Broken record: constitution, commander, curfew.

The issues of Dawn from Sept 1-7, 1947 chronicled the adoption of the Pakistan (Provisional Constitution) Order as the country’s working constitution, while the nation’s first commander-in-chief issued a stern call for order to control communal violence. Moreover, the city of Karachi — which has been no stranger to violence over the decades — saw its first curfew as the capital of Pakistan. Constitutional underpinnings Constitutional tinkering by powerful, often unelected forces has been a sad constant throughout Pakistan’s history. But as the pages of Dawn in the weeks after independence showed, the country’s founders wanted the country to be run as per the rule of law, not anyone’s personal whims.

The lede story in the Sept 3, 1947, edition noted that “the Pakistan (Provisional Constitution) Order, an adaptation of the Government of India Act, 1935” would serve as the dominion’s temporary constitution. Of course Pakistan would not have its first proper constitution until 1956, largely owing to the political tumult of the early years. The Pakistan (Provisional Constitution) Order sought to do away with the vestiges of empire, and give a fresh direction to the country. The news story noted that the law “does away with expressions like “in his discretion” and “exercising his individual judgment”, found in the India Act. ” “Another important feature is absence of any reference to the King anywhere. All appointments including those of the provincial Governors and High Court Judges, will be made by the Governor-General. ” Moreover, the oath of office would be sworn to the “Pakistan Constitution and not to the Crown. ” From these reports, it is clear that the original plan envisaged a farewell to British kings and queens, and constitutional supremacy. Little did the founders…