Pakistan as a Dominion state

Pakistan became the dominion state on 14th August 1947 after passing the Indian Independence Act
1947, (That was the amended version of government of India Act 1935). King George VI became the
king of dominion states of Pakistan and India. Quaid-e-Azam became the first Governor general and
Liaquat Ali Khan was the first prime minister of the dominion state.
Achievements of Quaid-e-Azam as the 1st Governor General of Pakistan (1947-48)
Quaid-e-Azam as the 1st Governor General of Pakistan solved many of the economic, political and
social problems of the newly independent state.
Pakistan’s early problems and their solutions (1947-48)
(i) Refugee Problem;
This problem was created due to the following reasons;
 According to the boundary commission many areas with Muslim Majority population were handed
over to India, for example Ferozpur and Gurdaspour, as a result a large-scale migration took place
from these areas towards Pakistan.
 Secondly the Muslims who were coming to Pakistan had very few possessions with them and had
to be settled in Pakistan, Pakistan as a new state had little resources to find food and shelter for the
refugees.
 Another problem was to arrange secure departure of non-Muslims from Pakistan and safe arrival
of Muslims to Pakistan, for this, the Government. had to deploy army to protect the refugees.
Solution;
For this purpose, refugee relief fund was set up and Pakistanis were asked to donate cash and kind
for the rehabilitation of their brothers.
(ii) Formation of Government
This problem was created due to the following reasons;
Pakistan had no capital city.
Pakistan had less politicians to run the government.
Pakistan had no official buildings to accommodate government offices.
Pakistan had no national assembly to make laws.
Pakistan had no stationary for correspondence.
Solution;
To solve these problems, Karachi was chosen as the capital of Pakistan, Jinnah became the first
governor general of Pakistan and Liaquat Ali Khan became its first PM. Cabinet was formed under the
supervision of Liaquat Ali Khan. Army barracks were occupied as the Government buildings, trained
Muslim politicians were brought from India to run the Government. Central Secretariat was setup at
Karachi. Civil Services were reorganized and the rules of the Civil Services were drafted. Sindh
assembly was chosen as the national assembly and the elected members of 1945-46 elections became
parliament members. The headquarters of three armed forces (army, Navy, air force) were
established.
(iii) Economic problems
A- Poor Economy
Poor economy was one of the major problems of Pakistan, the Pakistan area during the British Raj
received no industrial and agricultural developments as it was a Muslim majority area and the British
policies were not supporting Muslims.
Solution;
To solve this problem Jinnah gave his industrial statement in 1948 and encouraged the entrepreneurs
to set up industries in Pakistan. Also, the State Bank of Pakistan was set up to develop the economy.
B- Canal Water dispute
The canal water dispute was another major economic problem, in 1948 India threatened to stop the
flow of water to Pakistan through its head works on river Sutlej, this was a serious threat for Pakistan’s
agriculture-based economy.

1
Solution;
To solve this problem temporary agreement was reached between India and Pakistan and India agreed
to supply water to Pakistan provided that it should built its own irrigation system.
C- Division of Financial Assets
Pakistan also faced financial crisis in 1947 as India paid only 200 million rupees out 750 million rupees,
but then Pakistan had its first war with India over the Kashmir issue, and India refused to pay the rest
as it accused Pakistan that it would buy weapons against India,
Solution;
Due to the efforts of the Government finally India paid 500 million rupees.
(iv) Political Problems
A- National Security
For the national security, Pakistan needed 4000 Muslim officers, but it received only 2500 Muslim
officers that were part of the Muslim regiments in British Indian army, to solve this problem Jinnah
appointed 500 British officers, Pakistan had no ordinance factories and all 16 ordinance factories were
in India, the government needed at least one but India refused to hand over any one of the factories
to Pakistan therefore Jinnah made efforts to get the sum of sixty million rupees from India to build its
ordinance factory at Wah. The military equipment Pakistan received were mostly outdated, obsolete and
broken, Pakistan needed to buy new weapons to protect its borders and also maintain Law and order in the
country.
Jinnah also made efforts to secure a seat of Pakistan in the UN, therefore Pakistan joined UN on 30th
September 1947.
B- Drafting of the new constitution
As Pakistan was involved in solving its early problems, it could not focus on drafting the new
constitution. Pakistan being a dominion state and part of the British empire was still following Indian
independence act as its interim constitution.
C- Accession of Princely states
Another serious issue of Pakistan was the accession of the princely states, according to the 3rd June plan
(Partition Plan), the princely states could either join India or Pakistan but cannot get independence. Therefore,
many princely states based on their religion or geographical positions joined either India or Pakistan, but
problems were created with three princely states; Hyderabad, Junagadh and Kashmir.
a) Hyderabad
Hyderabad was one of the richest princely states, with annual revenue of 160 million rupees. Its population was
mostly Hindus but the ruler was a Muslim known as Nizam of Hyderabad. At first Nizam wanted to declare
independence but lord Mountbatten announced that it is not possible and pressurized him to join India. Nizam
being a Muslim wanted to join Pakistan. A treaty of defence, foreign affairs and communication was signed
between India and Nizam of Hyderabad. Indian Government. exerted more pressure on Nizam to join India,
Nizam filed a complaint against Indian Government. before the United Nation, but before the complaint could
be heard, the Indian army entered Hyderabad and after the defeat of Hyderabad army, this princely state was
merged into different provinces of India.
b) Junagarh
Another problematic princely state was Junagadh. It is located on the coastal line 300 miles away from Karachi.
It was ruled by a Muslim ruler but the majority of the population was Hindus. The ruler announced to join
Pakistan. Pakistan accepted this, but Lord Mountbatten did not accept this decision, and sent a message to
Quaid-e-Azam that Junagadh cannot join Pakistan because it is within the territory of India and he also sent an
army to surround Junagadh, this caused blockade and food shortages in Junagadh. Finally, Indian army invaded
the state, Pakistan complained against the illegal occupation before the United Nation but it remained unheard.
Later Indian Government. held referendum in this state, and as most of the people were non-Muslims, they
opted to join India.
c) Kashmir
Kashmir issue was the biggest issue between the two countries that had not been resolved until now. The
Kashmir problem was created as boundary commission handed over Gurdaspur to India, thus India formed a
border with Kashmir. This state had a Hindu ruler, Maharaja Hari Singh but the majority of the population was
Muslims who wanted to join Pakistan, and even they put pressure on Maharaja to join Pakistan. A rebellion
began by the Kashmiri Muslims against the Hindu ruler, in response Maharaja killed many innocent Muslims and

2
even some Muslims fled to Pakistan. The Muslim opposition against the Maharaja became so strong that he
had to ask help from the Indian Government, the Indian Government. put a condition for help that if ruler agrees
to join India the army would be sent. Maharaja agreed and thus Indian forces invaded Kashmir, at the same time
Jinnah also sent army to help the Kashmiri brothers. The two countries had the war in 1948 that lasted few days.
Finally, UNO imposed a ceasefire and asked the two countries to consider LOC (Line of control) as a temporary
border till the referendum in Kashmir to know about the wishes of the people of the Kashmir. Pakistan got a
small part of Kashmir while India got the larger part including the capital of Kashmir, Srinagar. Although Indian
Government held a referendum in Kashmir after many years of occupation, but Pakistan objected that it was
not held under the independent observers. And the Kashmir issue remained unresolved.
(v) Geographical Problems
The new state of Pakistan was divided into two parts, east and west Pakistan that were separated
large territories of India. The two states had nothing in common except religion. Long distance
between the two wings of Pakistan caused the separation of East from West Pakistan and creation of
Bangladesh in the years ahead.
(VI) Social Problems
One of the important social problems faced by Pakistan was the settlement of national language.
Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah wanted to make Urdu as the national language of Pakistan, as
he believed that Urdu could unite different races in Pakistan and it was the most developed language
of Pakistan. East Pakistanis demanded Bengali as the national language in East Pakistan, but
Muhammad Ali Jinnah stressed on adoption of only one official language, i.e. Urdu.
Liaquat Ali Khan-1st Prime Minister of Pakistan (1947-51)
a) 1947-48 (Quaid e Azam as the Governor General)
Liaquat Ali Khan as the first PM of Pakistan tried to solve the early problems with Quaid e Azam as the
Governor General of Pakistan,
Pakistan received millions of Muslim refugees in 1947, the Government had to arrange food and
shelter for the refugees, for this purpose refugee relief fund was set up and Pakistanis were asked to
donate cash and kind for the rehabilitation of their brothers.
Another problem was the formation of Government, as India inherited all official buildings from the
British India; Pakistan had no official buildings, politicians to run the Government and stationary. To
solve these problems, Karachi was chosen as the capital of Pakistan, Jinnah became the first governor
general of Pakistan and Liaquat Ali Khan became its first PM. Cabinet was formed under the
supervision of Liaquat Ali Khan. Army barracks were occupied as the Government buildings, trained
Muslim politicians were brought from India to run the Government. Central Secretariat was setup at
Karachi. Civil Services were reorganized and the rules of the Civil Services were drafted. Sindh
assembly was chosen as the national assembly and the elected members of 1945-46 elections became
parliament members. The headquarters of three armed forces (army, Navy, air force) were
established.
Another serious problem was the poor economy of Pakistan, the Pakistan area during the British Raj
received no industrial and agricultural developments as it was a Muslim majority area and the British
policies were not supporting Muslims. To solve this problem Government gave its industrial statement
in 1948 and encouraged the entrepreneurs to set up industries in Pakistan. Also, the State Bank of
Pakistan was set up to develop the economy.
The canal water dispute was another major problem, in 1948 India threatened to stop the flow of
water to Pakistan through its head works on river Sutlej, this was a serious threat for Pakistan’s
agriculture-based economy. To solve this problem temporary agreement was reached between India
and Pakistan and India agreed to supply water to Pakistan provided that it should built its own
irrigation system.
For the national security, Pakistan needed 4000 Muslim officers, but it received only 2500 Muslim
officers that were part of the Muslim regiments in British Indian army, to solve this problem Jinnah
appointed 500 British officers, Pakistan had no ordinance factories and all 16 ordinance factories were
in India, the Government needed at least one but India refused to hand over any one of the factories

3
to Pakistan therefore Jinnah made efforts to get the sum of sixty million rupees from India to build its
ordinance factory at Wah. Jinnah also made efforts to secure a seat of Pakistan in the UN.
Pakistan also faced financial crisis in 1947 as India paid only 200 million rupees out 750 million rupees,
but then Pakistan had its first war with India over the Kashmir issue, and India refused to pay the rest
as it accused Pakistan that it would buy weapons against India, due to the efforts of the Government
finally India paid 500 million rupees.
However, the Government of Pakistan was also not able to solve many of its earlier problems; Pakistan
couldn’t reach a compromise over the Kashmir issue with India. Similarly, the Government was unable
to resolve the water conflict with India till 1960 when it signed the Indus water treaty. Government
failed to provide security to the non-Muslims who lost their lives while crossing the border to India.
Government couldn’t get the proper military weapons from India. Pakistan also faced shortage of
skilled labor in the early years.
1948-51(Khwaja Nazimuddin as the Governor General)
After the death of Quaid e Azam, died and Khwaja Nazimuddin became the Governor General, Liaquat
Ali Khan continued to serve as the PM of Pakistan. The events during this period can be explained as
below;
(I) Objective Resolution;
After the Independence Pakistan followed the Independence act as the interim constitution. One of
the tasks of the Government was to frame the new constitution, for this purpose Basic Principles
Committee was formed. Its task was to draft the principles of the future constitution. This committee
presented a document to the Constituent assembly known as the Objective Resolution in 1949. It was
opposed in the constituent assembly due to the three reasons;
1. East Pakistanis were larger in population (55%), but they were given equal seats to West Pakistanis
in the national assembly, also they wanted Bengali as the national language in East Pakistan in place
of Urdu.
2. Provincial Politicians wanted more provincial autonomy, while the objective resolution gave more
powers to the central Government.
3. Ulemas (religious scholars) wanted Shariah (Islamic) laws as part of the constitution.
Therefore, the Government. of Liaquat Ali Khan decided to withdraw this document and review it for
further considerations. In 1950 the revised objective resolution was presented to the national
assembly. It met again with criticism as the language and provincial autonomy had not been settled.
The document was further withdrawn for more changes.
(ii) PRODA (Public Representative Officers Disqualification Act);
In 1948 Government passed PRODA, that corrupt government officers could be removed from the
office after the complaints by the public to the Governor General or PM, in reality this act was used
to remove the political opponents from the office, in the coming years this act was used by Ghulam
Muhammad and Iskander Mirza to remove the PMs.
(iii) Liaquat-Nehru Pact (Minorities Pact)
The refugee problem was the biggest issue between India and Pakistan that was settled through
minorities Pact in 1950, according to this pact free passage of refugees across the Pak-India border
was restricted, Visa system was introduced, and each Government had to take care of their minorities.
(iv) Army leaders
Government replaced Douglas Gracey (first Commander n Chief) and appointed Ayub Khan as the first
Pakistani Commander n Chief. This was done as there were complaints in the army about the presence
of a British Commander n Chief.
(v) Rawalpindi Conspiracy
In 1951, a group of army leader planned a coup (military takeover) in the country and wanted to
remove the Government of Liaquat Ali Khan, this conspiracy was known as Rawalpindi Conspiracy that
was led by Major General Akbar Khan. This Conspiracy was failed and the conspirators were arrested
by Ayub Khan, they were tried in the court and punished.

4
(vi) Murder
Liaquat Ali Khan was killed while addressing the nation in Rawalpindi, the assassin was killed on the
spot and therefore the real motives of the murder are still unknown. He was laid to rest in Karachi. He
was succeeded by Khwaja Nazimuddin.
Khwaja Nazimuddin (1948-53)
After the creation of Pakistan Khwaja Nazimuddin became the Chief Minister of East Bengal, after
the death of Quaid e Azam in1948 he became the Governor General of Pakistan. Liaquat Ali Khan
continued to work as PM. He served as Governor General from 1948-51 and as the PM from 1951-
53, Malik Ghulam Muhammad was the Governor General from 1951-55. The events during the rule
of Khwaja Nazimuddin can be grouped in two periods;
a) Khwaja Nazimuddin as the Governor General (1948-51)
(I) Objective Resolution;
After the Independence Pakistan followed the Independence act as the interim constitution. One of
the tasks of the Government was to frame the new constitution, for this purpose Basic Principles
Committee was formed. Its task was to draft the principles of the future constitution. This committee
presented a document to the Constituent assembly known as the Objective Resolution in 1949. It was
opposed in the constituent assembly due to the three reasons;
1. East Pakistanis were larger in population (55%), but they were given equal seats to West Pakistanis
in the national assembly, also they wanted Bengali as the national language in East Pakistan in place
of Urdu.
2. Provincial Politicians wanted more provincial autonomy, while the objective resolution gave more
powers to the central Government.
3. Ulemas (religious scholars) wanted Shariah (Islamic) laws as part of the constitution.
Therefore, the Government. Liaquat Ali Khan decided to withdraw this document and review it for
further considerations. In 1950 the revised objective resolution was presented to the national
assembly. It met again with criticism as the language and provincial autonomy had been settled. The
document was further withdrawn for more changes.
(ii) PRODA (Public Representative Officers Disqualification Act);
In 1948 Government passed PRODA, that corrupt government officers could be removed from the
office after the complaints by the public to the Governor General or PM, in reality this act was used
to remove the political opponents from the office, in the coming years this act was used by Ghulam
Muhammad and Iskander Mirza to remove the PMs.
(iii) Liaquat-Nehru Pact (Minorities Pact)
The refugee problem was the biggest issue between India and Pakistan that was settled through
minorities Pact in 1950, according to this pact free passage of refugees across the Pak-India border
was restricted, Visa system was introduced, and each Government had to take care of their minorities.
(iv) Army leaders
Government replaced Douglas Gracey (first Commander n Chief) and appointed Ayub Khan as the first
Pakistani Commander n Chief. This was done as there were complaints in the army about the presence
of a British Commander n Chief.
(v) Rawalpindi Conspiracy
In 1951, a group of army leader planned a coup (military takeover) in the country and wanted to
remove the Government of Liaquat Ali Khan, this conspiracy was known as Rawalpindi Conspiracy that
was led by Major General Akbar Khan. This Conspiracy was failed and the conspirators were arrested
by Ayub Khan, they were tried in the court and punished.
After the assassination of Liaquat Ali Khan in 1951, Khwaja Nazimuddin became the PM while Ghulam
Muhammad assumed power as the 3rd Governor General of Pakistan.
b) Khwaja Nazimuddin as the PM (1951-53)
Khwaja Nazimuddin served as a PM from 1951-53, his rule had success and many problems;

5
(i) Economic development Plans;
In 1950 planning commission was setup to plan the economic developments, in 1951six year plan
was launched that helped to develop many sectors of the economy; next the five-year plan was
developed. In 1952 a jute mill was opened in East Pakistan. Also, in 1952 Sui gas project was
developed.
(iI) Objective Resolution;
The revised report of the objective resolution was presented to the national assembly for approval
but this was also met with criticism, and Khwaja Nazimuddin withdrew the report for further
considerations.
(iii) Dismissal;
Q. Why did Malik Ghulam Muhammad dismiss Khwaja Nazimuddin? [7]
From 1951-53 there were severe food shortages due to the flooding in East Pakistan that had led to
riots in most of the cities of Pakistan, Government failed to supply food or prevent the riots.
Although USA gave Pakistan one million ton of Wheat but even then, the Government failure led to
its dismissal.
Another reason for dismissal was the failure of Government to make the new constitution, revised
report of the objective resolution was passed to the national assembly by PM, Khwaja Nazimuddin in
1952, but it met with opposition especially by the East Pakistanis who demanded Bengali as the
national language, provincial politicians who wanted provincial autonomy and the Ulemas wanted
Shariah laws.
There was unrest due to anti Ahmadi protests throughout Pakistan. The protestors demanded
removal of government officials belonging to the Ahmadi sect like Foreign Minister Zafarullah Khan
and also demanded that this sect should be declared as non-Muslims.
Q. Why did it take so many years to form the first constitution of Pakistan? [14]
At the time of establishment of Pakistan an Interim constitution was introduced which was a modified
version of the India Act 1935. One of the tasks of the Government was to frame the new constitution,
for this purpose Basic Principles Committee was formed. Its task was to draft the principles of the
future constitution. This committee presented a document to the Constituent assembly known as the
Objective Resolution in 1949. It suggested the basic principles of Islam to be followed by the
Government, all religions followers could practice their religion freely, and fundamental human rights
were guaranteed. The judiciary could act independently. It was opposed in the constituent assembly
due to the three reasons;
1. East Pakistanis were larger in population (55%), but they were given equal seats to West Pakistanis
in the national assembly, also they wanted Bengali as the national language in East Pakistan in place
of Urdu.
2. Provincial Politicians wanted more provincial autonomy, while the objective resolution gave more
powers to the central Government.
3. Ulemas (religious scholars) wanted Shariah (Islamic) laws as part of the constitution.
Therefore, the Government of Liaquat Ali Khan decided to withdraw this document and review it for
further considerations.
The revised report of the objective resolution was presented to the national assembly in 1950 by the
PM Liaquat Ali Khan and this report outlined certain broad and key principles, like previous
constitutional report it also met with the criticism. East Pakistanis wanted more seats in the national
assembly as they had the larger population than West Pakistan, the language issue was still not
resolved. By keeping in view of this criticism it was decided that the Basic Principles Committee will
review the report. In 1951 Liaquat Ali Khan was killed while addressing the nation in Rawalpindi.
Therefore, the responsibility of drafting the constitution fell on the shoulders of Khwaja Nazimuddin,
the new PM.
Khwaja Nazimuddin presented the 2nd revised report to the national assembly in 1952, that
suggested equal number of seats in the national assembly, from both East and West Pakistan. It also
emphasized that in Pakistan law making would be in accordance with the principles of Islam. It was

6
silent on the issue of national language. Again, there was criticism against this report as East
Pakistanis rejected the idea of equal seats in the national assembly. PM withdrew the report for
further considerations as Ghulam Muhammad dismissed him on the charges of failure to solve
Pakistan’s political, economic and constitutional issues. Now the responsibility of constitution
making fell on the shoulders of new PM, M Ali Bogra.
M Ali Bogra proposed the idea of One Unit Scheme in 1953 that was merging the four provinces into
unit that would reduce the provincialism and increase loyalty of being Pakistani. He also tried to limit
the powers of Governor General by passing laws in the assembly, but before the final approval,
Malik Ghulam Muhammad dissolved the national assembly, and reappointed M Ali Bogra as PM.
Dissolution of the national assembly was challenged in the Sindh High Court by the speaker of
dissolved assembly, Maulvi Tamiz Ud Din. Sindh High court that gave its decision in favor of Maulvi
Tamiz ud Din but Ghulam Muhammad appealed in the Federal Court that gave its decision in favor of
Ghulam Muhammad. Ghulam Muhammad fell ill and had to resign, Iskander Mirza assumed powers
as the fourth Governor General. All these political changes delayed the process of constitution
making, finally with the efforts of Chaudhri M Ali the new PM of Iskander Mirza’s cabinet Pakistan
developed its first constitution in 1956.
The process of constitution making was delayed due to the political instability in Pakistan, and the
lack of capable leaders like Jinnah and Liaquat Ali Khan from 1947-56.
Malik Ghulam Muhammad- 3rd Governor General of Pakistan (1951-55)
He was the 3rd Governor General of Pakistan, he had served as the Finance Minister in the cabinet of
Liaquat Ali Khan, after the death of Liaquat Ali Khan he persuaded Khwaja Nazimuddin to become
the PM and he became the Governor General of Pakistan. The events of this period can be explained
into two areas;
a) 1951-53 (Khwaja Nazimuddin as the PM)
Khwaja Nazimuddin served as a PM from 1951-53; his rule had success and many problems;
(i) Economic development Plans;
In 1950 planning commission was setup to plan the economic developments, in 1951six year plan
was launched that helped to develop many sectors of the economy; next the five-year plan was
developed. In 1952 a jute mill was opened in East Pakistan. Also, in 1952 Sui gas project was
developed.
(I) Objective Resolution;
The revised report of the objective resolution was presented to the national assembly for approval
but this was also met with criticism, and Khwaja Nazimuddin withdrew the report for further
considerations.
(ii) Dismissal;
He was dismissed by Governor General Malik Ghulam Muhammad on the charges of failure to solve
Pakistan’s political, economic and constitutional issues.
b) 1953-55 (Muhammad Ali Bogra as the PM)
M Ali Bogra who was the ambassador in USA was called and made the PM of Pakistan, the new PM
tried to solve the economic crisis in Pakistan by Central Treaty Organization (CENTO).
The political problems were created in 1954 when Ghulam Muhammad was out of the country so
Bogra took advantage and passed laws in the national assembly removing PRODA, and thus limiting
the powers of Governor General. In 1955 Bogra was out of country and this time Ghulam
Muhammad used his powers declared emergency and dissolved the nation assembly, although he
reappointed Bogra as PM. Maulvi Tamiz ud din the speaker of the dissolved assembly challenged
dissolution of the national assembly in Sindh High court that gave its decision in favor of Maulvi
Tamiz ud Din but Ghulam Muhammad appealed in the federal court that gave its decision in favor of
Ghulam Muhammad. Ghulam Muhammad fell ill and had to resign.
Iskander Mirza – 4th Governor General of Pakistan (1955-56)
He was the 4th and the last Governor General of Pakistan; he was also the first President of Pakistan.
The events of this period can be explained as below;

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(i) 1956 Constitution (1st Constitution of Pakistan)
In 1956 Pakistan developed its first constitution, Pakistan became a Republic & Iskander Mirza
became the first President of Pakistan. The first constitution was developed through the efforts of
Chaudhri M Ali the PM of Pakistan. The Constitution declared Pakistan as Islamic Republic of
Pakistan; both Urdu and Bengali were accepted as the official languages in West and East Pakistan
respectively. Pakistan would have unicameral legislature with equal seats of East and West Pakistan.
It supported parliamentary form of government. The President could choose the PM from the
national assembly; he had emergency powers and could dissolve the national assembly. The PM
could make his cabinet from the members of the national assembly. The Islamic Committee was
formed that could guide the government on making Islamic provisions in the constitution.
(ii) Iskander Mirza – 1st President of Pakistan (1956-58)
In 1956, Pakistan was able to draft its first constitution as a result Pakistan became republic, it was
no more part of the British Empire and Iskander Mirza became the first president of Pakistan.
(iii) One-unit Scheme (1955)
M Ali Bogra suggested the one-unit scheme which was finally implemented in 1955, he suggested
that the four provinces of West Pakistan should merge to form one-unit, West Pakistan and for both
East and West Pakistan there would be equal number of seats in the national assembly. This idea
was developed to end the provincialism in Pakistan and promote the loyalty of being Pakistani, but
in reality, this scheme was adopted to undermine the greater majority of East Pakistanis (55%) by
giving them 50% seats in the national assembly, this Government scheme was one of the reasons for
resentments of East Pakistanis and in the later years it caused the separation of East from West
Pakistan.
(iv) Modernization Schemes
The Government focused on developing the villages and also developing industries in cities. Karachi
airport was inaugurated in 1955, railway system was modernized. Telephone and telegraph systems
were expanded throughout the country. Health and education programs were developed.
(v) Events leading to the 1st Martial Law
There was political instability in Pakistan and the lack of agreements between the President and the
successive PMs during 1955-58. Chaudhri Muhammad Ali was the first PM to give Pakistan its first
constitution in 1956, but he had to resign due to the political crisis within the ruling party and the
severe food shortages due to the flooding in East Pakistan. He was replaced by Hussain Shaheed
Suharwardy from East Pakistan; the new PM was dismissed in 1957 as he wanted a meaningful
degree of authority from Iskander Mirza.
Ibrahim Ismail Chandigarh was the next PM, but his cabinet couldn’t agree on the major issues like
One Unit Scheme, so he could hold the office just for six weeks and replaced by Feroz Khan Noon.
The new PM formed a large cabinet hoping for bringing all shades of opinion into the Government,
but he was unsuccessful, and dismissed by Mirza.
And Mirza took the final step by declaring Martial Law, abrogation of 1956 constitution, dissolution
of assemblies and the appointment of Ayub Khan as the Chief Martial Law Administrator (CMLA),
later Ayub was also appointed as PM.
Ayub Khan – 2nd President of Pakistan (1958-69)
Ayub Khan’s reforms and policies
(i) Economic reforms
A- Agricultural Reforms;
The most successful reforms of Ayub Khan’s government were the Green Revolution or the
agricultural reforms. His government imposed land Reforms and Land Holdings were set at minimum
12.5 acres and maximum 500 acres irrigated and 1000 acres un- irrigated, the surplus lands were
distributed among the poor farmers so they could cultivate crops with more interest and hence
increase agricultural production. Laws were also passed to protect the rights of the tenants who
were previously unjustly removed by the Landlords. Farm Mechanization policies were introduced
including distribution of High Yielding Varieties of seeds among farmers, encouragement for using

8
Fertilizers and setting up fertilizer industries, and providing farm Machineries. All these steps
increased the agricultural production in Pakistan. The Indus Basin Treaty was signed between India
and Pakistan and in this way, Pakistan got control over River Indus, Jhelum and Chenab. Pakistan
built its large dams of Tarbela, Warsak and Mangla with the aid of World Bank and partly by the
compensation by India. These dams made it possible to irrigate large agricultural lands and increase
agricultural production.
B- Industrial Reforms;
Ayub Khan’s Government also introduced polices for the Industrialization of Pakistan, his
Government encouraged foreign based finances and developments in the economy, for this purpose
foreign loans and aids were taken from the western countries. Technology was imported on the
large scale to boost industrialization, special policies like export bonus schemes were introduced to
encourage export and foreign earnings, further to promote industrial development taxes were
reduced and even tax holiday was introduced on a limited profit. Pakistan signed RCD with Iran and
Turkey to promote trilateral trade. The national Oil refinery was set up at Karachi to provide cheap
fuel for the economy, and the mineral development Corporation was set up to increase mineral
production in Pakistan.
(ii) Political Reforms;
A- Drafting the 2nd Constitution of Pakistan
The Constitutional development was another important reform of Ayub Khan. The Constitution of
1962 advocated presidential form of government with absolute powers vested in the President. The
President was the head of the state as well as the head of the Government. The President had the
powers to appoint Provincial Governors, Federal Ministers, and the head of Judiciary. As the
Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of Pakistan, the appointment of the chiefs of the forces
was also his duty. The Constitution of 1962 provided for a unicameral legislature. East and West
wings had equal number of seats in the legislature. Principle of Basic Democracy was introduced for
the first time in the country and the system of indirect elections was presented. The state was
named the Republic of Pakistan; The Advisory Council of Islamic Ideology was introduced whose job
was to recommend to the government ways and means to enable Muslims to live their lives
according to the teachings of Islam. To please the East Pakistanis, both Urdu and Bengali were made
the national languages of Pakistan, the President and the Speaker of the assembly had to be elected
either from East or West Pakistan, and the national assembly session would be held both at Dhaka
and Islamabad.
B- Basic Democracy and elections
Ayub Khan’s government introduced the system of indirect elections known as basic democracy.
There were four electoral levels, at the base people would elect the representatives at town or
village levels, the elected members would then elect members at district levels, the elected
members then would elect members at the division levels and these members then would elect
members at the provincial levels. Finally, all elected members known as basic democrats would elect
the president.
On the basis of basic democracy, elections were held in 1960 and 1965. In 1965 Miss Fatima Jinnah
contested the elections against Ayub Khan, opposition alliance Democratic Action committee (DAC)
supported Miss Fatima Jinnah but the results of the elections were in favour of Ayub Khan.
(iii) Social Reforms;
In the field of education, the Government set up new schools and colleges, new syllabus and text
books were published; this was done to increase the literacy rate. For the settlements of Indian
refugees, General Azam Khan was appointed as the Rehabilitation Minister and 75,000 refugees
were given homes at Karachi. Laws were passed to accommodate workers against a reasonable rent
by the owner of the factory. Family planning programmes were encouraged by the Government
sponsored aids through newspapers, cinema, and radio. The medical facilities were improved by
setting up new medical colleges and nursing homes.

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(iv) Foreign Policies; During Ayub Era Pakistan had friendly relations with USA, USSR
and China. The Indo-China war gave an opportunity to Pakistan to have friendly
relations with China. In 1963 the two countries signed trade agreements, and China
granted Pakistan interest free loan and became the largest buyer of Pakistani
cotton. China also supported the Pakistan’s policy of Kashmir. During the war of
1965 China provided Pakistan with military aid, although USA imposed arms
embargo on Pakistan and India during this war. The USSR had poor relations with
Pakistan during the U2 incident,but later in 1965 the agreements on trade and oil
exploration were signed between the two countries. In 1966 Soviets hosted the
peace agreement between Pakistan and India at Tashkent. Pakistan met in war
with India in 1965 that worsened the relations between the two countries. With
Iran and Turkey Pakistan had signed the trade agreement in 1964. Pakistan
supported Arabs during the Arab-Israel war in 1967. Relations with Afghanistan
remained hostile from 1961 to 1963; however, Afghanistan did not embarrass
Pakistan, while it was involved in war with India during 1965.
Decade of Developments
The era of Ayub Khan was marked as the decade of the progress
due to the advancements inagriculture, Industries, education and
the social sectors.
 The Green revolution was achieved by means of mechanized farming,
chemical fertilizers and sinkingof the tube wells. The signing of Indus
water treaty and construction of Warsak and Mangla dams increased
irrigation and thus agricultural production.
 Pakistan’s annual national growth rate during 1960’s reached to 7%
which was three times that ofIndia. Setting up National Oil refinery
at Karachi in 1962, signing RCD as the trade treaty with Iran and
Turkey and offering the Export Bonus Schemes as incentives to
industrialists were all the economic developments that boosted the
national growth rate.
 Ayub Khan also promoted education, law and population planning
programmes, 75, 000 Indian refugees were provided homes at
Karachi, Laws were passed to provide accommodation for the
workers at the reasonable rent. Population planning was
promoted on radio, cinema and newspapers, health facilities were
also improved.
Downfall of Ayub Khan
 One of the factors that caused unpopularity of Ayub Khan was the
Tashkent agreement signed between India and Pakistan after the war
of 1965, people of Pakistan regarded this agreement as humiliation
of nation as it did not contain any reference to the Kashmir issue, the
politicians including the then foreign Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto
disapproved the agreement, Bhutto resignedfrom his office in protest
and formed Pakistan People Party and started campaign against Ayub.
 The celebrations of decade of development by Ayub Khan’s
government in 1968 met with oppositionfrom the students and
politicians from all over Pakistan, as there was student protest all over
West Pakistan, even there was a failed assassination attempt on Ayub
in Peshawar. The political leaders including Bhutto and Sheikh Mujeeb
ur Rehman were arrested.
 Another factor that led to the decline of Ayub Khan, was the

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opposition by eight political parties thatformed an Alliance called
Democratic Action Committee (DAC), they demanded fresh elections as
they accused Ayub for rigging in the elections of 1965 in which he
defeated Fatima Jinnah the combined Presidential candidate from all
opposition parties, DAC also demanded lifting of emergency and
autonomy for East Pakistan. Ayub tried to calm the situation by
releasing the political leaders, but it was too late and he had to hand
over power to General Yahya Khan as MartialLaw Administrator in
1969

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