Causes of the Muslim League's Downfall from the Perspective of Pakistani Politics (1947-1954)

Abstract

This paper will attempt to unravel the historical elements by analyzing the main structural, organizational, and leadership gaps that led to the weakening of the Muslim League between 1947 and 1954.  Using a historical-institutional analytical framework, the research aims to isolate and define the most important parameters that will determine the politics of fragmentation, leadership, and constitutional and center-province conflict.  These two key results were arrived at in the analysis: (1) the failure of the League to distinguish itself among ethnic-nationalist movements, to become a more disciplined and centralized party, lost its legitimacy; (2) a mix of party leadership and executive power established an internal structure that led to bureaucratic stagnation.  All this is worsened by the lack of a coherent constitution, the resulting political stalemate, and the birth of a political vacuum all of which are the major factors that led to the deterioration of the league.  The political vacuum would then be filled by the political parties, the most notable ones being the Awami League and the Republican Party.  This work can be discussed as an addition to the general historiography of post-colonial states because it explains the fall of the first political party in the history of Pakistan and fills a significant gap in the literature on this topic. 

Keywords: Muslim League; Political Decline; Institutionalization Of The Party; Leadership Crisis; Party Fragmentation; Constitutional Delay; Center Province Relationship; Democratic Instability; Politics In Post-Colonial States