Conservatism in Pakistan
Conservatism in Pakistan (Urdu: پاکستان میں قدامت پسندی), generally relates to the traditional, social, and religious identities in the politics of Pakistan. American historian Stephen Cohen describes several political constants in Pakistan's conservatism: respect for tradition, the rule of law and the Islamic religion which is integral in the idea of Pakistan.[1]
The conservative philosophy, principles, ideas, and traditions were first adopted by the Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan as part of his internal policies in 1950. The conservative tradition has played a major role in Pakistani politics, culture, and organized conservative movement has played a key role in politics only since the 1950s. According to the CIA database, approximately 95–97% of the Pakistani people are the followers of Islam while the remaining believe in Christianity, Hinduism, and others.[2][3][4]
The conservatism in Pakistan has been normally associated with the Pakistan Muslim League (PML)– the successor party to the one which was responsible for the founding of Pakistan.[5][6] Dominant and influential section of the PML is led by its extended PML(N), which is currently led by its leader and the former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, elected in general elections held in 2013.[6] Nonetheless, the conservative vote bank of the country partitioned equally between the PML(N) and the centrist PTI of Imran Khan on the topics mainly concerning the foreign policy, national, and social issues. In 2018, the conservative votebank eventually switched to PTI when Imran Khan was sworn as Prime Minister who defeated PML's candidate Shahbaz Sharif in the nationwide general elections.