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Secularism in Pakistan


The concept of the Two-Nation Theory on which Pakistan was founded, was largely based on Muslim nationalism.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. The supporters of Islamisation on the other hand assert that Pakistan was founded as a Muslim state and that in its status as an Islamic republic, it must thereby implement Islamic laws, known as Shariat. And that the context of Jinnah's speech was true implementation of Islam in which all religions would have equal rights and live as free citizens as supported by the Islamic jurisprudence itself as distinguished from a religious oligarchy.

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.

In 1956, the state adopted the name of the "Islamic Republic of Pakistan", declaring Islam as the official religion, but did not take any further measures to adopt Islamic laws. The country's military rulers General Ayub Khan (1958–1969) and General Yahya Khan (1969–1971) continued a secularist tradition and repressed much of Islamist political activism.


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