ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that Pakistan was never envisaged as an Islamic theocratic state by its founders. The fundamental principle in an Islamic state is merely that the authority of the ruler, whether democratically elected or a dynastical monarch or an acclaimed religious leader, is delegated to him/her by God. In short, God is the paramount ruler of an Islamic state. The fact is that many Muslims all over the world looked upon Pakistan with eager expectation as a blossoming model of an Islamic state. The Council of Islamic Ideology was instituted to ensure that all laws enacted in the nation are conformable to the principles of Islam and the Shari’a. Pakistan’s Islamic schools or Madrassas have come under the spotlight when allegations were made in the international press that they were breeding grounds for militancy and terrorists such as suicide bombers. The Madrassas might also be the only place where Pakistani children receive Islamic religious nurture.
