2019/11/28 by Muqarrab Akbar · 1 citation
Economics, Econometrics and Finance · Social Sciences · #Bangladesh Politics, Society, and Development #Belt and Road Initiative #Politics and Conflicts in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Middle East
paper · doi:10.4324/9781351012478-15
openalex publication_date 2019/11/28 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2025/11/06
Since its founding in 1947, Pakistan is a country which has drawn upon the faith of Islam to justify its existence, employing it as a signifier of cultural difference in the context of the Indian subcontinent and later as a political ideology following independence. However, the country has moved cautiously, seeking to develop a sense of common purpose in between a religiously informed national identity and liberal democratic ideals. This discourse achieved primacy while forming the structure of government, envisioned in the process of constitution making. Different interests and ideals of democracy were to be reconciled by giving vent to the principles of Islam in its doctrinal form. In short, leaders of Pakistan sought to use Islam to provide an opening for articulating religious concerns in a political context. This chapter examines these issues in the context of the relationship between religion and political parties in Pakistan.