Political History

Ayub Khan became the first Pakistani Commander-in-Chief in 1951. He later assumed political power in 1958.

The IJI was formed in 1988 as an alliance of parties opposed to the PPP. Nawaz Sharif emerged as its principal leader.

Iskander Mirza was the last Governor-General before the office was replaced by the presidency in 1956. He then became the first President.

The treaty was signed in September 1960 with World Bank mediation. It allocated the eastern and western rivers between the two countries.

Bhutto wrote this work while in prison awaiting execution. It presented his defence against the charges brought by the regime.

The operation at Lal Masjid in Islamabad was conducted in July 2007. It marked a turning point in Pakistan’s internal security situation.

The Geneva Accords were signed in April 1988. They provided for the withdrawal of Soviet forces from Afghanistan.

Pakistan left the Commonwealth in 1972 after several members recognised Bangladesh. It rejoined in 1989.

President Ayub Khan signed the treaty at Karachi in 1960. Jawaharlal Nehru signed on behalf of India.

Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain served as interim Prime Minister for about seven weeks in 2004. He held office between Jamali’s resignation and Shaukat Aziz’s appointment.

Bogra was appointed Prime Minister in April 1953 while serving as ambassador to the United States. He presented a constitutional formula in the same year.

Liaquat Ali Khan was assassinated on 16 October 1951 at Company Bagh, Rawalpindi. The park was later renamed Liaquat Bagh.

Operation Gibraltar was launched in 1965 in Indian-administered Kashmir. It contributed to the outbreak of full-scale war.

The surrender took place on 16 December 1971 at Dacca. Bangladesh emerged as an independent state.

The MRD was formed in February 1981 by opposition parties against Zia’s rule. Its 1983 agitation was strongest in interior Sindh.

The Hudood Ordinances were introduced in February 1979. They covered offences relating to theft, zina, qazf and prohibition.

Ghulam Muhammad became Governor-General after Liaquat Ali Khan’s assassination. He dismissed a Prime Minister and dissolved the Constituent Assembly during his tenure.

Operation Searchlight was launched on 25 March 1971. It marked the beginning of the civil conflict in East Pakistan.

Suhrawardy was Prime Minister from September 1956 to October 1957. He belonged to the Awami League and was a prominent Bengali leader.

CPEC agreements were signed during the Chinese President’s visit to Pakistan in April 2015. It forms part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

Rawalpindi functioned as the interim capital during the 1960s. Government offices moved to Islamabad as construction progressed.

I.I. Chundrigar held office for about two months in late 1957. His tenure was the briefest of the pre-1958 period.

Pakistan received the Indus, Jhelum and Chenab, while India received the Ravi, Beas and Sutlej. Link canals were built to compensate for the transfer.

The inquiry was conducted by Justice Muhammad Munir and Justice M.R. Kayani. Their report examined the causes of the disturbances in detail.

General elections were held on 8 February 2024. They were followed by the formation of a coalition government.

Operation Zarb-e-Azb was launched in June 2014 in North Waziristan. It targeted militant networks operating in the tribal areas.

Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry was suspended in March 2007. The resulting lawyers’ movement became a major challenge to Musharraf’s rule.

The assassination took place in October 1951. His death removed the country’s most experienced political leader early in its history.

The case involved army officers and left-wing figures accused of planning a coup. Poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz was among those tried.

The July 1977 coup was carried out under the codename Operation Fair Play. Zia promised elections within ninety days, which were not held.

He became the first Pakistani Prime Minister removed through a successful no-confidence vote. Shehbaz Sharif was elected in his place.

Benazir Bhutto took office in December 1988 following the general elections. She was the first woman to head the government of a Muslim-majority country.

The party was founded in 1984 as the Muhajir Qaumi Movement in Karachi. It was renamed Muttahida Qaumi Movement in 1997.

Bhutto was executed on 4 April 1979 following a murder conviction. The trial and sentence remain highly contested.

Pakistan aligned with the United States after the attacks of 11 September 2001. The decision reshaped its foreign and security policy.

Pakistan joined the Southeast Asia Treaty Organisation in September 1954. Membership aligned Pakistan with the Western bloc during the Cold War.

Pakistan rejoined the Commonwealth in 1989 during Benazir Bhutto’s first government. It had left in 1972 over the recognition of Bangladesh.

The tribunal tried NAP leaders including Wali Khan on charges relating to alleged anti-state activities. Proceedings were terminated after the 1977 coup.

The PNA brought together nine opposition parties to contest the 1977 elections. It launched a mass agitation alleging electoral rigging.

Bhutto served as President from December 1971 and became Prime Minister when the 1973 Constitution took effect. The presidency then became largely ceremonial.

Mamnoon Hussain was President from September 2013 to September 2018. He was succeeded by Arif Alvi.

The PPP’s landslide was rejected by the opposition as fraudulent. Sustained protests led to the July 1977 coup.

President Farooq Leghari dismissed her government in November 1996. Elections in February 1997 returned Nawaz Sharif with a large majority.

Jamali became Prime Minister in November 2002 following the general elections of that year. He resigned in June 2004.

National Assemblies were dissolved in 1988, 1990, 1993 and 1996 under Article 58(2)(b). This pattern of instability shaped the politics of the decade.

The Supreme Court disqualified Nawaz Sharif in July 2017 in the Panama Papers case. Shahid Khaqan Abbasi succeeded him.

Moeen Qureshi headed the caretaker government between July and October 1993. He had previously worked at the World Bank.

Her autobiography Daughter of the East was published in 1988. She later wrote Reconciliation, published after her death.

The MMA was formed in 2002 as a coalition of religious parties. It formed the provincial government in NWFP after the 2002 elections.

Gillani took office in March 2008 following the general elections. He was disqualified by the Supreme Court in June 2012.

Wasim Sajjad, as Senate Chairman, served as acting President on two occasions in the 1990s. He held office between the resignations of elected presidents.

The Supreme Court convicted him of contempt for refusing to write to Swiss authorities. He was consequently disqualified from holding office.

Soviet forces entered Afghanistan in December 1979. Pakistan became a frontline state and a major recipient of Western assistance.

Jinnah served as the first Governor-General from August 1947 until his death in September 1948. He simultaneously presided over the Constituent Assembly.

Yahya Khan took over as President and Chief Martial Law Administrator in March 1969. He remained in office until December 1971.

The government marked 1958 to 1968 as a Decade of Development, citing high growth rates. Critics argued the gains were unevenly distributed.

Bhutto published The Myth of Independence in 1969. It argued for a more independent foreign policy.

Ghulam Ishaq Khan was President from 1988 until his resignation in 1993. He dismissed two elected governments during his tenure.

Feroz Khan Noon was Prime Minister when martial law was imposed in October 1958. His government was dismissed along with the Constitution.

The assassination took place on 27 December 2007. General elections were postponed and held in February 2008.

Imran Khan founded the PTI in 1996. It won only limited representation before its breakthrough in 2013.

The PNA campaign centred on the demand for Nizam-e-Mustafa, an Islamic system of governance. The agitation contributed to the imposition of martial law.

The Organisation of the Islamic Conference summit was held at Lahore in February 1974. It was a major diplomatic achievement for Bhutto’s government.

The Kargil conflict occurred in mid-1999 in the Kargil sector of Kashmir. It severely strained relations between the civilian government and the military.

Khawaja Nazimuddin succeeded Jinnah as Governor-General in September 1948. He later became Prime Minister in 1951.

The pact was signed in April 1950 to safeguard minority communities following communal violence. It aimed to reduce cross-border migration.

Students were killed in police firing at Dacca on 21 February 1952 during protests over language policy. The date is now observed internationally as Mother Language Day.

The National Action Plan was adopted after the Army Public School attack in Peshawar. It set out twenty points for countering terrorism.

The 1959 reforms set a ceiling of 500 acres of irrigated land and 1000 acres of unirrigated land. Numerous exemptions limited their practical effect.

Musharraf resigned in August 2008 in the face of impeachment proceedings. Asif Ali Zardari succeeded him as President.

The Tashkent Declaration was signed in January 1966 following the 1965 war. Soviet mediation brought the two sides together.

Pakistan joined the Baghdad Pact in 1955. It was renamed the Central Treaty Organisation after Iraq’s withdrawal in 1959.

Nawaz Sharif returned to office in February 1997 with a two-thirds majority. His government passed the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments.

The Zakat and Ushr Ordinance was issued in 1980 as part of the Islamisation programme. It provided for compulsory deduction of zakat from certain accounts.

The First Five Year Plan ran from 1955 to 1960. Its implementation was affected by political instability of the period.

Youm-e-Takbir is observed on 28 May each year. It marks Pakistan’s emergence as a declared nuclear power.

Shehbaz Sharif was elected Prime Minister in April 2022 after the no-confidence vote against Imran Khan. He returned to the office in March 2024.

Zardari served from 2008 to 2013 and again from March 2024. No earlier President had returned to the office after a break.

Banking and insurance were nationalised in 1974 as part of Bhutto’s economic programme. Earlier nationalisation in 1972 had covered major industries.

NAB was established in 1999 under the Musharraf government. It was tasked with investigating corruption cases.

Bhutto was hanged at Rawalpindi District Jail in April 1979. He was buried at Garhi Khuda Bakhsh in Sindh.

The Awami League won about 160 general seats, all from East Pakistan. This gave it an absolute majority in the National Assembly.

The agreement committed both countries to resolve differences through bilateral negotiation. It also established the Line of Control.

The PPP campaigned on the slogan of bread, clothing and shelter. It appealed strongly to workers and peasants in West Pakistan.

Ayub Khan became President in October 1958 after removing Iskander Mirza. He ruled until March 1969.

The 1965 war arose from the dispute over Jammu and Kashmir. Major fighting took place along the Punjab and Kashmir fronts.

Benazir Bhutto was assassinated at Liaquat Bagh, Rawalpindi, in December 2007. Her death occurred during an election campaign rally.

Musharraf styled himself Chief Executive rather than Chief Martial Law Administrator. He assumed the presidency in June 2001.

The Republican Party was created in 1956 largely with official encouragement. It served as a governing vehicle in West Pakistan.

In Syed Zafar Ali Shah v. Pervez Musharraf (2000) the Supreme Court validated the takeover. It granted a three-year period for restoring democracy.

The United Front contested the 1954 elections on a Twenty-One Point programme. It demanded autonomy and recognition of Bengali as a state language.

Pakistan conducted nuclear tests at Chagai in Balochistan in May 1998. The tests followed India’s tests earlier that month.

Fatima Jinnah is honoured as Madar-e-Millat, meaning Mother of the Nation. She contested the 1965 presidential election against Ayub Khan.

Faiz Ahmed Faiz was arrested and tried in connection with the 1951 case. He wrote some of his best-known poetry during imprisonment.

The local government system under the Devolution of Power Plan came into effect in August 2001. It created elected district, tehsil and union councils.

Bhutto convened scientists at Multan in January 1972 to advance the nuclear programme. India’s 1974 test gave the effort further urgency.

Asif Ali Zardari assumed the presidency in March 2024 for a second, non-consecutive term. He had earlier served as President from 2008 to 2013.

Indian Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri signed the declaration and died in Tashkent shortly afterwards. Soviet Premier Kosygin acted as mediator.

Farooq Leghari was elected President in November 1993. He dismissed Benazir Bhutto’s second government in 1996.

He is known as Quaid-e-Millat and also as Shaheed-e-Millat after his assassination. He served as Pakistan’s first Prime Minister.

Ghulam Ishaq Khan, then Chairman of the Senate, became acting President. He was later elected President in December 1988.

The deadlock of 1993 was resolved when both office-holders stepped down under an arrangement brokered by the army chief. Moeen Qureshi headed the caretaker government that followed.

Shehbaz Sharif became Prime Minister in March 2024 following the general elections. He had earlier held the office from April 2022 to August 2023.

The 1972 Simla Agreement converted the former ceasefire line into the Line of Control. Both sides undertook to respect it without prejudice to their positions.

President Ghulam Ishaq Khan dismissed her government in August 1990 using Article 58(2)(b). Fresh elections were held in October 1990.

The 2008-2013 assembly was the first in Pakistan’s history to complete a full five-year term. Power then passed peacefully to another elected government.

Pakistan became a republic when the 1956 Constitution came into force. The office of Governor-General was replaced by that of President.

Quaid-e-Azam inaugurated the State Bank of Pakistan on 1 July 1948. It was among his last major public engagements.

The Thirteenth Amendment of 1997 removed the President’s dissolution power. The Seventeenth Amendment later restored it in modified form.

The decision to build Islamabad was taken during Ayub Khan’s presidency in 1960. Rawalpindi served as the interim capital during construction.

Polling for the National Assembly took place in December 1970. Provincial elections followed shortly afterwards.

Raja Pervaiz Ashraf became Prime Minister in June 2012 after Gillani’s disqualification. He served until the 2013 elections.

Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar headed the caretaker government formed in August 2023. He held office until the February 2024 general elections.

Khawaja Nazimuddin moved from Governor-General to Prime Minister in October 1951. Ghulam Muhammad became Governor-General in his place.

Musharraf assumed power on 12 October 1999 after the dismissal of Nawaz Sharif. He initially took the title of Chief Executive.

The attack took place on 16 December 2014 and killed many students and staff. It prompted the National Action Plan and the Twenty-first Amendment.

Shahid Khaqan Abbasi served as Prime Minister from August 2017 until the 2018 elections. He belonged to the PML(N).

Shaukat Aziz was Prime Minister from August 2004 to November 2007. He had earlier served as Finance Minister.

The Lahore Declaration was signed in February 1999 by Nawaz Sharif and Atal Bihari Vajpayee. It sought to reduce nuclear risk and improve relations.

Junejo became Prime Minister after the non-party elections of 1985. He was dismissed by Zia-ul-Haq in May 1988.

The United Front swept the East Bengal elections in March 1954. The Muslim League was reduced to a handful of seats.

Bhutto released Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in January 1972. He returned to Dacca to lead the new state of Bangladesh.

Nawaz Sharif formed his first government in November 1990 as head of the Islami Jamhoori Ittehad. His term ended in 1993.

Musharraf declared an emergency on 3 November 2007 and suspended the Constitution. Numerous superior court judges were removed from office.

Ghulam Muhammad dismissed Nazimuddin in April 1953 despite his majority in the Assembly. The dismissal set a precedent for executive dominance over Parliament.

The party was founded at Dacca in 1949 as an opposition platform in East Bengal. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman later became its leader.

The CDNS was set up in January 1997 and disbanded within months. Its brief existence reflected debates over the military’s institutional role.

The aircraft crashed shortly after take-off from Bahawalpur on 17 August 1988. Several senior officers and the US ambassador also died.

Bhutto broke with Ayub Khan over the terms agreed at Tashkent. He founded the Pakistan People’s Party the following year.

Pakistan’s first constitution was adopted during his premiership in March 1956. He resigned later in 1956 amid party disagreements.

Arif Alvi was President from September 2018 to March 2024. He was a founding member of the PTI.

Zia-ul-Haq died in a plane crash in August 1988. His rule lasted just over eleven years.

The bill proposed making Shariah the supreme law of Pakistan. It passed the National Assembly but was not approved by the Senate.

Ayub Khan’s political autobiography was published in 1967. It set out his views on Pakistan’s domestic politics and foreign relations.

The NAP-led provincial government was dismissed in February 1973. The dismissal triggered a prolonged insurgency in Balochistan.

Serious disturbances broke out in Punjab in 1953, prompting limited martial law in Lahore. It was Pakistan’s first use of martial law in a city.

Zia used the discretionary power introduced by the Eighth Amendment to dissolve the Assembly. The dismissal was later held unlawful by the courts, though elections proceeded.

Imran Khan took office in August 2018 following the general elections. He led a coalition government headed by the PTI.

The Seventeenth Amendment of 2003 incorporated most LFO provisions into the Constitution. It restored the President’s power to dissolve the National Assembly.

Pakistan recognised Bangladesh in February 1974, shortly before the Lahore Islamic Summit. The recognition enabled Bangladesh’s participation in the summit.