CSS Constitutional Law is a 100-mark optional paper under Group VI of the CSS optional subjects — Law and Philosophy — listed within the group alongside Philosophy, Criminology, Mercantile Law, Muslim Law and Jurisprudence, International Law, and Law. FPSC sets the CSS Constitutional Law syllabus to cover the Constitution of Pakistan 1973, fundamental rights, federalism, the role of the judiciary, separation of powers, parliamentary government, and constitutional amendments. LLB graduates and CSS aspirants from political science and governance backgrounds select this subject for its strong overlap with Pakistan Affairs and current constitutional debates — Kelly’s Constitutional Law is the standard recommended text, supported by the Constitution of Pakistan itself as a primary source. Review the CSS optional subjects syllabus for combination rules and group requirements before confirming Constitutional Law as your optional subject choice.
CONSTITUTIONAL LAW CSS Syllabus (100 MARKS)
I. Definition and Scope of Constitutional Law, Basic Constitutional Concepts (Constitutional Conventions, Rule of Law, Due Process), Constitutional Structures (Parliamentary, Presidential, Separation of Powers), Judiciary (Independence of Judiciary, Judicial Review, Theories of Constitutional Interpretation) Fundamental Human and Political Rights and Civil Liberties (freedom of speech, association, assembly, movement and Right to Counsel, life, property, religion, privacy, self incrimination, double jeopardy).
II. Principles of Constitutional Law with special reference to United Kingdom, United States of America, France, Russia, China, Pakistan, India and Turkey.
III. Constitutional History of Pakistan: Principles of Constitutional Law of Pakistan, Salient feature of the Government of India Act, 1935, Indian Independence Act 1947, Objectives Resolution 1949, Constitutions of 1956, 1962 and 1973, Abrogation and Suspension of the Constitutions and the Martial Laws, Legal Framework Order, 1970, The PCO of 1981, The RCO of 1985, The LFO-2002, Amendments in the 1973 Constitution.
IV. Legal Development:
Maulvi Tamizuddin Khan v. Federation of Pakistan PLD 1955 Sindh 96.
Federation of Pakistan vs. Maulvi Tamizuddin Khan, PLD 1955 FC 240
Reference by the Governor-General PLD 1955 FC 435
State v. Dosso PLD 1958 SC 533.
Usif Patel v. Crown PLD 1955 FC 387
Begum Nusrat Bhutto v. Chief of the Army Staff PLD 1977 SC 657
Hakim Khan v. Government of Pakistan PLD 1992 SC 595
Nawaz Sharif v. President of Pakistan PLD 1993 SC 473
Benazir Bhutto v. the President of Pakistan PLD 1992 SC 492
Khawaja Muhammad Sharif, PLD 1988 Lah. 725
Federation of Pakistan v. Haji Saifullah Khan PLD 1989 SC 166
Khawaja Ahmad Tariq Rahim PLD 1992 SC 646
Benazir Bhutto v. President of Pakistan, PLD 1998 SC 388
Asma Jilani v. Government of the Punjab PLD 1972 SC 139
State v. Zia ur Rehman PLD 1973 SC 49
Mahmood Khan Achakzai v. Fed. of Pakistan PLD 1997 SC 426
Zafar Ali Shah v. General Pervez Musharraf, PLD 2000 SC 869.
Sindh High Court Association v. Federation of Pakistan, PLD 2009 SC 879.
SUGGESTED READINGS
| S.No. | Title | Author |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Comparative Constitutional Law | Hamid Khan & M.W. Rana |
| 2 | Constitution of Pakistan 1973 | Shabbar Raza Rizvi |
| 3 | Introduction to the Study of the Law of the Constitution | Dicey |
| 4 | Elgar Encyclopedia of Comparative Law | J.M. Smits |
| 5 | Constitutional & Political History of Pakistan | Hamid Khan, Advocate |
| 6 | Human Rights in Constitutional Law | SR. Bansali |
| 7 | Constitutional Documents of Pakistan | Safdar Mahmood |
| 8 | The Leading Cases in Constitutional Law | A.G.Chaudhry |
CONSTITUTIONAL LAW Frequency Analysis (2001–2025)
| Syllabus Topic | Number of Questions | Years Appeared | Percentage Weightage | Trend (High / Medium / Low) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Principles of Constitutional Law with special reference to United Kingdom | 16 | 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2024 | 12.7% | High |
| Principles of Constitutional Law with special reference to United States of America | 16 | 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2024, 2025 | 12.7% | High |
| Principles of Constitutional Law with special reference to Russia | 12 | 2004, 2005, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2024 | 9.5% | High |
| Principles of Constitutional Law with special reference to India | 11 | 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2018, 2020, 2024 | 8.7% | High |
| Basic Constitutional Concepts (Constitutional Conventions, Rule of Law, Due Process) | 7 | 2001, 2002, 2003, 2009, 2015, 2017, 2020 | 5.6% | Medium |
| Judiciary (Independence of Judiciary, Judicial Review, Theories of Constitutional Interpretation) | 7 | 2003, 2004, 2012, 2013, 2019, 2020, 2022 | 5.6% | Medium |
| Constitutions of 1956, 1962 and 1973 | 6 | 2002, 2015, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2025 | 4.8% | Medium |
| Amendments in the 1973 Constitution | 6 | 2005, 2011, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2025 | 4.8% | Medium |
| Principles of Constitutional Law with special reference to France | 5 | 2004, 2005, 2012, 2014, 2018 | 4.0% | Medium |
| Fundamental Human and Political Rights and Civil Liberties | 5 | 2002, 2009, 2020, 2022, 2025 | 4.0% | Medium |
| Constitutional History of Pakistan: Principles of Constitutional Law of Pakistan | 4 | 2002, 2003, 2019, 2022 | 3.2% | Low |
| Constitutional Structures (Parliamentary, Presidential, Separation of Powers) | 4 | 2003, 2004, 2011, 2015 | 3.2% | Low |
| Principles of Constitutional Law with special reference to Pakistan | 3 | 2004, 2024, 2025 | 2.4% | Low |
| Objectives Resolution 1949 | 2 | 2002, 2024 | 1.6% | Low |
| Principles of Constitutional Law with special reference to China | 2 | 2017, 2025 | 1.6% | Low |
| Definition and Scope of Constitutional Law | 1 | 2012 | 0.8% | Low |
| Salient feature of the Government of India Act, 1935 | 1 | 2020 | 0.8% | Low |
| Principles of Constitutional Law with special reference to Turkey | 1 | 2018 | 0.8% | Low |
| Abrogation and Suspension of the Constitutions and the Martial Laws | 1 | 2024 | 0.8% | Low |
| State v. Dosso PLD 1958 SC 533 | 1 | 2024 | 0.8% | Low |
| Begum Nusrat Bhutto v. Chief of the Army Staff PLD 1977 SC 657 | 1 | 2022 | 0.8% | Low |
| Asma Jilani v. Government of the Punjab PLD 1972 SC 139 | 1 | 2022 | 0.8% | Low |
| Indian Independence Act 1947 | 0 | None | 0% | Dormant |
| Legal Framework Order, 1970 | 0 | None | 0% | Dormant |
| The PCO of 1981 | 0 | None | 0% | Dormant |
| The RCO of 1985 | 0 | None | 0% | Dormant |
| The LFO-2002 | 0 | None | 0% | Dormant |
| Maulvi Tamizuddin Khan v. Federation of Pakistan PLD 1955 Sindh 96 | 0 | None | 0% | Dormant |
| Federation of Pakistan vs. Maulvi Tamizuddin Khan, PLD 1955 FC 240 | 0 | None | 0% | Dormant |
| Reference by the Governor-General PLD 1955 FC 435 | 0 | None | 0% | Dormant |
| Usif Patel v. Crown PLD 1955 FC 387 | 0 | None | 0% | Dormant |
| Hakim Khan v. Government of Pakistan PLD 1992 SC 595 | 0 | None | 0% | Dormant |
| Nawaz Sharif v. President of Pakistan PLD 1993 SC 473 | 0 | None | 0% | Dormant |
| Benazir Bhutto v. the President of Pakistan PLD 1992 SC 492 | 0 | None | 0% | Dormant |
| Khawaja Muhammad Sharif, PLD 1988 Lah. 725 | 0 | None | 0% | Dormant |
| Federation of Pakistan v. Haji Saifullah Khan PLD 1989 SC 166 | 0 | None | 0% | Dormant |
| Khawaja Ahmad Tariq Rahim PLD 1992 SC 646 | 0 | None | 0% | Dormant |
| Benazir Bhutto v. President of Pakistan, PLD 1998 SC 388 | 0 | None | 0% | Dormant |
| State v. Zia ur Rehman PLD 1973 SC 49 | 0 | None | 0% | Dormant |
| Mahmood Khan Achakzai v. Fed. of Pakistan PLD 1997 SC 426 | 0 | None | 0% | Dormant |
| Zafar Ali Shah v. General Pervez Musharraf, PLD 2000 SC 869 | 0 | None | 0% | Dormant |
| Sindh High Court Association v. Federation of Pakistan, PLD 2009 SC 879 | 0 | None | 0% | Dormant |
CONSTITUTIONAL LAW Top 5 Most Repeated Topics (2001–2025)
- Principles of Constitutional Law with special reference to United Kingdom (16 appearances)
- Principles of Constitutional Law with special reference to United States of America (16 appearances)
- Principles of Constitutional Law with special reference to Russia (12 appearances)
- Principles of Constitutional Law with special reference to India (11 appearances)
- Basic Constitutional Concepts (Constitutional Conventions, Rule of Law, Due Process) (7 appearances)







