On the day theObjectives Resolution was passed, a committee known as the Basic Principles Committee (BPC) was constituted with the responsibility of presenting the basic principles for the future constitution in the light of the Objectives Resolution. The committee consisted of 25 members[i] including “the President of the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan (CAP) Molvi Tamizuddin Khan and Prime Minister Liaqat Ali Khan.” The committee was also mandated to co-opt up to ten more members who were not required to be members of the Constituent Assembly. Thus, four more members were included in the committee and its total membership reached 29.
The BPC constituted three sub-committees: One each for federal and provincial constitutions and the distribution of powers, franchise, and judiciary.
The BPC prepared its first interim report which was presented by Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan in the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan on 28th September 1950. It suggested a federal system, a bicameral legislature with seats in the House of People (the lower house) to be distributed on the basis of population while in the House of Units (upper) on parity basis among all provinces, incorporation of the Objectives Resolution in the future constitution as the Directive Principles of State Policy, compulsory teaching of the Holy Quran and Urdu as the only national language of Pakistan. It provided for the office of president elected in a joint session of the legislature for a term of five years while the president had to appoint a member of the legislature who enjoyed the confidence of the majority in both houses as prime minister. The president had to appoint heads of provinces who in turn were to appoint chief ministers from their respective provincial legislatures who commanded majority.
The report came under strong criticism from different quarters. Political leaders from the eastern wing criticized it for reducing its majority to minority by suggesting equal seats in the upper house for all provinces and declaring Urdu as the only national language. They formed a Committee of Action headed by Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani which presented its own counter proposals to the report. In the Western Wing, Islamic parties criticized it for being unislamic while others raised their concerns about over-centralization.
As the first report attracted severe criticism from various circles, Liaqat Ali Khan withdrew it from discussion in the Constituent Assembly and referred it back to the committee for reconsideration. Suggestions were also sought from the general public, and a sub-committee (Suggestions sub-committee) was constituted under Abdur Rab Nishtar to consider these suggestions. The Suggestion Sub-committee provided its recommendations to the BPC in July 1952. It was on December 22, 1952, that the then Prime Minister Khawaja Nazimuddin presented the second report of the BPC. It was signed by only 16 members out of 29.
This time, the committee suggested more Islamic provisions than in the first report. Most of the 22 principles of Ulema finalized at a convention in Karachi in January 1951 were incorporated in this report. Therefore, religious parties broadly accepted the report though they also suggested some amendments. The report proposed that the head of state be elected in a joint session for a period of five years.
According to the second report, the Objectives Resolution was to be made preamble of the new constitution. Pakistan had to have a federal system. The president was to act as the head of the state elected for a five-year term in a joint session of the legislature. The president was to be a Muslim. The prime minister and his cabinet were to be appointed by the president. The report suggested bicameral legislature. The upper house (the House of Units) was to consist of 120 members with 60 from East Pakistan and 60 from West Pakistan provinces while the lower house (House of People) was to have 400 members with half of them from East Bengal. The real powers were vested in the lower house. In case of a deadlock, the matter had to be resolved in a join session.
Proposed distribution of seats in the second report of BPC
| Province | Lower House | Upper House |
| East Pakistan | 200 (47 for non-Muslims) | 60 |
| Punjab | 90 | 27 |
| Sindh | 30 | 8 |
| NWFP | 25 | 6 |
| Balochistan | 5 | 2 |
| Balochistan States | 5 | 2 |
| Tribal Areas | 17 | 5 |
| Bahawalpur | 13 | 4 |
| Khairpur | 4 | 2 |
| Federal Capital | 11 | 4 |
| Total | 400 | 120 |
Like the first report, it was also criticized by different people on different grounds. Political leaders from East Bengal criticized it for denying them seats according to the province’s population as it provided for the parity principles between East Bengal and the rest of the country. Similarly, the report also did not address their demand of declaring Bengali as national language along with Urdu. Politicians from Punjab criticized it because it considerably strengthened East Bengal’s position in the legislature. They demanded an equally powerful upper house with equal representation of all federating units. There were those who criticized it for not giving enough provincial autonomy. Many religious figures criticized it for not providing enough Islamic provisions. The criticism forced the Constituent Assembly to postpone consideration of the report for an indefinite period.
The Bogra Formula
It was in this environment of political intrigues, constitutional deadlock, political instability, financial issues, anti-Ahmadia riots especially in Punjab and food shortage that Governor General Malik Ghulam Muhammad dismissed the ministry of Khawaja Nazimuddin on 17th April 1953, and appointed Syed Mohammad Ali Chowdhury commonly known as Muhammad Ali Bogra as the new prime minister. Bogra was serving as Pakistan’s ambassador to the US at the time of his appointment as prime minister.
One of the most important tasks before Bogra was constitution making. For this purpose, he presented a formula on 7th October 1953, within six months of taking the office. The formula is commonly known as “the Bogra Formula.” Through this formula, Muhammad Ali Bogra tried to resolve the deadlock over representation in the legislature.
According to Bogra Formula, the legislature had to consist of two houses; House of Units consisting of 50 members and House of People consisting of 300 members. The proposed distribution of seats in the House of Units was 10 seats for East Bengal, 10 for Punjab, 10 for NWFP including the Tribal Areas and Frontier States, 10 for Sindh including Khairpur State, 3 for Balochistan including Baloch States Union, 4 for State of Bahawalpur, and 3 for the Federal Capital.
In the House of People, the proposed seats distribution was 165 for East Pakistan, 75 for Punjab, 13 for NWFP, 11 for Tribal Areas and Frontier States, 19 for Sindh, 1 for Khairpur State, 3 for Balochistan, 2 for Balochistan States Union, 7 for State of Bahawalpur and 4 for the Federal Capital.
Proposed distribution of seats under the Bogra Formula
| Province | House of People | House of Units |
| East Bengal | 165 | 10 |
| Punjab | 75 | 10 |
| NWFP | 13 | 10 |
| Tribal Areas and Frontier States | 11 | |
| Sindh | 19 | 10 |
| Khairpur State | 1 | |
| Balochistan | 3 | 3 |
| Balochistan States Union | 2 | |
| Bahawalpur | 7 | 4 |
| Federal Capital | 4 | 3 |
| Total | 300 | 50 |
Both houses were to have equal powers and in case of any deadlock the matter was to be resolved by a simple majority vote in a joint session, provided 30% of the members present and voting from each wing supported the bill. The election of the head of state and issues like vote of confidence were to be decided in a joint session. Though the principle of simple majority was proposed in the joint session, any such majority was to include at least 30% of the members present and voting from each wing. As per the original Bogra Formula, the president could dissolve the legislature if a deadlock could not be resolved in a joint sitting, but this provision was amended by the Constituent Assembly. The provision that prime minister and the president should be from two wings was also modified by the Assembly.
The Constituent Assembly also agreed on distribution of powers between the center and the provinces as it provided for three lists; federal, provincial, and concurrent.
As far as the language controversy was concerned, Urdu and Bengali both were accepted as official languages, but English was to continue to be used for official purposes for the next twenty years after the enforcement of the constitution.
Ulema were generally satisfied though it did not envisage a fully Islamic constitution.
Muhammad Ali Bogra, on the day when the Constituent Assembly finally adopted the amended report of the Basic Principles Committee (Bogra Formula)[ii] on 21 September 1954, said that they had finalized the fundamental principles of the future constitution. He hoped that the constitution making process would be completed by the end of the year so that Pakistan may be an Islamic Republic by 1 January 1955.
Following lengthy debates on the draft, it was put to a vote by the president. Twenty-nine members voted in its favour while 11 members voted against it. Following the vote, the House was adjourned till 27th October 1954.
In the session in which the BPC report was adopted, two more bills were also passed by the Constituent Assembly. First, on 20 September 1954, the Assembly repealed the Public and Representative Offices (Disqualification) Act 1949 (PRODA)[iii]. This act provided for the disqualification of public officeholders if found guilty of maladministration or corruption in public office.
The second bill was about amendments in sections 9, 10A, 10B, and 17 of the 1935 Act adopted by Pakistan as its provisional constitution. The motion was tabled by the then Deputy Speaker of the Constituent Assembly Muhammad Hashim Gazdar on 21st September 1954 and passed the same day. Through these amendments, the Assembly removed governor general’s powers to dismiss his ministers and instead made them answerable to the Assembly.
Following the passage of this amendment bill, the Assembly debated the Basic Principles Committee Report and finally passed it as discussed earlier. Immediately after adopting the BPC report, the Assembly session was adjourned till 11 a.m. on 27 October 1954.
[i] In most of the literature on the subject, the figure is 24 members. My claim is based on the proceedings of the CA in which a motion to constitute the BPC committee was moved by Liaqat Ali Khan. The motion stated that a committee comprising the president of the Assembly and the following (24 names given) members be appointed. The official document is available here https://www.na.gov.pk/uploads/documents/1434604343_885.pdf
[ii] The Bogra Formula is usually considered as a separate document from the Basic Principles Committee report. However, this was adopted by the Constituent Assembly as the third report of the Basic Principles Committee. Muhammad Ali Bogra while moving the bill for final reading in the Constituent Assembly on 21 September 1954 stated that ” Sir, I move: That the B. P. C. Report, as amended, be adopted.” He continued, “Sir, I will not take much time of the House, but I would like to express our gratitude to God for having enabled us to complete the finalisation of our Constitution-making in so far as the adoption of the principles for the drafting of the Bill was necessary. The House will remember that I moved for the consideration of the Basic Principles Committee Report on the 7th of October, and within a period of less than a year, we have been able to accomplish this tremendous task of Constitution-making.” https://na.gov.pk/uploads/documents/1438774406_350.pdf
[iii] The PRODA was repealed by passing the Public and Representative Offices (Disqualification) (Repeal) Act 1949.