All CSS subjects
CSS written syllabus
CSS Constitutional Law Syllabus
Constitutional Law is a 100-mark Group VI optional subject in the CSS written exam, examined in one three-hour paper. Below is FPSC's official syllabus, word for word: every section, topics and suggested readings.
- Marks
- 100
- Papers
- 1
- Time
- 3 hours a paper
- Group
- Group VI
- Subject code
- 39
The paper
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
- 1.Comparative Constitutional LawHamid Khan & M.W. Rana
- 2.Constitution of Pakistan 1973Shabbar Raza Rizvi
- 3.Introduction to the Study of the Law of the ConstitutionDicey
- 4.Elgar Encyclopedia of Comparative LawJ.M. Smits
- 5.Constitutional & Political History of PakistanHamid Khan, Advocate
- 6.Human Rights in Constitutional LawSR. Bansali
- 7.Constitutional Documents of PakistanSafdar Mahmood
- 8.The Leading Cases in Constitutional LawA.G.Chaudhry
Past papers
FPSC's Constitutional Law papers from 2016 to 2026, as text. Open a year, or see them all.