ABSTRACT
Pakistan was born as a pluralist society and, in reality, continues to be vibrant and diverse – ethnically, linguistically and culturally. Yet, since independence, the pluralist foundations of its society have been consistently undermined by security imperatives of the state. Proponents of monolithic ideologies have dominated the national discourse, which treats Islamic ideology as the basis of nationhood. This has created a constant schism between state-building and nation-building processes. Prospects of democracy in the country thus hinge largely on reversing an ideologically grounded state-building process sustained through successive education policies. The Eighteenth Amendment to the 1973 Constitution has made education a provincial subject. Thus, civilian leaders and policy makers now have a rare opportunity to promote civic education in Pakistan and thus revive the pluralist characteristic of its society, on which the edifice of a sustainable democracy can be built. This chapter begins by defining relevant concepts such as liberalism, constitutionalism and pluralism. It then underlines the persisting tension in postcolonial states between a pluralist society and monist state, especially its relevance to Pakistan. Subsequent discussion narrates how the promotion of monolithic ideologies through state education policies, especially from 1979 onwards, has undermined civic education, and why the Eighteenth Amendment can be a potential driver for bridging the gap between a pluralist society and a monist state.
