Pakistan: An Islamic State or a State for Muslims? A Critical Appraisal of Islam’s Role in Pakistan

The Islamic Nature of Pakistan has been a debatable question since the creation of Pakistan as an independent state. The society has divided opinion on nature of Pakistan as an Islamic state or a secular state. The polarisation is so engraved that one fraction of the society categorically emphases that Pakistan is an Islamic state whereas other segment of the society firmly describes it as a secular state created for the Muslims of Subcontinent. To critically analyse the debate, the paper explores the origin of Pakistan to find its foundations as an Islamic state or a secular state. The paper highlights the struggle amongst different schools of thought in making Pakistan an Islamic or secular state. The research also focuses on the role of Islam during different eras in Pakistan to analyse its importance in the country. The paper critically analyse the role of different rules in inculcating Islam in the political life of Pakistan. The paper concludes how important Islam is in the life of a common man in Pakistan? If further explores how successive governments used Islam to get their political objectives and to enhance their political power