Secularism in Pakistan

The concept of the Two-Nation Theory on which Pakistan was founded, was itself largely based upon strong beliefs in state secularism and values. Secularism in Pakistan went from being a matter of practice in law by the Government of Pakistan to a political movement opposing the Islamization policies of the military dictator General Zia-ul-Haq in the 1980s. Supporters of secular policies argue that the founder of the Pakistani state, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, had described his desire to see Pakistan as a Muslim-majority secular state that would be free from religious theocracy and provide freedom to minorities, by referring to his address to the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan on 11 August 1947. Supporters of Islamisation on the other hand argue that Pakistan was founded as a Muslim state and that in its status as an Islamic republic, it must thereby implement Islamic religious laws, known as Shariat.

History

Although Pakistan was founded as a separate state for Muslims in the Indian subcontinent in 1947, it remained a Dominion in the British Commonwealth and did not immediately become an Islamic state. Although the 1949 Objectives Resolution envisaged an official role for Islam as the state religion, the state retained the most of the laws that were inherited from the secular British legal code that had been enforced by the British Raj since the 19th century. The ruling Muslim League party supported the pro-secular policies of the country's founding rulers Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Liaquat Ali Khan, giving rise to the opposition Jamaat-e-Islami, which sought to create a pure Islamic state. In 1957, the state adopted the name of the "Islamic Republic of Pakistan" and decreed Islam as the official religion, but did not take any further measures to adopt Islamic laws. The country's military rulers Gen. Ayub Khan and Gen. Yahya Khan continued a moderate tradition and repressed much of hardline Islamist political activism.

Jinnah's address

See also: Freedom of religion in Pakistan and Minorities in Pakistan

A controversy has raged in Pakistan about whether Jinnah wanted Pakistan to be a secular state or an Islamic state. His views as expressed in his policy speech on August 11, 1947 said:

There is no other solution. Now what shall we do? Now, if we want to make this great State of Pakistan happy and prosperous, we should wholly and solely concentrate on the well-being of the people, and especially of the masses and the poor. If you will work in co-operation, forgetting the past, burying the hatchet, you are bound to succeed. If you change your past and work together in a spirit that everyone of you, no matter to what community he belongs, no matter what relations he had with you in the past, no matter what is his colour, caste or creed, is first, second and last a citizen of this State with equal rights, privileges, and obligations, there will be no end to the progress you will make.

I cannot emphasize it too much. We should begin to work in that spirit and in course of time all these angularities of the majority and minority communities, the Hindu community and the Muslim community, because even as regards Muslims you have Pathans, Punjabis, Shia's, Sunnis and so on, and among the Hindus you have Brahmins, Vashnavas, Khatris, also Bengalis, Madrasis and so on, will vanish. Indeed if you ask me, this has been the biggest hindrance in the way of India to attain the freedom and independence and but for this we would have been free people long long ago. No power can hold another nation, and specially a nation of 400 million souls in subjection; nobody could have conquered you, and even if it had happened, nobody could have continued its hold on you for any length of time, but for this. Therefore, we must learn a lesson from this. You are free; you are free to go to your temples, you are free to go to your mosques or to any other place or worship in this State of Pakistan. You may belong to any religion or caste or creed that has nothing to do with the business of the State. As you know, history shows that in England, conditions, some time ago, were much worse than those prevailing in India today. The Roman Catholics and the Protestants persecuted each other. Even now there are some States in existence where there are discriminations made and bars imposed against a particular class. Thank God, we are not starting in those days. We are starting in the days where there is no discrimination, no distinction between one community and another, no discrimination between one caste or creed and another. We are starting with this fundamental principle that we are all citizens and equal citizens of one State. The people of England in course of time had to face the realities of the situation and had to discharge the responsibilities and burdens placed upon them by the government of their country and they went through that fire step by step. Today, you might say with justice that Roman Catholics and Protestants do not exist; what exists now is that every man is a citizen, an equal citizen of Great Britain and they are all members of the Nation.

Now I think we should keep that in front of us as our ideal and you will find that in course of time Hindus would cease to be Hindus and Muslims would cease to be Muslims, not in the religious sense, because that is the personal faith of each individual, but in the political sense as citizens of the State. Jinnah, August 11, 1947 – presiding over the constituent assembly.

Jinnah also referred to religious minorities when he discussed the importance attached to Islam and Islamic principles in the new state:

The constitution of Pakistan has yet to be framed by the Pakistan Constituent Assembly. I do not know what the ultimate shape of this constitution is going to be, but I am sure that it will be of a democratic type, embodying the essential principle of Islam. Today, they are as applicable in actual life as they were 1,300 years ago. Islam and its idealism have taught us democracy. It has taught equality of man, justice and fairplay to everybody. We are the inheritors of these glorious traditions and are fully alive to our responsibilities and obligations as framers of the future constitution of Pakistan. In any case Pakistan is not going to be a theocratic State to be ruled by priests with a divine mission. We have many non-Muslims — Hindus, Christians, and Parsis — but they are all Pakistanis. They will enjoy the same rights and privileges as any other citizens and will play their rightful part in the affairs of Pakistan. Broadcast talk to the people of the United States of America on Pakistan recorded February, 1948.

It has been argued by many people that in this speech Jinnah wanted to point out that Pakistan would be a secular state, since many traditionally associated an Islamic state with a theocratic state.

Islamization

As a reaction to the bifurcation of Pakistan in 1971, hardline Islamic political parties began to see an increase in popular support. In the 1970s, Pakistani ruler Zulfikar Ali Bhutto caved in to a major demand of the Islamic parties by declaring the Ahmadiyya community to be non-Muslims. He also implemented bans on alcohol consumption, gambling and night-clubs. Bhutto was overthrown in 1977 by military general Zia-ul-Haq, who went considerably further with the Hudood and Zina ordinances, Blasphemy laws and the formal introduction of Shariat law.

Modern politics

Political organizations of the minority Hindu and Christian communities continue to demand a more secular system of government, decrying the rampant oppression and victimization caused by the blasphemy laws and rise of Islamic fundamentalism in Pakistani society. While Pakistan elected its first female prime minister in Benazir Bhutto in 1988, she did not repeal most of the Zia-era Islamic laws. Bhutto publicly condemned the Islamic extremists, but her assassination in 2007 and the murders of Pakistani politicians calling for the repeal of the blasphemy laws have stifled pro-secular leaders in Pakistani politics. The regime of military ruler Pervez Musharraf (1999–2008) was seen as more accommodative of Pakistan's Hindu, Christian and Sikh minorities.