Bogra Formula
While taking over charge as Prime Minister, Muhammad Ali Bogra declared Constitution making as one of his primary targets. He worked hard on the project and within six months of assuming power; he came out with a Constitutional Formula. His constitutional proposal is know as Bogra Formula and was presented before the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan on October 7, 1953. The plan proposed for a Bicameral Legislature with equal representation for all the five provinces of the country in the Upper House. Total of 50 seats were reserved for the Upper House. 300 seats for the Lower House were to be allocated between the provinces on the basis of proportionate representation. 165 seats were reserved for East Pakistan, 75 for the Punjab, 19 for Sind and Khairpur, 24 for N.W.F.P, tribal areas and the states located in N.W.F.P, 17 for Baluchistan, Baluchistan States Union, Bahawalpur and Karachi. In this way East Pakistan was given more seats in the Lower House than the combined number of seats reserved for the Federal Capital, 4 Provinces and the Princely States of the Western Wing. So in all both the wings were to have 175 seats each in the two houses of the Legislative Assembly. Both the houses were given equal power and in case of a conflict between the two houses, the issue was to be presented before the joint session.
In order to prevent permanent domination by any wing, a provision was made that if the Head of the State was from West Pakistan, the Prime Minister was to be from East Pakistan and vice versa. Electoral ollege for the Presidential elections was the two houses of the Legislative Assembly and the President was to be elected for a term of 5 years.
In place of the Board of Ulama Supreme Court was given the power to decide if the law was in accordance with the basic teachings of Quran and Sunnah or not? Unlike the two reports of the Basic Principle Committee, Bogra Formula was appreciated by different sections of the society. There was great enthusiasm amongst the masses as they considered it as a plan, which could bridge up the gulf between the two wings of Pakistan and would act as a source of unity for the country. The proposal was discussed in the Constituent Assembly for 13 days and then a committee was set to draft the constitution. On November 14, 1953 a committee was set to draft the constitution according to the approval of the Constituent Assembly. However, before the constitution was finalized, the Assembly was dissolved by Ghulam Muhammad, the then Governor General of Pakistan.