In the 1956 constitution, Urdu and Bengali have been designated as state languages. However, English was to remain the official language for the first twenty years. After ten years, the president was supposed to appoint a commission to give recommendations for English replacement.
Because no elections were held, the constitution was never practically implemented. It ultimately expired on October 7, 1958, when Martial Law was imposed.
It was the first constitution that independent Pakistan implemented. There were 234 items in total, with 13 parts and 6 schedules.
Issues
Despite the fact that East Pakistan has a clear majority of Pakistan’s total population, the province’s representation in the National Assembly is set at half of the total membership. East Pakistan was thus underrepresented in the Assembly under this Constitution.
Demise
President Iskander Mirza staged a government collapse on October 7, 1958. He suspended the constitution, declared martial law, and named General Muhammad Ayub Khan as Chief Martial Law Administrator, with Aziz Ahmad serving as Secretary General and Deputy Chief Martial Law Administrator. However, three weeks later, on October 27, 1958, General Ayub, who had openly questioned the authority of the government prior to the introduction of martial law, removed Iskandar Mirza and assumed the presidency, effectively formalising the militarization of Pakistan’s democratic structure. Four years later, the 1962 Constitution was ratified. This was later replaced by the 1973 Constitution.