Description: Why has Pakistan failed in its quest for a Constitution? This is the central question that the author focuses on, identifying and analysing the causes of the high mortality rate of Constitutions in Pakistan. The obstacles in the country's path towards constitutionalism, federalism, and political legitimacy have been meticulously researched and highlighted: the penchant of the ruling elites for authoritarian devices to the detriment of democratic institutions; their refusal to comprehend and appreciate the culturally plural and essentially federal nature of Pakistani society; the lack of consensus on the relationship between religion and the state; and the machinations of the military-bureaucratic clique. With a comprehensive historical background, and covering the period from Independence to the second Benazir Bhutto government, The Myth of Constitutionalism in Pakistan is a thorough, objective, and up-to-date study of constitution-making, constitution-breaking, and the continuous constitutional flux in the country.

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