Coalition Politics & Alliance-Making in Pakistan

The Objectives Resolution was passed on March 12, 1949, under the leadership of Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan. It laid down the fundamental principles for the future constitution, merging Islamic values with democratic ideals, and has been a preamble to every constitution since.

The Combined Opposition Parties (COP) was a historic five-party alliance formed in 1964. It included the Council Muslim League, the Awami League, and the Jamaat-e-Islami, united by the common goal of ending Ayub Khan's presidential system and restoring parliamentary democracy.

Introduced by Prime Minister Muhammad Ali Bogra in 1953, the Bogra Formula proposed a bicameral legislature to balance the representation of East Pakistan (based on population) and West Pakistan (based on federating units), effectively breaking the constitutional deadlock of the early 1950s.

The 8th Amendment was passed during the presidency of General Zia-ul-Haq. It fundamentally altered the 1973 Constitution from a parliamentary to a semi-presidential system by introducing Article 58-2(b), allowing the President to dissolve the National Assembly.

The PNA was a coalition of nine religious and right-wing political parties formed in 1977. It launched the 'Nizam-e-Mustafa' movement against Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's PPP, alleging massive rigging in the 1977 general elections, which eventually led to martial law.

The MRD was a broad-based alliance led by the PPP that included several parties of the former PNA. It launched a significant civil disobedience movement in 1983, primarily in Sindh, demanding the restoration of the 1973 Constitution and the holding of free elections.

The IJI was a 9-party right-wing alliance formed just before the 1988 elections. It was widely believed to be supported by the establishment to prevent Benazir Bhutto's PPP from gaining a two-thirds majority in the National Assembly.

The Charter of Democracy (2006) was a landmark agreement signed in London. It pledged that neither the PPP nor the PML-N would support military coups or invite the military to topple the other's government, laying the foundation for the 18th Amendment.

The 13th Amendment was passed during Nawaz Sharif's second term. It repealed the President's power to dissolve the National Assembly under Article 58-2(b), which had been used to dismiss four governments between 1988 and 1996.

The MMA was an alliance of six religious parties that emerged as a major force in the 2002 elections during Musharraf's era. It formed the provincial government in NWFP (now KP) and was part of a coalition in Balochistan.

Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry was suspended by General Pervez Musharraf in March 2007. This act triggered a nationwide lawyers' movement and political alliances against Musharraf, eventually leading to the restoration of the judiciary.

The PDM was an 11-party alliance formed in September 2020. It included the PML-N, PPP, and JUI-F, among others, with the goal of ousting the PTI government led by Imran Khan, which it successfully did via a no-confidence motion in April 2022.

The 18th Amendment repealed the changes made by the 17th Amendment and restored the 1973 Constitution to its original parliamentary form, making the Prime Minister the powerful Chief Executive and reducing the President to a ceremonial role.

The DAC was an alliance of eight political parties formed in 1969. It demanded the restoration of the 1956 parliamentary system and direct elections, leading to the Round Table Conferences and the eventual resignation of Ayub Khan.

General Yahya Khan issued the LFO in March 1970. It provided the rules for the 1970 elections, abolished the 'One Unit' scheme, and allocated seats in the National Assembly based on population, which gave East Pakistan a majority.

In the Federation of Pakistan v. Maulvi Tamizuddin Khan case, the Federal Court used the 'Doctrine of Necessity' to validate the Governor-General's dissolution of the first Constituent Assembly, a move that heavily influenced future constitutional politics.

The 17th Amendment validated Musharraf's 2002 Legal Framework Order and gave him the power to dissolve the assembly. It was passed after a compromise with the MMA, who agreed to support the amendment in exchange for Musharraf promising to resign as Army Chief (a promise delayed later).

Article 6 states that any person who abrogates or subverts the Constitution by use of force or show of force or by any other unconstitutional means shall be guilty of high treason. The 18th Amendment further strengthened this by stating that courts cannot validate such acts.

The 2007 London APC brought together major opposition parties against Musharraf. It reinforced the Charter of Democracy and signaled the imminent return of Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif to Pakistan to participate in the 2008 elections.

The 1956 Constitution was the first to officially designate the state as the 'Islamic Republic of Pakistan'. It required the President to be a Muslim and stated that no law repugnant to the injunctions of Islam would be enacted.