১৯৭০ এর সাধারন নির্বাচনের একটা প্রধান টাস্ক ছিল পাকিস্তানের জন্য সংবিধান প্রণয়ন করা। তার সময় সীমা বেধে দেয়া হয় প্রথম অধিবেশন থেকে ১২০ দিন। নির্বাচনে আওয়ামীলীগ সংখ্যাগরিষ্ঠ প্রাপ্ত আসনের অধিকারি হিসাবে দ্রুতই সংবিধান প্রনয়নের কাজে নেমে পরে।
৩ জানুয়ারী ১৯৭১ ঢাকার রেসকোর্স মাঠে আওয়ামীলীগের বিশাল জনসভা অনুষ্ঠিত হয়। এ জনসভায় ৬দফা ও জাতির আত্মনিয়ন্ত্রণ অধিকারের প্রশ্নে নবনির্বাচিত জাতীয় পরিষদ ও প্রাদেশিক পরিষদের সদস্যদের গণশপথ গ্রহন করানো হয়। এ শপথ অনুষ্ঠানের কিছুদিন পরেই আওয়ামীলীগ সংসদীয় কমিটি সংবিধান রচনার উদ্দেশে একটি সাবকমিটি গঠন করে।
১ মার্চ ১৯৭১ সকালে আওয়ামীলীগ কেন্দ্রীয় কমিটির সভায় সংবিধান সাব কমিটি তাদের রচনা করা খসড়া সংবিধান পেশ করে। এই বৈঠকে পাঞ্জাবের মালিক সরফরাজ সহ পশ্চিম পাকিস্তানের কয়েকজন নেতা উপস্থিত ছিলেন।
কেন্দ্রীয় কমিটি খসড়া সংবিধানের অনুমোদন দেয় এবং শেখ মুজিব খসড়াটির প্রয়োজনীয় পরিবর্তন ও পরিবর্ধনের জন্য সংসদীয় কমটিকে দায়িত্ব দেয়।
২৩ মার্চ ১৯৭১ সন্ধ্যায় শেখ মুজিবর রহমানের পক্ষ থেকে খসড়া সংবিধানটি প্রেসিডেন্ট ইয়াহিয়া খানকে পেশ করা হয়। প্রেসিডেন্টের পক্ষ থেকে জানানো হয় যে খসড়ার মুল অংশ তাদের কাছে গ্রহনযোগ্য হয়েছে ও পরবর্তী বৈঠকে সিদ্ধান্ত চূড়ান্ত করা হবে। তার দুদিনের মাঝে ২৫ মার্চ সন্ধ্যায় সামরিক সরকার তাদের অপারেশন সার্চ লাইট শুরু করে এবং পাকিস্তানের সংবিধান নিয়ে কোন বৈঠক হয় নাই।
Draft CONSTITUTION OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF PAKISTAN (1971)
Preamble
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful, We, the peoples of the autonomous States of Bangla Desh, the Punjab, Sind, Pakhtunistan and Baluchistan,
Having by our common struggle against colonial rule attained the right of self determination,
In order to secure for ourselves and for our posterity the right to live in freedom and with
dignity and to establish a real, living democracy, wherein equality and justice, political, economic and social, would prevail,
Having had to struggle, since independence, against successive susrpers of the power, which rightfully belonged to the people,
Having now attained victory, as a result of the heroic sacrifices of the martyrs who laid down their lives in order to end exploitation of man by man, and region by region,
Resolving that the high ideals for which they laid down their lives shall be fundamental principles of the Constitution,
Further resolving that guarantees shall be embodied in this Constitution to enable the peoples of Pakistan, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Christians Persians and of other religions to profess and practise their religion and to enjoy all rights, privileges and protection due to them as citizens of Pakistan, and in pursuance of this object to enable the Muslims of Pakistan, individually and collectively, to order their lives in accordance with the teachings of Islam as set out in the Holy Quoran and the Sunnah,
Affirming that the Constitution shall effectively guarantee supremacy of civil power, exercised through elected representatives of the people, over the armed forces and all military authorities;
Solemnly pledging that it is our sacred duty to abide by and to safeguard, protect and defend this Constitution and to maintain its supremacy, as the embodiment of the will of the people and the basis, freely determined by them, for living together in a federal State and striving together so that we may prosper and obtain our rightful place amongst the nations of the world and make our full contribution towards international peace and the progress and happiness of humanity..
IN THIS ASSEMBLY, this is and seventy-one, corresponding to the ……..day of……………. One thousand nine-hundred day of……….. 1391 Α. Η. and the…………… day of 1377 B.S., WE DO HEREBY ADOPT, ENACT AND GIVE TO OURSELVES THIS CONSTITUTION.
PART I-THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC AND ITS TERRITORIES.
The Republic and its territories
1 (1) Pakistan shall be a Federal Republic under the name of Federal Republic of
Pakistan, and shall be composed of the autonomous States of Bangla Desh, Punjab, Sind, Pakhtunistan and Baluchistan, and such other territories as may become included in
Pakistan, whether by accession or otherwise.
(2) The territories of each of the States as are included in Pakistan are specified in the
First Schedule.
Alteration of territories of States.
2. No bill providing for altering the limits of a State or increasing or diminishing the area of any State shall be introduced in the Federal Parliament, unless it has earlier been approved by the Assembly of the State concerned by the votes of not less than two-thirds of the total members of that Assembly.
PART III- DIRECTIVE PRINCIPLES OF STATE POLICY
1. ISLAM
(1) No law shall be repugnant to the injunctions of Islam as laid down in the Holy Quoran and Sunnah.
(2) Facilities shall be provided for the teaching of the Holy Quoran and Islamiat to the Muslims of Pakistan.
(3) Observance of Islamic moral standards should be promoted amongst the Muslims of Pakistan.
II- RIGHTS OF MEMBERS OF OTHER RELIGIOUS DENOMINATIONS
Members of all other religious denominations shall enjoy full rights of citizenship and in addition to the constitutional protection of their fundamental rights, their legitimate rights and interest shall be duly safeguarded in all spheres.
IIL ESTABLISHMENT OF A SOCIALIST ECONOMIC SYSTEM WITH A VIEW TO ACHIEVING A SOCIETY FREE FROM EXPLOITATION.
With a view to achieving a just and egalitarian society, free from exploitation of man by man, and of region by region, a socialist economic system shall be established.
IV. STATES RESPONSIBILITY TO ENSURE BASIC NECESSITIES OF LIFE, EMPLOYMENT, IMPROVEMENT IN THE STANDARD OF LIVING, AND SOCIAL SECURITY.
It shall be a fundamental responsibility of the State to ensure, through planned economic growths development:
(i) the provision to all citizens of the basic necessities of life, including food, clothing, shelter, education and medical care;
(ii) the right to work, that is, the right to guaranteed employment at a reasonable wage, having regard to the quantity and quality of work;
(iii) the right to reasonable rest, recreation and leisure;
(iv) the steady and sustained improvement in the standard of living, material and cultural, of the people;
(v) the provision of social security, through, inter alia, the extensive development of compulsory social insurance of industrial, office and professional workers;
(vi) the right to maintenance in old age.
V. RIGHTS OF WORKERS AND PEASANTS
It shall be a fundamental responsibility of the State of safeguard and promote the rights and interests of workers and peasants.
VI. EMANCIPATION OF THE RURAL MASSES FROM EXPLOITATION AND IMPROVEMENT IN THEIR QUALITY OF LIFE.
The rural masses shall be emancipated from exploitation by, among other measures, the total abolition of the Jagirdari, Zamindari and Sardari systems and the re-orientation of the land system in the interests of the actual tillers of land…..
XVIII. ECONOMIC BENEFITS OF FEDERAL EXPENDITURE
Every effort shall be made to ensure that the economic benefits of federal expenditure shall be equitably distributed among all the States in the Federation.
XIX. REPRESENTATION IN FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
Steps shall be taken immediately to ensure that all the States in the Federation are represented, on the basis of the population of each State, in all spheres of the Federal Government.
XX. REPRESENTATION IN THE DEFENCE SERVICES
Every effort shall be made to ensure that, within the shortest possible time persons from all the States are represented, on the basis of population of each State in all branches of the Defence Services of the Federation and extraordinary measures, if necessary, shall be adopted to implement this Principle.
XXI. REGIONAL SELF-SUFFICIENCY IN DEFENCE
Having regard to the extraordinary geo-political situation of Pakistan, each of its, two regions shall be made self-sufficient in man, materials, training and logistic facilities, in order to defend itself.
XXII. DEVELOPMENT OF LANGUAGES AND CULTURES
Immediate measures shall be taken to ensure that Bengali, Urdu and the languages in use in a State, where appropriate, shall replace English in all walks of life. Every effort shall be made to encourage the Development of the language, literature and culture of every area in Pakistan.
XXIII. PROTECTION OF ANCIENT MONUMENTS.
It shall be the obligation of the State to protect every monument or place or objects of artistic or historic interest, declared by law to be of historic significance from spoliation, disfigurement, destruction, or removal, dispose or export, as the case may be.
XXIV. PROMOTION OF INTERNATIONAL PEACE AND SECURITY
The State shall endeavour to
(a) promote international peace and security;
(b) maintain just and honourable relations between nations.
(c) foster respect for international law and treaty obligations in the dealings of organised peoples with one another; and
(d) encourage peaceful settlement of international disputes.
XXV. STRUGGLE AGAINST IMPERIALISM, COLONIALISM AND APARTHIED.
Pakistan shall support the struggle of the oppressed people of the world against imperialism, colonialism and apartheid.