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Political History of Pakistan

Liaquat Ali Khan as Prime Minister [1947-1951]Liaquat Ali Khan's contribution to the struggle for independence was numerous. After

independence, he was thus the natural choice for the premiership. Liaquat Ali Khan was

appointed as the first Prime Minister of Pakistan.

Being the first Prime Minister of the country, Liaquat Ali Khan had to deal with a number of

difficulties that Pakistan faced in its early days. He helped Quaid-i-Azam in solving the riots

and refugee problem and in setting up an effective administrative system for the country. He

established the groundwork for Pakistan's foreign policy. He also took steps towards the

formulation of the constitution. He presented The Objectives Resolution, a prelude to future

constitutions, in the Legislative Assembly. The house passed it on March 12, 1949.

After the death of Quaid-i-Azam, he tried to fill the vacuum created by the departure of the

Father of the Nation. The problem of religious minorities flared during late 1949 and early

1950, and it seemed as if India and Pakistan were about to fight their second war in the first

three years of their independence. At this critical moment in the history of South Asia, Prime

Minister Liaquat Ali Khan met Nehru to sign the Liaquat-Nehru Pact in 1950. Liaquat Ali Khan

was unfortunately assassinated on October 16, 1951. The question of who was behind his

murder is yet to be answered.

The government officially gave Liaquat Ali Khan the title of Shaheed-i-Millat.

Jinnah Passes Away [1948] Quaid-i-Azam had been ailing since long before Independence. By the time of Independence,

he was quite an old man but still possessing a strong spirit. He hid the debilitating weakness

caused by severely advanced tuberculosis. By the end, cancer had developed as well.

At the time of independence, he was worn out by his intense struggle and opted to take the

position of Governor General instead of that of Prime Minister. It had been proposed that the

last Viceroy of India, Lord Mountbatten, be allowed to continue as a joint Governor General of

both Pakistan and India. Quaid-i-Azam refused to accept this proposal as he felt that a joint

Governor General would not be able to do justice to both the countries. He firmly believed that

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since Pakistan was a sovereign state, it must be sovereign in all respects with its own

executive and government.

His physicians regularly advised him to take care of his health and to ease back on his work.

But he never cared for it and kept on working hard day and night.

After the establishment of Pakistan, India created numerous problems. The refugee problem,

the withholding of Pakistani assets by India, and the Kashmir problem were a real test for the

Quaid. However, his indomitable will prevailed. He also worked out a sound economic policy,

established an independent currency and the State Bank of Pakistan. He selected Karachi as

the federal capital. His health deteriorated to such an extent, that he had to go to Ziarat for the

restoration of his health. Despite the warning from his physicians, he went to Karachi to

inaugurate the State Bank of Pakistan. This was his last public appearance.

His sickness grew more serious until his death on September 11, 1948. He was buried in

Karachi amidst the tears of the entire nation mourning an irreparable loss.

Khawaja Nazimuddin Becomes Governor General [1948-1951] After Pakistan came into being on August 14, 1947, Nazimuddin was appointed the first Chief

Minister of the Province of East Bengal. When the founder of Pakistan, Quaid-i-Azam,

Muhammad Ali Jinnah died on September 11, 1948, Nazimuddin was appointed as the second

Governor General of Pakistan.

Khawaja Nazimuddin becomes Prime Minister [1951-1953] Under Quaid-i-Azam's constitutional framework, executive powers lay with the Prime Minister.

When Liaquat Ali Khan was assassinated on October 16, 1951, Khawaja Nazimuddin, who

was the Governor General at that time, took over as the second Prime Minister of Pakistan.

Ghulam Muhammad, who had been Finance Minister since the inception of Pakistan, was

elevated to the post of Governor General.

He remained in power till April 1953 when Ghulam Muhammad removed him from the office.

Khawaja Nazimuddin's downfall was not only due to his weakness of character, but also due to

the power struggle amongst the various leaders. The movement for Tahaffuz-i-Khatam-i-

Nabuwat and the worsening food condition in Punjab caused a lot of trouble for Khawaja

Nazimuddin.

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The anti-Ahmadiya movement was started in Punjab by the Ahrar and had the support of Mian

Mumtaz Daultana, the Chief Minister of Punjab. This movement soon spread to other parts of

the country. There were widespread disturbances and the situation in the country soon

worsened to the brink of anarchy and civil war. Imposition of Martial Law became imminent.

Khawaja Nazimuddin was summoned by the Governor General along with his Cabinet and

ordered to resign. Khawaja Nazimuddin declined but was dismissed by Malik Ghulam

Muhammad on April 17, 1953. After the dismissal of Khawaja Nazimuddin, the Governor

General appointed Muhammad Ali Bogra, an unknown person from East Pakistan, as the

Prime Minister.

Muhammad Ali Bogra becomes Prime Minister [1953] Khawaja Nazimuddin was dismissed by the Governor General, Malik Ghulam Muhammad, on

April 17, 1953, and replaced by Muhammad Ali Bogra. Bogra was then the Pakistani

Ambassador to the United States. After coming to power, he set a new precedent of inviting

the Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Army to become the Defense Minister.

Muhammad Ali Bogra as Prime Minister of Pakistan worked hard for the settlement of the

Kashmir issue. He urged Nehru to settle the Kashmir dispute in order to promote friendly

relations between the two countries. Due to his strenuous efforts, the Prime Ministers of both

the countries met numerous times in London and Karachi. Letters and telegrams were also

exchanged between the leaders of the two countries. As a result of his efforts, Pandit Nehru

agreed to hold a free and fair plebiscite in Kashmir. However, in May 1954, the news of

American military aid to Pakistan gave Pandit Nehru an excuse to go back on his commitments

to hold referendum in Kashmir. Thus Bogra was unable to solve the Kashmir problem. In

August 1955, the Governor General was forced to resign due to ill health and Major General

Iskander Mirza was made the acting Governor General. The acting Governor General also

dismissed Muhammad Ali Bogra on August 8, 1955.

Chaudhry Muhammad Ali Becomes Prime Minister [1955]

Chaudhry Muhammad Ali was appointed as the new Prime Minister on August 11, 1955.

His greatest blunder was the selection of Dr. Khan Sahib as Chief Minister of the Unified

Province of West Pakistan, despite the opposition of the Muslim League. Dr. Khan Sahib was

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an old Congressman who had opposed the creation of Pakistan, therefore the Muslim League

opposed his appointment. Dr. Khan Sahib, however, enjoyed the support of the President

Iskander Mirza. He dropped Muslim League members from his cabinet, and by bringing the

dissident Muslim Leaguers and other supporters, formed his own party, the Republican Party.

Chaudhry Muhammad Ali believed that as a Prime Minister, his actions should be governed by

the good of the country and not by the resolution of any party. He believed that he was

responsible only to the Cabinet and the Parliament. Thus, he refused the demands of the

Muslim League. Disgusted with the scenario, Chaudhry Muhammad Ali resigned as a Prime

Minister on September 8, 1956, also resigning from his membership of the Muslim League at

the same time.

Iskander Mirza Becomes Governor General [1955] In August 1955, Major General Iskander Mirza took over as Governor General when Ghulam

Muhammad became too ill to continue. He was confirmed as the fourth Governor General of

Pakistan on October 4, 1955.

Iskander Mirza was a civil servant and it is widely believed that he lacked the parliamentary

spirit. He was of the view that democratic institutions could not flourish in Pakistan due to lack

of training in the field of democracy and low literacy rate of the masses. He wanted a controlled

democracy for Pakistan with more powers for the civil bureaucracy. Iskander Mirza was also a

great advocate of the One Unit scheme and it was under his rule that all the four provinces and

the states of West Pakistan were merged into one unit in October 1955.

It was during his tenure that Chaudhry Muhammad Ali presented the 1956 Constitution and

Iskander Mirza was elected the first President of Pakistan.

West Pakistan Established as One Unit [1955]Even after eight years of existence, Pakistan was without a constitution. The main reason was

believed to be the fact that there were two unequal wings of Pakistan separated from each

other by more than a thousand miles. To diminish the differences between the two regions, the

Government of Pakistan decided that all the four provinces and states of West Pakistan should

be merged into one unit.

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To this end, Prime Minister Muhammad Ali made the first official announcement on November

22, 1954, enumerating the benefits of having one unit or province. On September 30, 1955,

the Assembly passed the bill merging 310,000 square miles into a single province, with Lahore

as its provincial capital.

The Bill was hailed as a measure of administrative rationalization as it was likely to reduce the

administrative expenditure. It was claimed that one unit of West Pakistan would eliminate the

curse of provincial prejudices.

While the One Unit scheme in West Pakistan could be supported on various grounds, the

method of its establishment was not free from criticism. The government wanted to introduce

the One Unit Scheme by an executive decree, which it could not do. So the Central

Government dismissed the Ministry in Punjab, Sindh and N. W. F. P. One Unit continued until

General Yahya Khan dissolved it on July 1, 1970.

H. S. Suhrawardy Becomes Prime Minister [1956] Soon after the adoption of the 1956 Constitution, Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy replaced

Chaudhry Muhammad Ali as Prime Minister on September 12, 1956. Suhrawardy had

managed to secure the office for himself by forging an alliance with the Republican Party.

The controversy over One Unit and the appropriate electoral system for Pakistan, whether joint

or separate, revived as soon as Suhrawardy became Prime Minster. In West Pakistan, there

was strong opposition to the joint electorate by the Muslim League and the religious parties.

Suhrawardy and his party in East Pakistan supported the joint electorate. These differences

over One Unit and the appropriate electorate caused problems for his government.

By early 1957, the movement for the dismemberment of the One Unit had started. Suhrawardy

was at the mercy of central bureaucracy fighting to save the One Unit. Big business groups in

Karachi were lobbying against Suhrawardy's decision to distribute the better part of the $10

million I. C. A. aid to East Pakistan and to set up a national shipping corporation. Supported by

these lobbyists, President Mirza demanded the Prime Minister's resignation. Suhrawardy

resigned under threat of dismissal on October 10, 1957.

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Iskander Mirza Becomes President [1956] Governor General Ghulam Muhammad's despotic and dictatorial policy led Iskander Mirza and

his collaborators to force him out of power. Although his removal was necessary, yet another

despot, Iskander Mirza, who was the fourth Governor General and then the first President of

Pakistan, succeeded him. He was sworn-in as the first President under the 1956 Constitution.

During his regime not only was the first Constitution of Pakistan finalized, but also all the

provinces and princely states of West Pakistan were knitted together to form One Unit of the

West Pakistan Province. During his tenure from 1956 to 1958, President Iskander Mirza

brought about various cabinet changes and advocated a controlled democracy for Pakistan.

Muhammad Ali Bogra was the first Prime Minster under Iskander Mirza. Bogra could not stay

at this position for long, he resigned and went back to the U. S. A. where he was reinstated as

the Ambassador of Pakistan. After Bogra, In collusion with the Commander-in-Chief,

Muhammad Ayub Khan, Iskander Mirza abrogated the Constitution on October 7, 1958 and

declared Martial Law. Iskander Mirza and Ayub Khan began the new era with apparent

unanimity. Although the two were responsible for bringing about the change, they had different

views on dealing with the new situation. Share of power soon led to a struggle between the

two, which ended with Iskander Mirza being arrested and exiled to Britain where he later died.

I. I. Chundrigar Becomes Prime Minister [1957] After merely a year, Suhrawardy resigned from his Premiership in October 1957. His

resignation came as a result of the President's refusal to convene a meeting of the Parliament

to seek a vote of confidence. President Iskander Mirza appointed I. I. Chundrigar as the interim

Prime Minister. Being a nominated Prime Minister, Chundrigar held a weak position from the

very beginning. He headed a coalition government including the Krishak Sramik Party, Nizam-

i-Islam Party, the Muslim League and the Republican Party.

Iskander Mirza exploited the differences between the parties and thus made Chundrigar an

easy victim as he remained Prime Minister for only two months and therefore could not give

any practical shape to his program.

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Malik Feroz Khan Noon Becomes Prime Minister [1957] On December 16, 1957, Malik Feroz Khan Noon took over the office of Prime Minister from

Chundrigar. Malik Feroz Khan Noon was the last in the line of Prime Ministers under the

President-ship of Iskander Mirza. Being the leader of the Republican group in the National

Assembly, Noon came to power by forging an alliance with five different political groups,

Awami League, National Awami Party, Krishak Sramik Party, National Congress and the

Scheduled Caste Federation. Though the coalition was dependent on the support of such a

large number of political parties, it was able to form a stable government.

The Noon Cabinet was fortunate to have the support of the Bengali and Punjabi group of

politicians, reaching an accord between them for the first time. H. S. Suhrawardy's Awami

League Party assured full cooperation to the cabinet of Feroz Khan Noon. President Iskander

Mirza was distressed by the alliance of Suhrawardy and Noon. He not only felt a serious threat

to his office but also perceived that he had lost his grip over the politicians. He tried to counter

by bring other politicians to his side and making alliances with other political parties.

Under these tumultuous circumstances of political instability, President Iskander Mirza turned

towards General Ayub Khan, the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces of Pakistan. At

midnight between October 7 and 8, 1958, the President of Pakistan abrogated the Constitution

and imposed Martial Law in the country. This brought an end to the term of Malik Feroz Khan

Noon, which lasted for less than a year. The Parliamentary Government came to an end in

Pakistan, thus setting the stage for the recurrence of Martial Law again and again in the future.

Martial Law Under Field Marshal Ayub Khan [1958-62] On October 7, 1958, President Iskander Mirza abrogated the Constitution and declared Martial

Law in the country. This was the first of many military regimes to mark Pakistan's history. With

this step, the Constitution of 1956 was abrogated, ministers were dismissed, Central and

Provincial Assemblies were dissolved and all political activities were banned. General

Muhammad Ayub Khan, the then Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces, became the Chief

Martial Law Administrator.

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Field Marshal Ayub Khan Becomes President [1962-1969] In March 1962, Ayub Khan suspended the Martial Law and proclaimed the Constitution of

1962. Presidential elections were held in January 1965, and Ayub Khan defeated Miss Fatima

Jinnah, Jinnah's sister, to once again become the President of Pakistan.

Presidential Election (1965) Elections were held on January 2, 1965. There were four candidates; Ayub Khan, Miss Fatima

Jinnah and two obscure persons with no party affiliation. There was a short campaigning

period of one month, The public was barred from attending the projection meetings, which

would have enhanced Miss Fatima Jinnah's image. Miss Jinnah's greatest advantage was that

she was the sister of the Founder of Pakistan. An unfair and unequal election campaign, poor

finances, and indirect elections through the Basic Democracy System were some of the basic

problems she faced. Miss Fatima Jinnah lost the election of 1965 and Ayub Khan was elected

as the President of Pakistan.

Martial Law under General Yahya Khan [1969-71] The Tashkent Declaration signed by the Indian Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri and the

Pakistani President Muhammad Ayub Khan was not at all approved by the general public, and

was regarded as submission to India and humiliation for the nation. Politicians were already

unhappy with Ayub Khan.

Ayub Khan tried his best to handle the situation by releasing a number of political prisoners,

including the most popular leader of East Pakistan, Sheikh Mujib-ur-Rahman. He held a Round

but it proved to be a stalemate, with the result that Ayub Khan was forced to hand over power

to General Muhammad Yahya Khan, on March 25, 1969. Pakistan was now under the grip of

another Martial Law.

Being deeply aware of the explosive political situation in the country, General Yahya Khan set

in motion moves to transfer power to the elected representatives of the people and announced

that the general elections would be held on October 5, 1970.

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General Elections 1970 According to the results of the elections, Awami League emerged as the single largest party in

the National Assembly by winning 160 seats. It was also able to win 288 out of 300 seats in the

East Pakistan Assembly. However, the party failed to win even a single seat in the four

Provincial Assemblies of West Pakistan. Pakistan Peoples Party managed to win 81 out of 138

seats reserved for West Pakistan in the National Assembly. The party also performed well in

the Provincial Assembly polls of the Punjab and Sindh Assemblies.

The Separation of East Pakistan [1971] The separation of East Pakistan was a great setback to Pakistan. By 1970, sentiments for

national unity had weakened in East Pakistan to the extent that constant conflict between the

two Wings dramatically erupted into mass civil disorder. This tragically resulted in the brutal

and violent amputation of Pakistan's Eastern Wing. The physical separation of a thousand

miles between the two wings without a common border, and being surrounded by Indian

territory and influences, led to constant political, economic and social conflicts between the two

wings; embittering relations bringing the country on the verge of collapse. As a result of the

separation of its Eastern Wing, Trouble started right at the inception of Pakistan in 1947.

Almost immediately, East Pakistan claimed that as their population (55 percent as compared to

45 percent in the West) was greater, they were in a majority. Democratically, the Federal

Capital, therefore, should have been in Dhaka and not in Karachi.

Since Karachi was the seat of the National Government; ministers, government officials and

industrialists exerted immense influence on national and regional affairs, which brought them

many benefits. But the East Pakistanis were unable to extract the same kind of advantages, as

they were a thousand miles away from the Capital. Moreover, the Capital initially attracted

wealthy industrialists, businessmen, administrators, doctors and other professionals who had

fled from India. The location of the Capital, it was said, created great economic imbalance,

uneven distribution of national wealth and privileges, and better jobs for the people of West

Pakistan, because they were able to sway decisions in their own favor.

Secondly, Bengalis resented the vast sums of foreign exchange earned from the sale of jute

from East, which were being spent on defense. They questioned how the expenditure for the

Kashmir cause would be justified, when it could otherwise have been productively used to

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build dams and barriers to control floods, eradicate poverty and illiteracy, and supply food and

shelter for the ever-growing population in East Pakistan.

Thirdly, the people of the East believed that it was sheer regional prejudice that all white-collar

jobs were taken by West Pakistanis. Many mistakes were made early in the short history of

Pakistan. There lived in East Pakistan about 15 million Hindus who, with the help of their fellow

West Bengali Indians from across the border, were able to exploit East-West differences that

emerged as a result of these mistakes. Grievances were exaggerated to foster anti-West

Pakistani feelings that eventually created Bengali Nationalism and separatist tendencies.

Bengali political leaders went around depicting the Central Government and West Pakistan as

hostile exploiters. However, no effective efforts were made by the Government to check these

anti-national trends.

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto becomes President [1971] After the disastrous war with India that ingloriously concluded in December 1971, Pakistan had

to face its greatest crisis since Independence. The dismembered Pakistan was left only with

the four Provinces of West Pakistan; Punjab, Sindh, N. W. F. P. and Baluchistan. East

Pakistan was now independent. Pakistan had lost a whole province of 70 million, 56 percent of

the total population, and over 54,501 sq. miles of territory. There were 93,000 prisoners of war

in India and Bangladesh. Pakistan's international credit was depleted.

President Yahya tried to act in a militaristic manner to impose law and order but the people's

patience had been exhausted by this time. Military leadership had been discredited.

Disillusionment, uncertainty and pessimism prevailed. People were no longer prepared to

tolerate misgovernment. The public severely criticized and accused President Yahya and his

Government for ineptness and inability that culminated with the 1971 national debacle.

Faced with these difficulties, President Yahya ceded power to Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, Chairman of

the Pakistan Peoples Party that had won the majority votes in the 1970 elections in West

Pakistan. On the request of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, on December 6, 1971, Yahya Khan installed a

civilian setup at the Centre and Nurul Amin, a prominent Bengali politician who was against

Mujib-ur-Rahman, was made the Prime Minister. Z. A. Bhutto was made Deputy Prime Minister

on the same day. Nurul Amin remained Prime Minister till December 20, 1971, the day when

Bhutto took over as the civilian Chief Marshal Law Administrator.

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Bhutto returned home on December 18, 1971. On December 20, he was taken to the

President House in Rawalpindi where he took over two positions from Yahya Khan, one as

President and the other as Chief Martial Law Administrator. Thus he was the first civilian Chief

Martial Law Administrator of the dismembered Pakistan.

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto becomes Prime Minister [1973] After the promulgation of the 1973 Constitution, the elections for the President, Prime Minister,

Chairman of Senate, Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly were to be

undertaken. The 1973 Constitution had adopted a federal parliamentary system for the country

in which the President was only a figurehead and the real power lay with the Prime Minister.

Z. A. Bhutto was sworn in as the Prime Minister of the country on August 14, 1973, after he

had secured 108 votes in a house of 146 members. Fazal Ilahi Chaudhry was elected as the

President under the new Constitution.

Fazal Ilahi becomes President [1973] After the promulgation of the 1973 Constitution, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was sworn in as the Prime

Minister of the country, and Fazal Ilahi Chaudhry became the President of Pakistan, on August

14, 1973, for a term of five years. Fazal Ilahi was a mere figurehead since all power and

authority rested with the Prime Minister. He was allowed to continue as the President of

Pakistan till 1978, although the army took over the reigns of power in July, 1977. He was

relinquished from the office at his own request on September 16, 1978.

Ouster of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Ever since Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto took over the responsibilities of governance, there was a strong

group in the country that was not ready to accept him. They considered him as one of the

players who were involved in the dismemberment of Pakistan. This hatred was further

enhanced by the authoritarian style of his governance. However, the opposition emerged as a

significant force against Bhutto at the macro level for the first time when elections were

announced in January 1977. The opposition decided to join hands against Bhutto and contest

the election from a common platform, the Pakistan National Alliance.

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However, the intensity of the situation made Bhutto realize that it was not possible to suppress

the movement by force. In the beginning of May, Bhutto changed his policy and started to

explore the option of a dialog. Some P. N. A. leaders were released and brought to Sihala for

negotiations in the first week of June. Bhutto showed his willingness to hold elections in

November 1977, and offered five ministries to the P. N. A. candidates during the interim

period. But P. N. A. team insisted on 50 percent representation in the Cabinet and demanded

elections before August 14. Bhutto eventually accepted almost all the demands of P. N. A. and

the stage was set for a compromise. Signing of the agreement was held in abeyance as he

went abroad for a tour of Saudi Arabia, Libya, U. A. E., Kuwait and Iran. His tour was termed

as dilatory tactics and again there seemed to be a deadlock.

It was in these conditions that Chief of the Army Staff, General Zia-ul-Haq, imposed Martial

Law in the country on July 5, 1977, and sent Bhutto behind the bars. General Zia said, "Had an

agreement reached between the opposition and the Government, I would certainly never have

done what I did".

Martial Law under General Zia-ul-Haq [1977-1985] Elections were held on March 7, 1977. The Pakistan Peoples Party won these elections, but

was accused by their opponents, Pakistan National Alliance, of rigging the elections. On March

14, 1977, the Alliance started a series of nationwide protests. Talks between the Alliance and

Bhutto government were held in June 1977 and an agreement was reached, but it could not be

implemented.

Fresh elections were announced for October 15, 1977. But on July 5, 1977, the Chief of Army

Staff, General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, imposed Martial Law and the elections were postponed.

General Zia-ul-Haq announced holding of elections within 90 days.

Referendum 1984 General Zia wanted to establish a pseudo-democracy in Pakistan, with a continuation of him

as President under a civilian setup. Zia took a number of steps in this direction; the first was

the establishment of the Majlis-i-Shoora. The Majlis-i-Shoora was to take the place of the

National Assembly, but was to be without any legislative powers. General Zia's second step

was to ask the public to endorse his rule. This appeal was in the form of a referendum, which

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was so worded that a "Yes" meant that Zia himself would be further endorsed. The question

read as follows:

"Whether the people of Pakistan endorse the process initiated by General Muhammad Zia-ul-

Haq, the President of Pakistan, for bringing the laws of Pakistan in conformity with the

injunctions of Islam as laid down in the Holy Quran and Sunnah of the Holy Prophet (PBUH)

and for the preservation of the Islamic ideology of Pakistan, for the continuation and

consolidation of that process, and for the smooth and orderly transfer of power to the elected

representatives of the people."

The referendum was held on December 19, 1984. The Movement for the Restoration of

Democracy boycotted the elections. The results of this referendum showed the people voted in

favor of Zia, though the M. R. D. claimed that a very small percentage of people actually

showed up to vote. Zia rejected this claim and declared that he had been given public support

to continue as President of Pakistan for the next five years.

As a result of the referendum, the Chief Martial Law Administrator General Muhammad Zia-ul-

Haq became the President of Pakistan. After the referendum, General Zia announced that the

elections for the National and Provincial Assemblies would be held in February 1985, on a

non-party basis.

General Elections, February 1985 After the 1984 referendum, General Zia announced elections of the National and Provincial

Assemblies in February 1985. The elections were to be held on a non-party basis, which was

legalized through an amendment to the 1973 Constitution. The elections for the National and

Provincial Assemblies were held in 1985 on February 25 and 28, respectively. The successful

boycott of the 1984 referendum caused the M. R. D. to miscalculate their next step. Being

confident of public opinion, they boycotted these elections as well. Contrary to expectations,

the voters turned to the polls in large numbers. Surprisingly, many political leaders, including

former Members of National and Provincial Assemblies, and Advisors, who had seemed

popular in their appeals, could not win from their constituencies. The people elected many new

faces. The M. R. D. soon realized that it had miscalculated badly, that it should have fought the

elections on Zia's terms.

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Muhammad Khan Junejo Becomes Prime Minister [1985-88] After the Presidential referendum of December 1984, elections for the National and Provincial

Assemblies were held in February 1985 on a non-party basis. President Zia-ul-Haq nominated

Muhammad Khan Junejo as the Prime Minister of Pakistan on March 20, 1985.

On being nominated, Muhammad Khan Junejo promised the nation that he would lift the

Martial Law and restore a civilian government as soon as possible. Junejo's position was weak

and vulnerable under the constitutional amendments made by Zia, which made the position of

the President paramount and that of the Prime Minister subordinate.

Death of General Zia-ul-Haq [1988] General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq was killed in an air crash on August 17, 1988. He had gone to

Bhawalpur to see a demonstration of tanks where he was accompanied by a number of

Generals, including the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, Chief of General Staff, high-

ranking Military Attaches, as well as the U. S. Ambassador to Pakistan. On his return journey,

his military transport aircraft, A C-130, exploded in mid-air a few minutes after takeoff from

Bhawalpur airport, killing all passengers aboard including the President.

After the crash, a high level meeting was held in Islamabad to decide the question of

succession. Some of the participants in the meeting were in favor of imposition of Martial Law.

However the military Chief present did not support the idea. Under the Constitution, whenever

the office of President becomes vacant by reason of death or resignation, or removal of the

President, the Chairman of Senate acts as the President until a new President is elected. As a

result Ghulam Ishaq Khan, Chairman of the Senate, became the next acting President of

Pakistan.

Benazir Bhutto Becomes Prime Minister [1988] In the 1988 elections, Pakistan Peoples Party won 94 seats in the National Assembly without

forming any alliance. With the cooperation of 8 M. Q. M. members and 13 members of the

Federally Administered tribal Area, the P. P. P. showed a clear majority. Benazir Bhutto,

daughter of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, was sworn in as the Prime Minister, the first woman to govern

an Islamic State.

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Ghulam Ishaq Khan becomes President [1988-93] After the death of General Zia, Ghulam Ishaq Khan, Chairman of the Senate, took over as

acting President. Elections for the National and Provincial Assemblies were held on November

16 and 19, 1988, respectively. The Revival of the Constitutional Order had amended the

Constitution, which empowered the President to appoint, at his discretion, any member of the

National Assembly as Prime Minister. Ghulam Ishaq Khan appointed Benazir Bhutto as Prime

Minister of Pakistan on the condition that she would offer full support to him in the forthcoming

presidential elections.

The conflict between the President and the Prime Minister had its drop scene on August 6,

1990, when the President dissolved the National Assembly and Benazir Bhutto was dismissed

from power. The dissolution of the National Assembly was soon followed by the dissolution of

the Provincial Assemblies. Fresh elections were scheduled on October 24, 1990. President

Ghulam Ishaq Khan appointed Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi as the caretaker Prime Minister.

Nawaz Sharif Becomes Prime Minister [1990] After the ouster of Benazir's Government, elections for the National and Provincial Assemblies

were held on October 24 and 27, 1990. Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, the ex-Chief Minister

of Punjab, was elected as the Prime Minister on November 1, 1990.

Balakh Sher Mazari Becomes Caretaker Prime Minister [1993] President Ghulam Ishaq Khan dissolved the National and Provincial Assemblies on April 19,

1993, and appointed Mir Balakh Sher Khan Mazari as the Caretaker Prime Minister. General

Elections were scheduled to be held on July 14, 1993.

Balakh Sher Mazari's tenure as Caretaker Prime Minister ended on May 26, 1993, when the

Supreme Court revoked the Presidential Order and reinstated Nawaz Sharif as the Prime

Minister.

Moin Qureshi Becomes Caretaker Prime Minister [1993] On May 26, 1993, the Supreme Court of Pakistan declared the Presidential Order of the

Assemblies' dissolution as unconstitutional and ruled for restoring the Nawaz Government and

the National Assembly. However, because of the serious differences between the President

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Ghulam Ishaq Khan and the Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, both resigned

from their offices on July 18, 1993, along with the dissolution of the Central and Provincial

Assemblies.

Moin Qureshi, a top World Bank official, was appointed as the Caretaker Prime Minister and

Ghulam Ishaq Khan was appointed as the caretaker President.

Benazir Bhutto becomes Prime Minister [1993] Benazir Bhutto returned to power for the second time in 1993 after the resignation of both

President Ghulam Ishaq Khan and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on July 18, 1993. The

resignation led to the announcement of fresh elections for the National and Provincial

Assemblies. The elections were held on October 6 and 9, 1993, respectively.

The elections were boycotted by the M. Q. M. No party emerged with an absolute majority in

the elections. As a result the P. P. P. formed the new government with the help of alliances.

Benazir Bhutto took oath as Prime Minister on October 19, 1993. The Presidential election was

held on November 13. Farooq Ahmad Khan Leghari, the P. P. P. candidate, won by 274 to 168

votes against the then acting President Wasim Sajjad.

Sardar Farooq Legahri Becomes President [1993] As a result of the general elections in 1993, P. P. P. came to power by forming an alliance with

P. M. L. (J), some independent members and some small parties. After the formation of the

Governments at the Center and in the provinces, the next step was the election of the

President. Initially, a number of candidates filed their nomination papers. However, as election

day approached, there were only two candidates left in the field. These were the acting

President Wasim Sajjad, a nominee of the P. M. L. (N), and Sardar Farooq Leghari, a nominee

of the P. P. P. As a result of voting, Leghari got 274 votes in his favor against 168 votes for

Wasim Sajjad. On November 13, 1993, Sardar Farooq Leghari was appointed as the President

of Pakistan for a term of five years.

Differences emerged between Benazir and Leghari, which eventually resulted in the President

using the Eighth Amendment for the dissolution of the National Assembly, and the dismissal of

Benazir.

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Malik Meraj Khalid Becomes Caretaker Prime Minister [1996]

President Sardar Farooq Leghari, exercising his powers through the Eighth Amendment,

dismissed Benazir Bhutto's Government in November 1996, on charges of corruption and

extra-judicial killings. After Benazir, Malik Meraj Khalid, Rector of the International Islamic

University, was appointed as caretaker Prime Minister. The next elections were scheduled to

be held on February 3, 1997.

Malik Meraj Khalid held the office of Prime Minister from November 5, 1996, to February 17,

1997.

Nawaz Sharif becomes Prime Minister [1997] As scheduled, elections were held on February 3, 1997. Pakistan Muslim League won with an

overwhelming majority with absolutely light and slight opposition. The Muslim League was able

to obtain a two-third majority in the National Assembly and Mian Nawaz Sharif was re-elected

as Prime Minister. It was during this term that Pakistan carried out its nuclear tests on May 28,

1998, in response to the Indian detonation of its five nuclear devices. The Nawaz Government

had found it imperative for Pakistan to carry out these nuclear tests, in order to provide an

effective defense, and to deter Indian adventurism. The Kargil Operation in its aftermath again

led to tense relations between Nawaz Sharif and the armed forces. This tension culminated

into the removal of Nawaz Government by General Pervez Musharraf on October 12, 1999,

thus bringing to an end the second term of Nawaz Sharif's Government.

Muhammad Rafiq Tarar elected as President [1998] Muhammad Rafiq Tarar, a former Judge of the Supreme Court and a Senator, was elected as

the ninth President of Pakistan. He took oath to his office on January 1, 1998. The office of the

President had become vacant after the resignation of President Leghari on December 2, 1997.

Rafiq Tarar seemed to be an unassuming and ceremonial President with a low profile, who

kept away from the press. Immediately after taking over, he declared that from then onwards,

the Presidency would not work in conspiring against the elected Government. He said that he

would confine himself to powers available to him under the Constitution and would not aspire

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for anything more. After overthrowing the Nawaz Government, the military authorities did not

retain Rafiq Tarar as the President till his full term of five years.

Military Comes to Power Again [Oct 12, 1999] On October 12, 1999, the Pakistan Army once again ousted the Civilian Government. At that

time Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif headed the Government. The coup

immediately followed the premier’s attempt to replace the Army Chief while he was on a tour to

Sri Lanka. After two days of chilling uncertainty, Chief of Army Staff General Pervez Musharraf

assumed the title of Chief Executive.

After the military takeover, the former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Shahbaz Sharif (his

brother and former Chief Minister of Punjab) and five other officials were booked on charges of

hijacking, kidnapping and attempted murder in the "Plane Conspiracy" case. The prosecution's

case was based on a police report filed by an Army Colonel. Nawaz Sharif, in his capacity as

Prime Minster, was accused of giving orders to the Civil Aviation Authority to prevent a

Colombo-Karachi Pakistan International Airlines commercial flight, with Musharraf on board,

from landing at Karachi or anywhere else in Pakistan.

Pervez Musharraf Becomes President [June, 2001] General Pervez Musharraf while he was also Chief Executive took over the office of the

President of Pakistan on June 20, 2001, under the Provincial Constitutional Order (PCO) by

removing Rafiq Tarar before he was allowed to complete his five-years tenure. With immediate

effect he dissolved the suspended Senate, National and Provincial Assemblies and dismissed

the Chairman of the Senate and the Speaker of the National Assembly.

Referendum 2002

After General Pervez Musharraf sacked the civilian Government headed by Prime Minister

Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif on October 12, 1999, he had assumed the title of Chief

Executive. It was claimed that the Army was forced to take this step to save the country from

"turmoil and uncertainty". The General later on also ousted President Rafiq Tarar and himself

became the President of Pakistan. After becoming the President, he reiterated his stance of

holding elections as prescheduled by his Government in October 2002. But before the general

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elections, a referendum was held on April 30, 2002 for General Pervez Musharraf to be elected

as the President of Pakistan for another five years.

General Elections 2002 After three years of military rule, Pakistan again headed towards democracy on October 10,

2002. More than 70 parties, big and small, contested the eighth national parliamentary

election.

The National and Provincial elections were held on the same day. More than 72 million

registered voters aged 18 and above from a population of 140 million, elected members for the

342 National Assembly seats and 728 seats of the four Provincial Assemblies.

The election results issued after inexplicable delay not only led to no major party having an

overall majority in the new National Assembly, but also were surprising with an unexpectedly

large number of seats won by the Islamic parties. The Islamic parties, which previously had

actually won fewer seats, came in strong this time by capitalizing on opposition to Pakistan's

partnership with the United States in the bombing of Afghanistan and in the war against

terrorism. The MMA got a clear-cut majority in NWFP and Baluchistan provinces where it

easily formed a government on its own. In the rest of the Provincial Assemblies coalition

governments were formed as no party had come in with a complete majority.

With no party emerging with a simple majority Pakistan faced menace of a hung parliament. A

coalition government was, however, set up with Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali, the candidate of

PML (Q) as the Prime Minister of Pakistan with the help of MQM, a number of independent

candidates and 10 members of the Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians who defected

from the party to form their own Forward Block.

Zafarullah Khan Jamali Becomes Prime Minister [2002] Zafarullah Khan Jamali was elected the 21st Prime Minister of Pakistan by the newly elected

Parliament on November 21, 2002. President General Pervez Musharraf administered the oath

to the new Prime Minster at the Aiwan-i-Sadr on November 23. The October elections resulted

in a political deadlock as no party won with an overall majority. This led to the delay in the

appointment of the Prime Minister. On December 29, 2002, Mir Zaffarullah Khan Jamali won

the vote of confidence of 188 members out of the 342-seat House.

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Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain Becomes Prime Minister [2004] Ch. Shujaat Hussain, who heads the ruling faction of the Pakistan Muslim League, PML (QA)

took the post in a caretaker position on June 30, 2004 four days after Zafarullah Jamali

resigned all of a sudden.

Shaukat Aziz Becomes Prime Minister [2004] Shaukat Aziz became the 23rd Prime Minister of Pakistan on August 23, 2004 after he won

two National Assembly seats from Attock and Tharparkar on August 18 by-elections and took

oath as Member of National Assembly on August 20. He retained the Attock seat, he took over

the charge of premiership of Pakistan.