Colonial Administrative Continuity and Intellectual Colonialism: Bureaucratic Power and Democratic Fragility in Pakistan

Abstract

This study looks at the persistence of colonial administrative and intellectual legacies in the creation of the democratic structure in Pakistan, while focusing on the role of bureaucratic elites. Pakistan has become a nation state in 1947 but there were various colonial institutions, knowledge systems and governance systems that continued to impact the architecture of the state and political processes. The study examines the impact of the bureaucratic dominance not only on administration, but also on policymaking, institutional accountability, and the authority of elected officials. The study employs the theories of Postcolonial Theory and Elite Theory in the analysis of the colonial continuity and its relationship with democratic development and elite power in Pakistan. The method used in the study is qualitative with an approach of descriptive, analytical and historical research which is analyzed through secondary sources of academic literature, historical documents, constitutional documents and policy documents. It has been found that the inherited centralized administrative system furthered the power of the bureaucracy and helped create a balance between elected institutions and unelected actors in the state. Moreover, intellectual colonialism helped to perpetuate the influence of administration, through the spread of colonial knowledge and practices. The study finds that problems of democracy in Pakistan are not only associated with the political instability, but also with historical institutional structures and elite domination. To build democracy, one needs to change the colonial inherited institutional practices and knowledge systems.