors shape minority rights and religious freedoms in Pakistan's constitutional framework?
This research theme explores how Pakistan's constitution, influenced by Islamic law and secular governance principles, addresses minority rights and religious freedom. It interrogates the legal protections for minorities, the impact of Islamic jurisprudence on constitutional interpretation, societal challenges faced by minorities, and the disjunction between formal constitutional guarantees and practical implementation, making it critical for understanding pluralism and human rights in Pakistan’s constitutional order.
Key finding: Despite the 1973 Constitution granting equal rights and freedom to religious minorities, there is a significant gap between constitutional provisions and the lived realities of minorities, who face forced conversions,... Read more
Key finding: This comparative constitutional study traces the migration and reinterpretation of India’s 'essential elements of religion' doctrine in Pakistan, demonstrating how Pakistan’s courts have adapted this doctrine within the... Read more
Key finding: Echoing the previous study, it explores constitutional interpretations of religious freedom in pluralistic societies with Islamic state religion. This paper highlights how Pakistan’s judiciary engages with the doctrine to... Read more
3. How has Pakistan’s constitutional framework institutionalized executive powers, particularly presidential authority and law-and-order governance, and what have been the political ramifications?
This theme investigates constitutional arrangements conferring powers upon the presidency and state institutions in maintaining law and order, the historical amendments affecting presidential authority (notably Article 58(2)(b)), and the subsequent impact on democratic governance, executive-legislative relations, and political stability. Analyses draw on the political history of government dismissals, military interventions, and administrative failures to assess how constitutional design shapes executive power and governance challenges in Pakistan.
Key finding: This paper analyzes how the Eighth Amendment empowered the president, via Article 58(2)(b), to dismiss prime ministers and assemblies unilaterally, resulting in a quasi-presidential system distancing Pakistan from its... Read more
Key finding: Drawing from the 1993 Federal Law and Order Commission report, this work argues that political leadership’s failure to implement modern police reforms and resist politicization severely impeded effective law and order... Read more
Key finding: This legal analysis details the origin, implementation, and judicial interpretation of Article 58(2)(b), which authorized the president to dissolve the National Assembly. It discusses how the judiciary's validation of this... Read more