Causes of Failure of 1956 Constitution

The constitution of 1956 was the first self-made constitution of Pakistan, but unfortunately, it had been implemented for a very short period and abrogated by martial law. Where we discussed the salient features of 1956 constitution, there had also some causes of failure of 1956 constitution or drawbacks of 1956 constitution of pakistan.

Causes of Failure of 1956 Constitution of Pakistan

Pakistan came into existence on the 14th of August 1947. Pakistan’s very first constitution was enforced in the country on 23rd of March 1956 having objective resolution as its preamble. After the death of Quaid e Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, there was political unsustainability in the country which caused a great loss to Pakistan, one of them was in the shape of martial law imposed in the country by General Muhammad Ayub Khan which also abrogated the constitution of 1956.

Some causes of failure of 1956 Constitution of Pakistan include the following:

1. Parliamentary System Failed
2. Unicameralism
3. Lack of Leadership
4. Joint and Separate Electorates
5. Role of Army
6. Role of Political Parties
7. Delay in Elections
8. Economic Condition of Country
9. Personal Interest

1. Parliamentary System Failed

One of the causes of failure of 1956 constitution was the parliamentary form of Government, because it was the first time introduced in Pakistan, so it could not work effectively. The Prime Minister was the head of government and the President was the head of state, both had many extraordinary powers which used for personal interests and eventually led the country to martial law.

2. Unicameralism

Unicameralism according to 1956 constitution of Pakistan meant that there had been only one house for the legislation which was the ‘National Assembly’. It means that the biased legislation was possible by the party being in power.

3. Lack of Leadership

One of the reasons for imposing martial law in the country and the causes of failure of 1956 constitution pdf, was the lack of political leadership. Actually, it started after the death of Quaid e Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. There had been no such leader in the country who could represent East Pakistan and West Pakistan equally and lead them to get together and become better, in fact, many of them wanted to gain power for just their own benefits.

4. Joint and Separate Electorates

According to the constitution of 1956 there will be joint or separate electorates for the next elections, this choice provided in the constitution caused trouble between the political parties, and a clash of opinions came in front which also became one of the causes of failure of 1956 constitution.

5. Role of Army

The role of the Army and Bureaucracy is also one of the causes of failure of 1956 Constitution, in fact, if the Army had no interest in politics, maybe martial law would not have been implemented and the Constitution of 1956 would not have been abrogated.

6. Role of Political Parties

There had been a lack of political training or lack of mandate by the political parties of that time. All the parties had negative attitudes, they were not addressing the issues of the general public but were busy in politics just to gain power.

7. Delay in Elections

There were many reasons that caused the delay in elections in the country including the economic condition of the country, and joint and separate electorates which we discussed before, and such delay eventually became one of the causes of the failure of 1956 constitution of pak.

8. Economic Condition of Country

Due to political unsustainability in the country, inflation went high, and an economic crisis emerged in the country, which restricted the economic development according to the constitution and failed the constitution.

9. Personal Interest

Almost everyone was greedy for power and its use for his personal interest. That is why we have seen the misuse of power, everyone in his position was just struggling for personal interests instead of the country’s interest.

Conclusion

These were the causes why 1956 constitution failed the first constitution of Pakistan. It was enforced in the country after 7 years of its independence, it was a self-made constitution, it was implemented for a very short time and 1956 constitution was abrogated by martial law, there were also many causes of failure of 1956 constitution of Pakistan.

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