The coexistence of religion and politics in Pakistan: an analysis of historical, social, and political factors

Abstract

In the context of Pakistan, the connection between religion and politics predates its existence. Islam was the faith on which All India Muslim League based its demand for a separate country for India's Muslims. Since independence in 1947, the country's political and constitutional evolution has been significantly influenced by the religion; as political, economic, social, and constitutional debates centred on Islam. Islam has always been a major theme of official ideology in one form or another in practically all political administrations, whether they were under democratic or military authority. In this paper, we have discussed the elements that contributed to the emergence of Islamist political power in the country, using pertinent instances from historical events and political decisions made by successive governments and regimes to illustrate how politics and religion interact. For this purpose, we used secondary technique of data collection i.e., ‘Document Analysis’ and relied on primary sources such as the Constitutions of Pakistan and secondary sources e.g., books and research articles, etc. The study is an extensive review of the existing literature on the subject. The study’s findings show that the state, over the decades, has used the instrument of religion at different times for different purposes.