Pakistan was founded as a sovereign Islamic republic with a clear constitutional and ideological foundation rooted in Islamic principles. This identity is neither symbolic nor incidental. It is embedded in the country’s constitutional framework, legal evolution and political vision articulated at the time of independence.
The Pakistan Constitution explicitly defines the state as the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The Objectives Resolution, adopted in 1949 and later made a substantive part of the Constitution through Article 2A, affirms that sovereignty belongs to Allah Almighty alone and that authority is to be exercised by the people of Pakistan within the limits prescribed by Him.
This principle establishes the foundational role of Shariah as a guiding framework for governance, lawmaking and state responsibility.
Article 2 of the Constitution declares Islam as the state religion, while Article 227 mandates that all existing and future laws must conform to the injunctions of Islam as laid down in the Qur’an and Sunnah.
To ensure this alignment, institutional mechanisms such as the Council of Islamic Ideology were created to advise Parliament on the Islamization of laws and policies.
Additionally, the Federal Shariat Court was established to examine and strike down laws found repugnant to Islamic injunctions.
Pakistan’s Islamic identity has also shaped its political culture and social contract. The state is constitutionally obligated to enable Muslims to order their lives individually and collectively in accordance with Islamic teachings.
This includes provisions related to social justice, protection of the weak, economic fairness, and moral governance. Importantly, the Constitution also guarantees the rights of minorities, reflecting the Islamic principle of protection for non-Muslim citizens within an Islamic state.
Historically, Pakistan’s leadership consistently reaffirmed this ideological direction. Muhammad Ali Jinnah envisioned a state guided by Islamic principles of equality, justice and rule of law, not a theocracy ruled by clerics but a constitutional Islamic polity.
Today, debates around Pakistan’s governance often reflect political contestation rather than constitutional ambiguity.
Pakistan is a sovereign Islamic republic where Shariah principles serve as a constitutional compass, balancing faith, democracy and state authority within a modern legal framework.
Read more: Large Scale Tree Plantation Launched to Restore Margalla Forest Ecosystem in Islamabad
