THE IMPACT OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS ON THE POLITICAL SYSTEM OF PAKISTAN: 2008-2013

Abstract

The political system of Pakistan is fundamentally based on four major elements: religion (Islam), democracy, federalism, with parliamentary supremacy. Unfortunately, Pakistan has a tumultuous political history. Most of the time, Pakistan has grappled with serious issues related to the tracheotomy of power. The civil-military nexus has, in one way or another, compromised Pakistan's democratic system, federalism, and parliamentary supremacy since its early years of independence up to the present day. The separation of powers has consistently been a point of contention among the executive, judiciary, and parliament. After the end of the Musharraf regime, the political leadership realized the need to find a viable political solution and create a rational consensus on major political and constitutional issues. As a result, a series of constitutional amendments i.e. 18^th, 19^th & 20^th, were implemented from 2008 to 2013 to ensure democratic norms, federalism, and parliamentary supremacy in letter and spirit in Pakistan. To investigate and analyze the impact of these amendments on the political system of Pakistan, a descriptive-exploratory and analytical research with qualitative approach was used to accomplish this research task. This research involved the collection and utilization of both primary and secondary data. The findings of this research indicate that the amendments implemented during 2008-2013 largely align with the principles of the constitution, the will of parliament, and the expectations of civil society. Legally speaking, the amendments carried out during this decade represent a positive step towards strengthening democracy, federalism, and parliamentary supremacy. Nevertheless, practical implementation of these amendments continues to face challenges.