Basic Principle Committee (BPC) parliamentary committee appointed by the Iirst CONSTITUENT

ASSEMBLY OF PAKISTAN set up under the provisions oI the Indian Independence Act, 1947 Ior making
recommendations Ior Iraming the constitution oI Pakistan. With this end in view, the Constituent
Assembly passed a resolution called Objective Resolution in March 1949 deIining the aims and objects oI
the new constitution.
AIter passing the Objective Resolution the Constituent Assembly appointed a committee oI all the parties
on 12 March 1949 to Irame an outline in accordance with the Objective Resolution on the Iundamentals
oI the Iuture constitution oI Pakistan. This committee consisting oI 24 members was known as the Basic
Principle Committee (BPC). It was also authorised to co-opt not more than 10 members who did not have
to be members oI the Constituent Assembly. The Prime Minister oI Pakistan was appointed the convenor
oI the BPC. The Basic Principle Committee established 4 sub-committees: (i) sub-committee to make lists
oI the Iundamental rights oI the citizen, (ii) sub-committee to determine the principles oI Iranchise, (iii)
judicial sub-committee, and (iv) sub-committee to prepare the outline oI the Iederal and provincial
constitution and oI distribution oI powers.
The BPC set up a special committee known as Talimaat-i-Islamia consisting oI scholars well versed in
Islamic jurisprudence to advise on matters relating to Objective Resolution. The BPC empowered all oI
the sub-committees to co-opt a maximum oI three technical experts to give advice, iI necessary. The
Basic Principle Committee submitted an Interim Report on 7 September 1950. The Interim Report
envisaged a parliamentary system with a bicameral legislature, consisting oI the House oI the Units and
the House oI the People. In the Iormer, all the units oI Pakistan were to have equal representation, while
the House oI the People was to be elected on the basis oI population. The Committee did not mention the
number oI seats in the House oI the People. The Interim Report proposed Ior the establishment oI a strong
centre. The President was given the power oI proclaiming an emergency and suspending the constitution.
Urdu was recommended as the only state language.
The Interim Report created much suspicion and opposition in East Pakistan (its oIIicial name was East
Bengal till 1955). East Pakistan opposed the draIt vehemently on the ground that it would lead to
domination by West Pakistanis. Protesting the Interim Report and mobilising public opinion in Iavour oI
establishing provincial autonomy, a group oI lawyers, journalists and political workers Iormed a
Committee oI Action oI Democratic Federation in October 1950 in Dhaka. The Democratic Federation
organised a provincial convention in Dhaka on 4-5 November 1950. The convention, presided over by
ATAUR RAHMAN KHAN oI Awami Muslim League, proposed an alternative constitution which
recommended a republican Iorm oI government with Iull autonomy to the provinces. Only Ioreign aIIairs,
currency and deIence were to be placed under the jurisdiction oI the central government. The convention
proposed Ior a unicameral legislature, the members oI which would be elected on the basis oI population.
The convention demanded that both Bangla and Urdu would be the state languages oI Pakistan.
These counter constitutional proposals made by the Democratic Federation in the convention received
spontaneous support Irom the people. A strike was observed on 12 November 1950 demanding the
approval oI the above constitutional proposals. In view oI the criticism Irom East Pakistan, the Iinal
consideration oI the Report was postponed and suggestions were invited Irom the public on the Interim
Report. The Constituent Assembly then appointed a sub-committee headed by Sardar Abdur Rab Nishtar
to examine the suggestions and criticisms on the Interim Report. The sub-committee made requisite
investigations on the suggestions received, and submitted its report to the Basic Principle Committee in
July 1952. On the basis oI this report the BPC prepared its Second DraIt Report Ior submission to the
Constituent Assembly.
The Second DraIt Report oI the BPC was presented beIore the Constituent Assembly on 22 December
1952. The Report had the Iollowing Ieatures: (i) the parliament would consist oI two Houses; the House
oI Units was to consist oI 120 members, 60 oI whom were to be elected Irom East Pakistan. The seats Ior
West Pakistan were allocated thus: Punjab 27, Sind 8, NWFP 6, Tribal Areas 5, Bahwalpur 4, Baluchistan
and Baluch states 4, Khairpur 2 and Capital Karachi 4. The House oI People was to consist oI 400
members to be distributed as Iollows: East Bengal 200 members to be elected directly, and 200 members
were to be directly elected Irom West Pakistan. (ii) The report proposed that to elect the head oI the state,
and in case oI a conIlict between the two Houses, a simple majority in a joint sitting oI the both Houses
would decide the issue. The Second DraIt Report oI BPC thus highlighted the principle oI parity between
the two wings oI Pakistan.
The Second DraIt Report oI BPC met the same adverse reception like the Interim Report. This time the
Punjabis opposed the proposals on the ground that it would establish Bangali domination. The opposition
Irom the Punjab to the Second DraIt Report Iorced the Constituent Assembly once more to postpone its
deliberation Ior an indeIinite period. BeIore the Constituent Assembly could accept the Second DraIt
Report, the cabinet oI KHWAJA NAZIMUDDIN was dismissed (16 April 1953), and MOHAMMAD ALI
CHAUDHURY oI Bogra was appointed the prime minister. As the distribution oI seats among the various
provinces in the central legislature made by BPC was unacceptable to East Pakistan and the Punjab, the
new Prime Minister emphasized modiIying the arrangements oI distribution oI seats. He was successIul in
bringing a compromise between the two wings oI Pakistan by putting beIore them a new proposal.
According to this Iormula, the central legislature would be bicameral with equal powers Ior both Houses.
The Upper House was to consist oI 50 seats, oI which 10 would be Ior East Pakistan and 40 Ior West
Pakistan. The Lower House was to have 300 seats oI which 165 would be Ior East Pakistan.
The diIIerences between the two Houses were to be settled through a joint sitting, and the necessary
majority in a joint session would have to include thirty percent oI the members oI each wing. Thus under
this Iormula, although East Pakistan had only ten seats in the Upper House, parity was maintained in both
Houses taken collectively. Provision was made that in case the two Houses Iailed to come to an
agreement they would be dissolved by the head oI the state.
In the light oI Muhammad Ali's Iormula, the amended report oI the BPC was adopted by the Constituent
Assembly on 21 September 1954. This Iinal report was a 80-page long document. It had 17 parts, the
main subjects being the executive, the legislature, amendment oI the constitution, the election process, the
judiciary, relations between the centre and the units, the language oI the republic, etc. The Iinal report oI
the BPC was then sent to a draIting committee oI constitutional experts to make the draIt oI the
Constitution ready Ior discussion in the Constituent Assembly to be held on 27 October 1954. But on 24
October 1954, and just beIore the completion oI its work, the Constituent Assembly was dissolved by the
Governor General on the ground that 'the constitutional machinery has broken down' and the Constituent
Assembly 'has lost the conIidence oI the people'. Thus with the dissolution oI the First Constituent
Assembly, the Basic Principle Committee was automatically abolished. However, the deliberations oI the
BPC were oI considerable value to the next Constituent Assembly which enacted the Constitution oI
Pakistan oI 1956.
|Md Mahbubar Rahman|