DefinePK

Abstract

Religious parties in Pakistan have been a formidable force to be reckoned with, and they are among the elite groups that shape Pakistan's political processes and decision-making. Even though these parties have not received a lot of votes in Pakistan's elections, they have a lot of street power. This paper is an attempt to understand and analyze the origin, organization, development, and influence of religious political parties especially Jamiat Ulema Islam (F). and Jamaat-i-Islami in Pakistan. The article also discusses the role of these religious parties in the functioning of governments over the years. These religious parties rendered significant influence on government policies and legislation in the civilian and military rules. For example, in civil rule, the Objectives Resolution 1949 had several significant religious efforts behind it and the constitutional amendment 1974 that declared Ahmadis to be non-Muslim. These events encouraged religious parties to assert more reforms. General Zia’s military regime epitomizes the boom period of the religious parties.||Key words: Religious Parties, Political Parties, Legislation, Pakistan.