TOPIC 19 

Early years 1947 to 1958: 

Liaquat Ali Khan's contributions to the struggle for independence were

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, an introduction to future constitutions, in the
Legislative Assembly. The house passed it on March 12, 1949. Under his
leadership a team also drafted the first report of the Basic
Principle Committee and work began on the second report.  

During his tenure, India and Pakistan agreed to resolve the dispute
of Kashmir in a peaceful manner through the efforts of the United Nations.
According to this agreement a ceasefire was affected in Kashmir in
January 1948. It was decided that a free and impartial plebiscite would be
held under the supervision of the UN.  

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. The Liaquat-Nehru Pact was an effort on his part to improve
relations and reduce tension between India and Pakistan. In May 1951,
he visited the United States and set the course of Pakistan's foreign policy
towards closer ties with the West. An important event during his
premiership was the establishment of National Bank of Pakistan in
November 1949, and the installation of a paper currency mill in Karachi.  

Liaquat Ali Khan was unfortunately assassinated on October 16, 1951.

Security forces immediately shot the assassin, who was later identified
as Saad Akbar. 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.  

OBJECTIVE RESOLUTION 1949: 

On March 12, 1949, the Constituent Assembly adopted a resolution moved

by Liaquat Ali Khan, the then Prime Minister of Pakistan. It was called the
Objectives Resolution. It proclaimed that the future constitution of Pakistan
would not be modelled on European pattern, but on the ideology and
democratic faith of Islam.  

The Objectives Resolution, proclaimed the following principles:  

1. Sovereignty belongs to Allah alone. 

2. The State shall exercise its powers and authority through the chosen
representatives of the people.  

3. The principles of democracy, freedom, equality, tolerance and social

justice, as enunciated by Islam, shall be fully observed.  

4. Muslims shall be enabled to order their lives in the individual and

collective spheres in accordance with the teachings of Islam as set out in
the Holy Quran and Sunnah.  

5. Adequate provision shall be made for the minorities to freely profess and
practice their religions and develop their cultures.  

6. Pakistan shall be a federation.  

7. Fundamental rights shall be guaranteed.  

8. Judiciary shall be independent.  

The Objectives Resolution is one of the most important and illuminating

documents in the constitutional history of Pakistan. The importance of this
document lies in the fact that it combines the good features of Western and
Islamic democracy. It is a happy blend of modernism and Islam.  

Public and Representative Officer’s disqualification Act (PRODA): 

• It was an act for debarring of a government officer from public office for a

suitable period of time if he is judicially found guilty of misconduct in
public office or any representative capacity in any matter. 

• By this Act complaints could be made to the G.G or provincial Governors

who could order an enquiry by judges. 

• Anyone found guilty under PRODA was debarred from office. 

• The law was designed to eliminate corruption. 

One unit policy: 

• In November 1954, M. Ali Bogra had proposed that the 4 provinces and

10 princely states within Pakistan should be joined together to form
West Pakistan. 

• On 5th Oct 1955 Malik Ghulam Mohammad passed an order unifying all

of West Pakistan in what became known as One Unit Scheme. 

M.Ali Bogra said: “There will be no Bengalis, no Punjabis, no Sindhis,

no Pathans, no Balochis, no Bahawalpuris, and no Khairpuris. The
disappearance of these groups will strengthen the integrity of Pakistan”. 

Salient features of 1956 constitution: 

• Written Constitution  
• Rigid Constitution. 

• Islamic Republic of Pakistan  

• Objectives Resolution - The objective resolution was included as a

preamble of the constitution. 

• Federal System - The constitution provides for a federal system in the

country. Powers was divided between the centre and the
provinces.  

• Unicameral Legislature - The legislature would consist of a single

house.  

• Both the wings of the country were given representation in the National
Assembly.  

• Parliamentary System - a parliamentary system was adopted, according

to it the president was the head of state and the Prime Minister
the head of government. 

• The President - required to be a Muslim of at least forty years of age. 

• The Prime Minister - He was to be the leader of the Parliamentary

group  

• Provincial Autonomy - provided 

• Islamic Law - no law would be passed against the teachings of

the Quran and Sunnah. 

• Free Judiciary - An independent judiciary in the country. 

• Fundamental Rights - included freedom of movement, freedom of

speech and expression, freedom to choose profession and freedom
to profess religion. Right to life, liberty, and property. 

• Language - Urdu & Bengali 

Q.1: which of the following contributed the most to Pakistan’s domestic

policies: 

Liaqat Ali Khan 
Ayub Khan  

Zia ul Haq 

Explain your answer with reference to all three of the

above.                             June 2001 Q.4c 14 marks 

Q. 2: why was it so difficult to agree on a new constitution in

1950?               Nov. 2011 Q. 4 b 7 marks 

Q.3: Describe the constitutional crises of 1954-

55.                                                    June 2012 Q. 4 a 4marks 

Q.4: What was the ‘One

Unit’ Scheme?                                                                   June 2016 Q. 4 a
4 marks 

Q.5: Why was there a constitutional crisis between 1954 and

1955?                   Oct 2016 Q. 5 b 7 marks 

•Jinnah had died in 1948 and Khan Liaquat Ali Khan was assassinated in
1951.  

•The country was struggling to establish itself without these two figures.  

•The problems of running a new country were very difficult to overcome

and joint assets had not been shared.  

•There was a lack of stability which led to many different governments

being formed during these years.  

•In 1953 Nazimuddin’s government was dismissed and replaced

with Bogra who lacked experience.  

•An example was in the passing of the amendment to Government of India

Act in 1954 while Ghulam Muhammad was abroad to limit his powers
causing a crisis. When he returned he dissolved the Assembly and
declared a state of emergency stating that Bogra had lost the confidence
of the people.  

•This was challenged in court but Ghulam Muhammad prevailed.  

•The One Unit Policy was also unpopular, causing unrest.  

 

Q. 6: Which of the following contributed the most to Pakistan’s domestic

policies between 1948 and 1958? 

(i) Khwaja Nazimuddin 

(ii) Malik Ghulam Muhammad 

(iii) Iskander Mirza 

Explain your answer with reference to all three of the

above.                        June 2017 Q. 4 c 14marks 

Q. 7: why were there so many governments between 1951 to

1958?            June 2019 Q. 5 b 7 marks 

Sir Khawaja Nazimuddin: 

 
Sir Khawaja Nazimuddin (19 July 1894 – 22 October 1964) was a
conservative Pakistani politician and statesman .Born into
the Dhaka Nawab Family, Nazimuddin was educated at M.A.O. College and later at
the Trinity Hall, Cambridge.  
After the establishment of Pakistan, he became the second Governor-General of
Pakistan in 1948, following the death of Muhammad Ali Jinnah. After
the assassination of Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan in 1951, Nazimuddin assumed office
as the second Prime Minister of Pakistan.  He made Objectives Resolution in 1949. It
focussed on the principles of Islam and human rights. It was criticised from religious
leaders who wanted the new state to be more Islamic. He drafted a constitution, which
attracted much criticism as it was seen by many as being insufficiently Islamic. He kept
the economy going and produced surplus budgets for the new state. His government
lasted only two years, but saw civil unrest and foreign challenges that led to their final
dismissal.  
On 17 April 1953, Nazimuddin was dismissed and forced out of the government; he was
succeeded by another statesman from Bengal, the Bengali Muhammad Ali Bogra. After
a long illness, Nazimuddin died in 1964 at the age of 70, and was given a state funeral.
He is buried at Suhrawardy Udyan, in his hometown of Dhaka. 

Malik Sir Ghulam Muhammad: 

 
Malik Sir Ghulam Muhammad (20 April 1895 – 12 September 1956) was a
Pakistani civil servant who served as the third Governor-General of Pakistan from
October 1951 until his dismissal in August 1955. He previously served as the
country's first Finance Minister in the cabinet of Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan. 
Educated at Aligarh Muslim University, Ghulam Muhammad worked as a chartered
accountant before joining the Indian Railway Services as an auditor for India's Finance
Ministry. He opted for Pakistan following independence, and was appointed the new
country's first Finance Minister. He drafted Five-Year Plans for the economy in 1948,
but was unable to implement them due to lack of staff and sufficient materials. He also
organized the International Islamic Economic Conference held at Karachi from
November 26 to December 6, 1949, and called for forming a pan-Islamic economic
bloc of the Muslim countries. 
Appointed Governor-General by Prime Minister Khwaja Nazimuddin in 1951,
he handled unsuccessfully with the Kashmir dispute with India and unrest in East
Pakistan. Following anti-Ahmadi riots in Lahore in 1953, he declared martial law in the
city under Lieutenant General Azam Khan. After the army controlled the
riots, Ghulam Muhammad sacked Nazimuddin's government, helping Muhammad
Ali Bogra replace him as Prime Minister. When Bogra attempted to lessen the powers
of the Governor-General's office via parliament, Ghulam Muhammad dismissed
the Constituent Assembly as well in 1954. Affected by paralysis, he took a leave of illness
in 1955, and was himself dismissed by acting Governor-General Iskander Mirza. He died
in Lahore the following year. 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Iskander Ali Mirza:   

Iskander Ali Mirza, (13 November 1899 – 13 November 1969), was

the first President of Pakistan, serving from 1956 to 1958. Prior to that, Mirza was
the last Governor-General of Pakistan from 1955 to 1956. A great grandson
of Mir Jafar, Mirza was a British Indian army officer, having reached the higher
rank of major-general in Pakistani Military. 

After a brief period in the British Indian Army, Mirza joined the Indian Political
Service. He became the Joint Defence Secretary of India in 1946. After the
establishment of Pakistan in 1947, Prime minister Liaquat Ali Khan appointed
Mirza as the first Defence Secretary, one of the most important government
positions. He supervised the Indo-Pakistan war of 1947, and
the Balochistan conflict in 1948.Serious disorder and civil unrest sparked in East
Pakistan as a result of the Bengali Language Movement in 1952, prompting
Prime minister Khawaja Nazimuddin to appoint him as the Governor of the
province. He oversaw the success of the One Unit programme in East Pakistan
in 1954, and succeeded Malik Ghulam Muhammad as the governor general in
1955. After successfully promulgating the 1956 constitution, he became the first
president. His presidency saw great political instability, challenges in foreign
policy, and the ousting of four prime ministers in two years. He finally
imposed martial law in 1958 after suspending the constitution and dissolving
democratic institutions, including the Pakistan Parliament. Mirza has the
distinction of being the first to bring in military influence in national politics after
he appointed his army chief (Ayub) as chief martial law administrator of the
country. 

Problems with the Pakistan Armed Forces and the establishment escalated

after relations with the United States deteriorated. After only 20 days of martial
law, Chief Martial Law Administrator General Ayub Khan forced him out of the
presidency. He was exiled to London. Iskander Mirza was buried in Iran. 

 GOVERNMENTS during 1951 TO 1958: 

Just one year after the independence of Pakistan, Jinnah died on September 11,
1948, and Liaquat became the nation’s new leader. In 1951, three years after the
tragic death of the “Father of Pakistan,” Liaquat was assassinated
and Khawaja Nazimuddin came to power as the next Prime Minister and Ghulam
Muhammad became the governor-general. Later, in October 1953, due to
violence in relation to religious conflict between those of Islamic
and Ahmadiyya faith (a religion, contradictory to Islam) and efforts by the
assembly to limit his power, Governor-general Ghulam Muhammad declared a
state of emergency, dissolving the elected body of the Constituent Assembly.
Ghulam then appointed Muhammad Ali Bogra to be Prime Minister and formed a
new cabinet called “Ministry of Talents.” 

In 1955, Ghulam resigned as governor-general out of health concerns, and was

replaced by Major General Syed Iskander Ali Mirza. Mirza, feeling that Pakistan
was not ready for true democracy, dismissed Bogra and the national assembly
and replaced him with a new Prime Minister, Chaudhry Muhammad Ali. One of
Chaudhry’s major acts as Prime Minister was the Constitution of 1956 was
established, being the first Pakistani Constitution. The constitution set up a
parliamentary government with the Legislative Assembly replacing the
Constituent Assembly and the position governor-general became president. This
new constitution solved the issue of unequal representation and gave equal
seats to both East and West Pakistan in the Legislative Assembly.   

After a series of Prime Minister Power changes from 1956 to

1957, Malik FeroZ Khan Noon became the Prime Minister and was able to
stabilize the government and calm the political chaos. President Mirza, despite
his fame, felt threatened and declared martial law. Muhammad Ayub Khan
became chief martial law administrator and the constitution of 1956 was
suspended, democratic assemblies dissolved, upcoming elections cancelled, and
the Muslim League was disbanded. Mirza and Ayub Khan had power disputes
and in the end, Ayub Khan had Mirza arrested and named himself president. 

Liaquat–Nehru Pact 

The Liaquat–Nehru Pact or Delhi Pact was a bilateral treaty

between India and Pakistan, whereby refugees were allowed to return
unmolested to dispose off their property, abducted women and looted property
were to be returned, forced conversions were unrecognized, and minority rights
were confirmed. The treaty was signed in New Delhi by the Prime
Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru and the Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan on April 8,
1950. The treaty was the outcome of six days of talks sought to guarantee the
rights of minorities in both countries after the Partition of India and to avoid
another war between them. Minority commissions were set up in both countries.
More than one million refugees migrated from East Pakistan (now Bangladesh)
to West Bengal in Indias. 

Rawalpindi conspiracy 

The Rawalpindi Conspiracy (also known as the Rawalpindi Conspiracy Case)

was an attempted coup d'état against the government of Liaquat Ali Khan, the
first Prime Minister of Pakistan, in 1951. The conspiracy was the first of many
subsequent coup attempts against elected governments in the history of
Pakistan. The coup was planned by Major-General Akbar Khan, a senior
commander in the Pakistani army, in conjunction with other military officers and
left-wing Pakistani politicians.