A Symmetric Federalism in Pakistan: Historical Lessons and Constitutional Challenges

Federations are made up of several entities including cultural, political, and economic interests. These variations often leads to debates and disputes resulting from the natural and institutional differences within a federation. To resolve such differences, some federations employ a symmetric federalism, a constitutional system meant to accommodate differential requirements and desires among affiliated units. In recent years, a symmetric federalism has gained significant scholarly attention, with studies investigating its origins, evolution, conceptual frameworks and various degrees of application across the world. In Pakistan, a federal state marked by uneven federating units and past difficulties with national cohesiveness, this paper explores the existence and consequences of symmetric federalism. By studying theoretical foundations, the country’s natural structure and constitutional arrangements, this study analyzes whether a symmetric pattern exist in the federal system of Pakistan. A special focus is given to the historical rejection of federalism that led to the partition of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), analyzing the political, institutional and constitutional elements that contributed to this key event.