We are at a crossroads, struggling to understand why all the known systems of governance we tried in the past seven decades of the independence of this country have ended in failure, leaving us with a sense of frustration, disillusionment, and despair, and forcing Pakistan’s civilian and military leadership to fall back on the same lamentation about the collapse of the system, heard nauseatingly from political and military leaders. Each military-led government lasted, on average, for a decade, barring Martial Law of General Yahya Khan. The civilian leaders reigned, on average, for less than three years.

With the inception of Pakistan, we inherited Governor General rule; switched over to an autocratic Presidential form of governance from 1954 to 1973; the parliamentary system from 1973 to this day, with the exception of the intervening two decades of the two Military Presidents from 1977 to 1988, and 1999 to 2008. We could add the experiment of the current hybrid governance being practised since 2018.

Throughout these years, we witnessed two Martial Laws; the abrogation of two ill-fated Constitutions; amalgamation of the small provinces into Punjab in One-Unit, forming West Pakistan with Lahore as its capital, depriving the people of Sindh, KPK, and Balochistan of their geographical, cultural and historic identities. This was done to deny the majority share to Bengalis in political power, economic and financial resources, and senior administrative cadres. The One-Unit transformed Bengali nationalism into a formidable electoral force.

The parliamentary form of governance under the 1973 Constitution was allowed to function from April 1973 to July 1977. The country was again........

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