The Partition of the sub-continent saw the birth of two different countries, two Constituent Assemblies and two populations with their own set of aspirations. In episode 3 of Contested Nation, we talk about the ‘other’ Assembly, Pakistan’s Constituent Assembly. Pakistan, unlike India, had three different constituent assemblies. Their Constitution in its current form was only passed in the year 1973. So, what was different between the two countries that had similar beginnings? What were the aspirations of the public and the promises of the politicians? Listen in to find out! 

Discussing these questions with us is Prof. Dr Ali Usman Qasmi, an associate professor at the Lahore University of Management Sciences. He was born and raised in Lahore and is a historian of modern South Asia. He is the winner of the Karachi Literature Festival Peace Prize and has previously received the Newton International Fellowship for postdoctoral research.

Additional reading:

Deeya Farrukh, A Critique On Article 2A Of The Constitution, 
Official website of National Assembly of Pakistan, 
Abhirup Dam, Jogendranath Mandal, the Only Indian Minister in Jinnah’s Cabinet, 
Abdus Sattar Ghazali, Islamic Pakistan: Illusions & Reality
Muslims against the Muslim League: Critiques of the Ideas of Pakistan (New Delhi: Cambridge University Press, 2017).
Under-reconstruction Jain Mandir in Lahore all set to reopen
Martin Lau, The Role of Islam in the Legal System of Pakistan
Sadiya Aziz, The Constitution of Pakistan: A Contextual Analysis