POLITICS OF RECONCILIATION OF PAKISTAN PEOPLE’S PARTY AND CONSTITUTIONAL AND LEGISLATIVE REFORMS IN PAKISTAN (2008–2018)

Abstract

The study discusses how the Pakistan People's Party’s strategy of reconciliation influenced the reforms of the constitution and legislation during the democratic period (2008–2018). In 2008, after it won the election, the PPP sought to build coalitions, reach agreements with rivals (especially, PML-N) and deepen relationships with government institutions to maintain democracy and see its mandate through. Qualitative historic methods are used in the research by looking at parliamentary files, amendments to the constitution, media coverage and scholarly works. Important changes occurred thanks to reconciliation such as the “18th Amendment” (2010) that restored leadership in Parliament, gave powers to provinces and supported federalism, the “19th Amendment” (2011) that helped the Judiciary become more self-reliant and the “20th Amendment” (2012) which ensured neutral caretakers existed for the next election. During its opposition (2013–2018), the PPP backed important changes like the “21st Amendment” (setting up military courts to hear cases of terrorism) and the “25th Amendment” (including FATA in KPK). Human rights laws (for instance, the Transgender Rights Act 2018), changes to elections and social justice acts also came through legislative advancements. At the same time, reconciliation did not always work well: sometimes elite deals reduced accountability, relations among civilian, military and judicial sectors were strained and many gaps appeared in implementation. Mixed results in government and strong political divisions since 2018 meant PPP’s approach to unity greatly helped maintain democracy and the constitution, even with underlying challenges that need fixing.