<P> Birat Chandra Mandal declared that Jinnah had "unequivocally said that Pakistan will be a secular state ." Bhupendra Kumar Datta went a step further: "...were this resolution to come before this house within the life - time of the Great Creator of Pakistan, the Quaid - i - Azam, it would not have come in its present shape ..." </P> <P> However, Muslim scholars and a large portion of the people of Pakistan were of the view that this was exactly what the Quaid - a-Azam wanted and that it was a good step forward in the constitutional history of Pakistan . They also argued that objective resolution provided the minorities with equal rights and that they had no compulsion, whatsoever, in adopting or converting into Islam . </P> <P> After nine years of efforts, Pakistan was successful in framing a constitution . The Constituent Assembly adopted it on 29 February 1956, and it was enforced on 23 March 1956, proclaiming Pakistan to be an Islamic republic . </P> <P> The Constitution of 1956 was lengthy and detailed; it contained 234 articles divided into thirteen parts and six schedules . The Constitution of 1956 provided for federal system with the principle of parity between East Pakistan and West Pakistan . The Federal Legislature was to perform like the British Parliament . The Centre was invested with such powers as to take unilateral action in emergency and it could influence the provincial autonomy . </P>

After how many years did pakistan get her first constitution