SIR ADNAN QURESHI PAKISTAN STUDIES-HISTORY-CHAPTER 12_______________________

CHAPTER 12: HOW DID PAKISTAN ACHIEVE STABILITY FOLLOWING THE DEATH OF JINNAH?

Timeline of the Chapter:

11th September 1948: Pakistan’s first Governor General Mohammad Ali Jinnah died with
tuberculosis.

14th September 1948: Khwaja Nazimuddin became the 2nd Governor General.

7th March 1949: Basic Principles Committee was formed by Khwaja Nazimuddin on the request
of Liaquat Ali Khan to draft the first Constitution of Pakistan.

12th March 1949: Basic Principles Committee had 25 members of Constituent Assembly gave
their proposals with the name of Objective Resolution.

16th October 1951: Khan Liaquat Ali Khan was martyred at Liaquat Bagh at Rawalpindi. He was
given the title of Shaheed-e-Millat.

17th October 1951: Ghulam Muhammad became the 3rd Governor General persuading Khwaja
Nazimuddin to be the 2nd Prime Minister as it was a more prominent designation.

22nd December 1952: Under Khwaja Nazimuddin as the Prime Minister, the Basic Principles
Committee gave suggestions altering its points given in 1950.

17th April 1953: Khwaja Nazimuddin was dismissed by Ghulam Muhammad on the charges of
political chaos and food shortages in East Pakistan that caused many deaths.

17th April 1953: Mohammad Ali Bogra, the Pakistan Ambassador to US was made the 3rd Prime
Minister of Pakistan. Bogra brought US aid to Pakistan as he was a trusted ambassador when
Pakistan.

21 September 1954: Mohammad Ali Bogra tried to minimize the power of the Governor
General, Ghulam Muhammad when he was abroad. The Constituent Assembly tried to minimize
the power of the Governor General. Ghulam Muhammad was not happy upon his return and
dismissed Bogra.

1954: Ghulam Muhammad selected five non cabinet members including the Commander-in-
Chief of the Army, General Ayub Khan. Upon the pressure of his cabinet and foreign donors,
Mohammad Ali Bogra was re-appointed as the Prime Minister.

21st June 1955: Elections were held for the new Constitution Assembly. Muslim League had lost
its vote bank in East Pakistan.

7th August 1955: Ghulam Muhammad fell ill. He was replaced by Major General Iskander Mirza
as 3rd Governor General of Pakistan.
November 1954: Mohammad Ali Bogra initiated One Unit Scheme which was approved by
Iskander Mirza on 5th October 1955. It stated that all five provinces and 10 princely states
would be considered as West and East wings of Pakistan with equal number of seats.

12th August 1955: Iskander Mirza dismissed Mohammad Ali Bogra as Prime Minister and he was
sent to US as ambassador from Pakistan. Mohammad Ali, the Finance Minister was appointed
as the new Prime Minister.

29th February 1956: the first constitution of Pakistan was adopted and was enforced on 23rd
March 1956. Iskander Mirza became the 1st President in March 1956. It was mainly a
compromise between the Muslim League and the United Front. The United Front dropped their
demand of having equal seats in the Assembly and Bengali was taken as the official Language
with Urdu.

12th September 1956: PM Rehmat Ali resigned after the severe weather and political situation
in East Pakistan. He was replaced by Hussain Shaheed Suharwardy.

September 1957: H.S. Suharwardy was asked to resign by Iskander Mirza in October 1957 on
the issue of his disagreements of One Unit Scheme.

18th October 1957: Iskander Mirza appointed Ibrahim Ismail Chandigarh as the 6th Prime
Minister. He as an interim Prime Minister could not hold the government and resigned
voluntarily.

December 1957: Feroze Khan Noon was appointed as the 7th Prime Minister by Iskandar Mirza.
He had a huge cabinet of 26 members out of 80 members. The government was in severe
condition of politics and drought conditions.

7th October 1958: Iskander Mirza was expecting a challenge in the upcoming Presidential
Elections in 1959. He declared Martial Law and made Commander-in-Chief, General Ayub Khan
as his new Prime Minister.

24th October 1958: Ayub Khan exiled Iskander Mirza to London after his resignation.

27th October 1958: Chief Justice Munir declared the actions of Iskander Mirza and Ayub Khan
as legal. Ayub Kahn became the Chief Martial Law Administrator (CMLA).

26th October 1959: Ayub Khan introduced Basic Democracies Order (BD) a four-tier system.

The major problems faced by Ayub Khan in his tenure were Indo-Pak War 1965, Presidential
Elections of 2nd January 1965 in which Miss Fatima Jinnah was defeated and he faced serious
opposition and his decision for having no political activity for a long time.

Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, the Foreign Minister of Ayub Khan resigned in 1966 and became an
important political figure and started his own political party in 1967 with the name of Pakistan
People’s Party. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto gathered the support of masses under Islamic Socialism.
17th March 1969: Ayub Khan declared Second Martial law.

25th March 1969: Ayub Khan resigned.

25th March 1969: General Yahya Khan, the Commander-in-Chief of the army became the next
Chief Martial Law Administrator and then became the President. He gave LFO (Legal
Framework Order).

12th November 1970: Bhola Cyclone struck East Bengal resulting in many casualties.

7th December 1970: Elections were held in East and West Pakistan for 313 seats. Sheikh
Mujeeb-ur-Rehman took the lead in East Pakistan with Awami League and Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto
took lead in West Pakistan with Pakistan People’s Party.

PRE-MILITARY ERA (1947-58)

LIAQUAT ALI KHAN: (August 1947-October 1951):

The first Prime Minister of Pakistan came to power from 14th August 1947 till 16th October
1951. Despite of the fact that Liaquat Ali Khan worked really hard for the establishment of a
smoother government.

Domestic Reforms:

 An important event during his premiership was the establishment of National Bank in
November 1949, and the installation of a paper currency mill in Karachi. Pakistan Security
Press was established in Karachi.
 He established Sindh University and gave educational policy of Pakistan.
 In March 1949, Basic Principles’ Committee was made which had 25 members of
Constituent Assembly. It gave their proposals with the name of ‘Aims and Objects of
Pakistan’ or the Objective Resolution.
 The Objective Resolution aimed to draft the first constitution of Pakistan in accordance to
Islamic Law. The Committee suggested points which were refused by the Ulemas and other
groups. East Pakistanis had apprehensions for not considering Bengali as the official
Language in the constitution.
 Along with his Finance Minister, he gave the Six Year Economic Plan to boost economy and
established trade for Pakistan. A planning Commission was made in 1950.
 He declared Karachi as the capital and made government houses and offices for establishing
smooth government.

Foreign Policy:
 Pakistan joined the United Nations on 1st September 1947 to get more trade, solve the
issue of Kashmir and to get aid to solve matters of economy.
 LAK and Jawaharlal Lal Nehru signed Ceasefire Papers which was effected in Kashmir on 1st
January 1949. It was decided that a free and impartial plebiscite would be held under the
supervision of the UN.
 A visa system between India and Pakistan was started to ensure peaceful movement of the
refugees. Liaquat-Nehru Pact was signed with Jawaharlal Nehru on 8th April 1950.
 LAK had a visit to the United States in September 1950 and developed relations with
capitalist countries. The invitation from Former USSR was denied for its Communist
influence. It also helped Pakistan is developing relations with other western countries.

Rawalpindi Conspiracy:

Ali Khan's relation with General Sir Douglas Gracey deteriorated. In January 1951, Ali Khan
approved the appointment of General Ayub Khan as the first native Commander-in-Chief of the
Pakistan Army after General Gracey retired. During this time the socialists gained a significant
amount of support on the matter of LAK’s visit to the US. A secret mission was planned by
senior military leaders to overthrow the government of Ali Khan. The media reported the
involvement of Chief of General Staff Major-General Akbar Khan leading the coup. The Military
Police launched massive arrests inside the military services, more than 14 officers were charged
for plotting the coup who were tried in secret and given lengthy jail sentences.

Liaquat Ali Khan’s Assassination:

Liaquat Ali Khan was assassinated o 16th October 1951 at Liaquat Bagh, Rawalpindi by an
Afghan national, Saad Akber who was killed by a police officer on the spot. Many conspiracies
were developed at LAK’s assassination.

KHWAJA NAZIMUDDIN: (September 1948-October 1951) and (October 1951-April 1953)

Khwaja Nazimuddin was the President of Muslim League after Jinnah left the designation on
14th August 1947. He became the acting Governor General when Jinnah was unwell and also
became the Second Governor General of Pakistan after Jinnah’s death in September 1948 and
extended his full support to Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan.

He took up the job of Second Prime Minister of Pakistan after Liaquat Ali Khan’s assassination in
October 1951.
Domestic/ Constitutional Reforms:

 In 1949, Governor-General Nazimuddin established the parliamentary committee, the Basic

Principles’ Committee, on the advice of Prime Minister Ali Khan to underlying basic
principles that would lay foundation of Constitution of Pakistan.
 In 1951, Prime Minister Nazimuddin's government conducted the country's first nationwide
Census.
 The Second draft of the Basic Principles’ Committee was finalized by Prime Minister Liaquat
Khwaja Nazimuddin in 1952 which also faced serious disagreements on the issue of
declaring Ahmedis as Non-Muslims and dismissal of Zafarullah Khan, the Foreign Minister.
 In January 1952, Prime Minister Nazimuddin publicly announced in Dacca's meeting that
Urdu must be the official language of Pakistan. On 21st February 1952, a demonstration in
the Bengali Language Movement demanding equal and official status to the Bengali
language turned bloody, with many fatalities caused by police firings.

Foreign Policy:

 Pakistan became the non-permanent member of United Nations’ Security Council in 1952-
53 for the first time and started to play its role in international peace.
 Pakistan received a loan of 100 million tons of wheat at the time of droughts from the
United States during 1951-53.

Dismissal of Nazimuddin:

There were food crisis and shortage of food in East Pakistan which added problems for the
government. The Constitutional issues over Bengali language became another reason. Malik
Ghulam Mohammad, the third Governor General of Pakistan dismissed Nazimuddin on 17 th
April 1953 and called for Mohammad Ali Bogra, as the third Prime Minister who was serving as
the Pakistani Ambassador to the United States.

MALIK GHULAM MOHAMMAD: (17th October 1951-7th August 1955)

Malik Ghulam Mohammad had been serving as the Finance Minister of Pakistan from 14 th
August 1947 and had great contributions at the time of Liaquat Ali Khan. He served as the third
Governor General of the country after the post was emptied by Nazimuddin.
Domestic/ Political Reforms:

 In 1952, a major Jute Processing Plant was also set up at Naryanganj in East Pakistan to
develop its processing and trade.
 He worked for mineral exploration in Pakistan. In 1952, Sui gas was discovered in
Balochistan which gave a big boost to the economy.
 He started the first Five Year Plan (1955-60) and focused on many industries including jute
processing, cotton textile and sugar production.
 Elections were held for the new Constitution Assembly on 21st June 1955. Muslim League
had lost its vote bank in East Pakistan.
 Ghulam Mohammad made a five-member cabinet including General Iskander Mirza.
 He had to expel Zafarullah Khan (Foreign Minister) being an Ahmadi as there was a
campaign against him. He also dismissed two Prime Ministers, Khwaja Nazimuddin in April
1953 and had tough political ties with PM Mohammad Ali Bogra.

Foreign Policy:

 Pakistan joined Mutual Defence Assistance programme with the United States in May 1954
and got training and military aid from to develop its army.
 Pakistan joined SEATO (South East Asian Treaty Organization) in 1954 and CENTO (Central
Treaty Organization) in 1955 which gave immense support to its relations with other
countries and to come out of Soviet influence.
 Pakistan received a loan of 100 million tons of wheat at the time of droughts from the
United States during 1951-53.
 Pakistan received aid of military aircrafts from the United States in 1954.

Maulvi Tamizuddin Case:

In 1954, Governor General Ghulam Muhammad dissolved the Constituent Assembly of

Pakistan. Maulvi Tamizuddin Khan, the President of the Constituent Assembly challenged the
Governor General's actions in the Sindh High Court. In 1955, the Federal Court led by Chief
Justice Muhammad Munir ruled in support of the Governor General. The court suspended the
decision of the High Court and held the Governor General, and not the Constituent Assembly,
to be the sovereign authority. Mohammad Ali Bogra was dismissed and replaced by Chaudhri
Mohammad Ali.

7th August 1955: Ghulam Muhammad fell ill. He was replaced by Major General Iskander
Mirza as 3rd Governor General of Pakistan.
1. MOHAMMAD ALI BOGRA: (17th April 1953-12th August 1955):

Mohammad Ali Bogra was a prominent Bengali leader who had great importance in the politics
of the country. He was selected as the third Prime Minister of Pakistan by Ghulam Mohammad
while he was a bureaucrat and was serving in the U.S as Ambassador after serving many
countries. He became very famous for his One Unit Scheme.

Domestic/ Constitutional Reforms:

 In November 1954, initiated One Unit Scheme which was approved by Iskander Mirza on
5th October 1955. It stated that all five provinces and 10 princely states would be
considered as West and East wings of Pakistan. It was passed in order to unify the various
nations however, East Pakistan had faced more disturbance due to it. West Pakistan was
taken as one province on 14th October 1955.
 Bogra made a cabinet which was known as "Ministry of Talents." It included General Ayub
Khan, the Army Commander, as the Defence Minister and Major-General (retired) Iskander
Ali Mirza as Interior Minister.
 There were a lot many political crisis in East Pakistan during Bogra’s time.

Foreign Policy:

 In 1955, Prime Minister Bogra led Pakistan to attend the Bandung Conference in Indonesia
in 1955, which saw the first high-level contact between China and Pakistan.
 Pakistan joined SEATO in 1954 and CENTO in 1955.

Dismissal of Bogra:

Bogra was dismissed by Malik Ghulam Mohammad but remained as a care-taker Prime Minister
for eight months. After the Elections of June 1955, new Prime Minister Mohammad Ali came to
power and Bogra flew to the U.S in August 1955 and continued his job as the Ambassador.

GENERAL ISKANDER MIRZA: (7th August 1955-27th October 1958)

General Iskander Mirza had been a prominent figure as a bureaucrat from the time of Malik
Ghulam Mohammad. He served at several positions for Pakistan and finally when Malik Ghulam
Mohammad fell ill on 7th August 1955, he came the fourth Governor General of the country.
Domestic/Constitutional Reforms:

 One Unit Scheme which was approved by Iskander Mirza on 5th October 1955. It stated
that all five provinces and 10 princely states would be considered as West and East wings of
Pakistan. It served to minimize the agitation and political disorder in East Pakistan.

 On 29th February 1956, the first Constitution of Pakistan was adopted and was enforced on
23rd March 1956. Iskander Mirza became the 1st President in March 1956. It was mainly a
compromise between the Muslim League and the United Front. The United Front dropped
their demand of having equal seats in the Assembly and Bengali was taken as the official
Language with Urdu. It provided for a unicameral (single-chamber) National Assembly with
300 seats, evenly divided between East and West Pakistan.

 He started Pakistan Telecommunication Authority and expanded Telephone system.

 He also completed Karachi Airport Building in 1955.
 After a delay, Pakistan started its first economic Five Year Plan 1955-60 in his tenure.

Political Disorder during Mirza’s time:

 During Iskander Mirza’s time, four Prime Ministers were changed and the country was in
extreme perplexed condition on the continuity of democracy.
 In August 1955, Mohammad Ali Bogra was dismissed by Mirza who took the case to the
High Court and later he was replaced by Mohammad Ali, the Finance Minister of Pakistan at
that time.
 In September 1956, Mohammad Ali was unable to retain his majority after bad political
condition and severe weather conditions in East Pakistan and he was replaced by a Bengali
man, Hussain Shaheed Suharwardy.
 In October 1957, H.S.Suharwardy was dismissed when Mirza discovered that the Prime
Minister was planning to support Feroz Khan Noon, leader of the Republican Party, for the
Presidency in the country’s first general elections, scheduled for January 1959. Mirza
replaced Suharwardy with Ismail Ibrahim Chundrigar as the 6th PM.
 In December 1957, the interim PM, I.I.Chundrigar resigned voluntarily as he was unable to
sustain his position due to tough political protests. He was replaced by Feroze Khan Noon as
the 7th Prime Minister.
 In October 1958, Iskander Mirza was facing agitation from political parties. He was expected
to be defeated in the Presidential Elections of 1959. Therefore, on 7th October 1958,
General Iskander Mirza imposed Martial Law in the country by making the Commander-in-
Chief, General Ayub Khan as the new Prime Minister.
Foreign Policy of Iskander Mirza:

 In 1954–56, the United States and Pakistan signed the Mutual Defense Assistance
Agreement which saw the dispatching of the Military Assistance Advisory Group to provide
military training to the Pakistan Armed Forces in 1955–56.
 In 1956, on the matter of Suez Canal issue between Egypt and the European powers, the
United Kingdom and France, Pakistan supported Muslim country Egypt which annoyed the
UK.
 After becoming Islamic Republic in 1956, Pakistan came out of British colonial power and
later joined the Commonwealth Group for better trade and financial assistance.

Dismissal and Exile of Mirza:

 Mirza wanted to continue as the President by winning January 1959 Elections however, his
political fame was declining. He decided to continue in Martial Law therefore the
assemblies were dissolved and PM Feroze Khan Noon was dismissed on 7th October 1958.
Mirza announced Ayub Khan as his Prime Minister. After 20 days, on 27th October 1958,
General Ayub dismissed and made Iskander Mirza exile to London and took over as the
first Chief Martial Law Administrator of Pakistan. Ayub also abandoned the 1956
Constitution.

FIRST MILITARY ERA (1958-71)

FIELD MARSHAL GENERAL AYUB KHAN: (27th October 1958-25th March 1969)

General Ayub Khan was chosen by Liaquat Ali Khan as the Senior Commander of Pakistan Army
over Douglas Gracey in January 1951. From that time, he had great importance in the armed
forces. PM Bogra made him the Defence Minister in his rule and finally he was called in by
Mirza as the Martial Law Administrator in 1958.

DOMESTIC POLICIES:

a. Political/ Constitutional:

 Basic Democratic System: On 26th October 1959, Ayub Khan introduced Basic Democracies
Order (BD) a four-tier system of governance in which the local bodies were made strong and
the country was divided into 80,000 town councils or tehseels. Each Village Council had a
Basic Democrat on 1000 to 1200 people. All funds were given to that BD for basic
development. The Village Council would choose Sub-District members, who would elect
District and divisional members respectively. Later 80,000 Constituencies were further
divided into 1,20,000 Constituencies.
 Elected Bodies Disqualification Act: Ayub Khan gave the act in August 1959. The Elective
Bodies Disqualification Order (EBDO) authorized special tribunals to try former politicians
for "misconduct," an infraction not clearly defined. Prosecution could be avoided if the
accused agreed not to be a candidate for any elective body for a period of seven years.
About 7,000 individuals were "EBDOed." Some people, including Suhrawardy, who was
arrested, fought prosecution. It was abolished in December 1966.

 Change of Federal Capital: In 1959, Ayub Khan announced that Karachi would no more stay
as the federal capital and a new capital city will be developed and the government offices
and embassies would be shifted there by 1961. The development started in 1960 and finally
in 1961 Islamabad became the new capital of Pakistan. Ayub Khan shifted the capital for
the following reasons:

 Karachi was a seaport and due to trading and commercial activities with a huge population.

 Karachi was close to sea and Indian Navy had quick access to it which could seize at the time
of war.

 Islamabad was developed at a pleasant place where the embassies and ambassadors could
travel and work freely in a safe environment.

 Karachi had a lot of political activeness due to a number of political parties and Miss Fatima
Jinnah also resided there.

 Islamabad was developed close to General Head Quarters Rawalpindi (GHQ) so that Ayub
Khan could manage the matters of Army and the government together.

 First Referendum of Pakistan: Since the Constitution was banned and there was no real
system of governance, Ayub Khan decided to get himself chosen as the President of
Pakistan. In Feb 1960 Referendum was conducted in which people voted in favour of Ayub
Khan with 95.4% votes. The Martial Law was then lifted and Ayub became the President. He
made a Constitution Committee under Justice Shahabuddin whose job was to work on the
second Constitution of Pakistan.

 1962 Constitution: In March 1962, the second Constitution of Pakistan was imposed which
gave all power to the President. It was considered as a weak constitution as there was no
place for Prime Minister and the President had special power to control provincial
assemblies.

 Presidential Elections: General Ayub Khan was facing tough time on the ask of contesting
Presidential Elections as he had delayed it. Miss Fatima Jinnah a veteran politician was
 supported by democratic groups both in West and East of Pakistan was the major
contestant against Ayub Khan. She used the slogan. ‘Democracy versus Dictatorship’ which
gained immense fame as she was already a very respectable leader. The Elections were held
in December 1964 and January 1965 and Ayub Khan used all his power, authority and Basic
Democrats to make him win. The results were shocking for many including Miss Fatima
Jinnah as she got only 36% of the votes and Ayub became President for the next term with
64% votes.

b. Social Reforms:

 Family Law Ordinance: Ayub Khan gave the Family Laws in 1961 in the light of his economic
plan. Pakistan’s population was growing at high rate and thus the economic benefits were
not being transferred to the common man. Even the religious hindrance of laws for
polygamy, marriage and divorce were not clearly identified in the law before which Ayub
Khan made it very strict and clear. Some of the major points were:

 No Muslim man could remarry without the permission of his first wife and it will be
mandatory for him to keep balance for all rights.

 In case of divorce, the couple had to consult the village council and the final verdict will be
given by the council for a legal divorce.

 In case of divorce, the man will be responsible for paying maintenance allowance for the
divorced wife and children under 18.

 Marriageable ages for boys and girls were decided to avoid child marriage and control
population. For boys, the age was 18 and for girls the age was 16.

The religious groups and Ulemas did not appreciate many of the reforms and this started a
protest for Ayub Khan’s government.

 Family Planning Programme: Ayub Khan wanted to control the population as it was raising
with 13% as one of the highest in the world.
 He started different programmes of Ministry of Population Control whose job was to hire
health workers to promote awareness about the population control.
 He introduced religious leaders and Ulemas to support him in his plan to control population
however, it received serious agitation and resentment.

 Health Services: Medical services were made better to save infant deaths. Dispensaries,
Clinics and maternity homes were made.
 Educational Reforms:
Pakistan’s literacy rate was very low which was a hindrance in economic and industrial
growth. It was 25% with few people skilled to deal with the industrial sector. He took the
following measures to improve educational sector:
 Education Policy was given in 1958. 1-5 class education was made free at all government
schools from Class 1-8 education was made compulsory for all jobs in Pakistan.
 Large investment was made in the sector of education. New schools, colleges, nursing
homes and medical colleges were made which helped in bringing up the rate of literacy.
 Higher Education Commission was established. Many universities were upgraded from
colleges and government announced grants for qualified students.
 Three-year degree programme was also introduced which received disagreements from
students in terms of spending extra time.

 Rehabilitation of Refugees: To settle down the homeless refugees in Pakistan, General

Azam Khan was appointed as the Rehabilitation Minister. He established Orangi Town near
Karachi, where thousands of migrants were provided with houses on easy payment and
even free of cost.

c. Economic Reforms:

 The Second Five Year Plan was given during 1960-65 which remained a great success and
GNP and GDP improved as well as agricultural and industrial growth was showing
improvement. Similarly, the Third Five Year Plan 1965-70 was also given but its success was
not remarkable due to economic challenges and trade embargo that time.

 Agricultural Reforms: Pakistan has been an agro-based economy. It was largely depending
on agricultural products for domestic consumption as well as for trade. Ayub Kahn’s
government focused more on bringing up the production of main crops and improving the
economic condition of the farmers. Some of the major reforms in agriculture sector were:

 In October 1958, Land Reforms were introduced in which 500 acres of irrigated land and
1000 acres of Barani land was made taxable.
 The Land Tenure Policy was introduced in which excessive lands would be confiscated by
the government and small farmers could own it with interest free installment in twenty-five
years.
 He constructed three major dams, Warask Dam of River Kabul, Tarbela Dam on River Indus
and Mangla Dam on River Jhelum which brought Green Revolution in the country and
millions of acres of land was made cultivable.
 He also made five barrages, seven link canals and one gated siphon to improve irrigation
and to save lands from floods.
 Agricultural Development Bank (ADBP) was established in all major areas to provide loans
to the farmers for the purchase of seeds, fertilizers and tractors and other machinery.
 SCARP (Salinity Control And Rehabilitation Programme) was started to bring awareness
about saving the agricultural lands from water logging and salinity. Free tube wells were
installed in Barani areas throughout the country where irrigated water was not accessible.

 Price Control Programme: Ayub Khan brought many programmes to control price of many
commodities to raise the standard of living. Some major reforms were:

 Action against Hoardings: He fixed the prices of basic commodities like oil, ghee, flour and
sugar to minimize hoarding. The hoarders were arrested and were punished to cut down
the artificial prices of the products

 Ration Card Scheme: He introduced Ration Card Scheme in which the family head was
issued a card with names of all family members. The grocery purchase on the card was
subsidized by the government and people had to pay less on basic commodities. This also
promoted people to keep small family sizes.

 Promotion of local products: Local manufacturing was promoted which made the cost of
many products low and accessible to the purchasing power of the people.

 Industrial Reforms: Ayub Khan worked on improving industrial sector and empowered the
local and foreign industrialists to invest in the country which made the country Asian Tiger.
Some of the reforms were:

 National Investment Trust (NIT) and Pakistan Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC)
were established to promote investors to establish new industries in the country.
 Industrial Development Bank of Pakistan (IDBP) was established to promote industries.
Industrialists were provided with loan to set up their business.
 Major industries like Cement, Cotton Textile, Sugar, Iron and Steel Industries were
established at many major towns like Karachi, Faisalabad, Lahore etc.
 Extra Bonus Scheme was started for promoting the exports who were able to meet a
certain target of exports. They were provided incentives on taxes.
 An Oil Refinery was established at Karachi in 1962 with the help of Saudi Arabia for cutting
down the import bill on crude oil.
 Pakistan Mineral Development Corporation (PMDC) was developed to search and discover
new reserves of minerals which not only provided employment but also brought investment
by the foreign investors.

FOREIGN POLICY:
 The U-2 Affair: In May 1960, U2 Incident of a US spy plane which was launched from
Peshawar shot down by USSR. Russian Premier Khrushchev was annoyed with Pakistan as it
stated that the radar showed its launch from Peshawar. The pilot was arrested by Russian
authorities and claimed the United States had tried to spy over Russia. This was a major
blow in the foreign policy of Pakistan.

 The Indus Water Treaty: In Sept 1960 Indus Water Treaty was signed between Lal Bahadur
Shastri and Ayub Khan with India by which Pakistan got aid and grants from World Bank and
other countries and constructed 2 dams, five barrages, seven link canals and a gated siphon.
This brought Green Revolution in Pakistan.

 Relations with Commonwealth: Ayub visited the UK in 1962 and its started new relations of
the two countries after the problem of Suez Canal issue in 1956.

 Indo-Chinese War and relations with China: India and China had a war in 1962 in which
Pakistan supported China. This became a major factor in developing relations with China. In
1963, PIA got access to many Chinese cities along with trade agreements between the two
countries. In 1964, China supported Pakistan’s policy on Kashmir and Pakistan voted for the
permanent membership of China in the UN Security Council. The Karakoram Highway was
started to be built in 1963.

 Regional Co-operation for Development (RCD): Pakistan, Iran and Turkey agreed to help
each other in economic development and came together as strong allies. Later in 1984,
more countries were added and its name became Economic Co-operation Organization
(ECO).

 Relations with Germany: In 1963 Germany asked for loan from Pakistan. Pakistan also sent
technicians and labor to work in Germany.

 Indo-Pak War: In September 1965, India imposed war on Pakistan which was fought for 17
days. Both countries fought major war and tanks, planes and heavy machinery was used.
Later in January 1966, Tashkent Declaration was signed by Lal Bahadur Shastri and General
Ayub Kahn headed by Russian Premier Kosygin in which both countries promised for not
starting the war again and gave aback other each other’s confiscated areas. This became a
big blow to Ayub domestically as Bhutto, Ayub’s Foreign Minister resigned in reaction.

 Bi-Cameral Policy: Pakistan wanted military support at the time of 1965 War however the
United States imposed trade embargo at that time which annoyed Ayub. Later he
announced that Pakistan will follow a Bi-Cameral Policy in which it would find other military
partners and keep good relations with China and USSR.
PROBLEMS FACED BY AYUB KHAN IN HIS RULE:
 His land Tenure Policy was not welcomed by the major landlords and their lands were
confiscated and were handed over to the small farmers.
 His Family Planning Progamme faced challenges as many of the reforms were called
unreligious by Ulemas.
 The three-year degree programme was not accepted by the students. His too much
spending on eduaction also did not bring a healthy change in literacy rate.
 The defeat of Miss Fatima Jinnah in 1964-65 elections brought problems for Ayub as people
blamed him for doing rigging in the results.
 Throughout his time, East Bengalis retaliated. Sheikh Mujeeb-ur Rehman gave his famous
Six Points in 1966 which gave political tough time to Ayub. Ayub made Mujeeb and other
opponents arrested but the problems were not solved.
 Bhutto resigned from Ayub’s government after the Tashkent declaration which was a big
blow to his government.
 Ayub celebrated the Decade of Progress from 27th October 1967 to 27th October 1968 to
highlight the major reforms of his time. Millions were spent on advertisements of TV and
newspapers throughout the year. However, it did not serve the purpose and Ayub faced
questions on why so much was spent on the celebration.

RESIGNATION OF AYUB: On 17th March 1969, Ayub Khan declared Second Martial law as the
political situation in East Pakistan was getting out of control. On 25th March 1969, Ayub Khan
resigned and gave all power to General Agha Mohammad Yahya Khan as the Second CMLA.

GENERAL AGHA MOHAMMAD YAHYA KHAN: (25th March 1969- 20th December 1971)

Agha Mohammad Yahya Khan became the Second Chief Martial Law Administrator of Pakistan
when Martial Law was imposed by Ayub Khan in March 1969. His rule was very troubling for the
country despite of the fact that he tried to strengthen democracy.

a. CONSTITUTIONAL REFORMS:
 Legal Framework Order (LFO): On 25th March 1969, General Yahya Khan announced LFO as
he was committed to bring democracy with ‘one man-one vote.’ He abrogated 1962
Constitution and One Unit Scheme was annulled and from January 1970, political activities
were started. He announced that elections would be held in both East and West Pakistan
for the next Constituent Assembly which will have to draft the new constitution of Pakistan.

POLITICAL CRISIS OF 1970-71: Yahya announced Elections were to be held in October 1970 by
annulling the One Unit Scheme.
 Bhola Cyclone: On 12th November 1970 a torrential Cyclone struck East Pakistan that not
only destroyed the infra-structure and crops but also killed about 5,00,000 Bengalis. Yahya
Khan extended financial aid but due to political disorder and resentment from Mukti Bahini
and Awami League, the help and aid could not be reached. On the other hand, India
extended help which was accepted.

 Results of Elections: In December 1970, Elections were held in both wings of the country
foe 13 reserved and 300 general seats. Awami League under Mujeeb-ur-Rehman got 160
seats out of 162 in the East whereas Pakistan Peoples’ Party under Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto won
81 seats out of 138 in the West. The ideology of ‘Joy Bangla’ was successful in the East and
‘Islamic Socialism’ worked in the West of Pakistan.
 It created deadlock between the two parties. For almost one year no government could be
made in Pakistan. Bhutto wanted coalition government and Mujeeb wanted only Awami
League to rule.
 1971: Yahya met both Bhutto and Mujeeb in Dhaka and the future plan of the government
was discussed however, Mujeeb was insisting to make Six Points as a part of constitution.
 Yahya postponed the first session of the national assembly as he was not willing to hand
over the power to Mujeeb.
 As the situation in his home district of East Pakistan worsened, Noor-ul Amin was appointed
Prime Minister by President General Yahya Khan on 6th December 1971.

 Operation Searchlight: In March 1971, Yahya Khan announced Operation Searchlight

against Mukti Bahini (Liberation Group) and Mukti Bahini. Pakistan Army under General
Tikka Khan and General Niazi operated and tried to control the situation. Mujeeb-ur
Rehman was arrested and many leaders fled to India. This became a major reason of the
Indo-Pak War of 1971.

 Indo-Pak War of 1971: India declared war in East Pakistan in support of East Pakistanis on
3rd December 1971. For 13 days the war was fought which Pakistan could not resist as it had
millions of Mukti Bahini members from India fighting against Pakistan. Pakistan surrendered
on 16th December 1971 and brought the war to an end.

YAHYA’S RESIGNATION: Bhutto returned from the United States on 20th December 1971 and
took over Yahya’s government as the first Civilian Martial Law Administrator. Yahya resigned
and presented himself for House Arrest. Later he went to London.
 SAMPLE ANSWERS:

Q: What was Bengali Language Movement? [4]

In January 1952, Prime Minister Nazimuddin publicly announced in Dacca's meeting that only
Urdu will be the official language of Pakistan. On 21st February 1952, a demonstration in the
Bengali Language movement demanding equal and official status to the Bengali language. They
closed down Urdu Department of Dhaka University and showed protest. The protest turned
bloody, with many fatalities caused by police firings.

Q: What was EBDO/ EBDA? [4]

Ayub Khan as the Chief Martial Law Administrator gave an order in 1959. It was an altered act
of PRODA. The Elective Bodies Disqualification Order (EBDO) authorized special tribunals to try
former politicians for "misconduct," an infraction not clearly defined. Prosecution could be
avoided if the accused agreed not to be a candidate for any elective body for a period of seven
years. About 7,000 individuals were "EBDOed." Some people, including Suhrawardy, who was
arrested, fought prosecution. The Ordinance was abolished in December 1966.

Q: What was 1956 Constitution of Pakistan? [4]

The 1956 Constitution was imposed on 23rd March 1956 by General Iskander Mirza. Objective
Resolution was the basic block of the Constitution. It asked for federal form of government with
unicameral legislature. It made Pakistan as an Islamic Republic. It made Urdu and Bengali as the
official languages. It made Quran and Sunnah the law of the country. The Parliament was to be
elected for five years and the Prime Minister was the leader of the Parliament. The 1956
Constitution was banned by Ayub Khan at the time of first Martial Law in 1958.

Q: What was the 1962 Constitution? [4]

The Constitution was introduced by General Ayub Khan in March 1962. It kept all powers of the
government to the President with no Prime Minister. It asked for unicameral legislature. It
asked for federal government with more dominance over provincial autonomy. The President
had to be Muslim by religion. This constitution was annulled by Yahya Khan in March 1969.

Q: What was Mukti Bahini? [4]

Mukti Bahini also termed as the Freedom Fighters collectively refers to the armed organizations
that fought against the Pakistan Army during the Bangladesh Liberation War. It was dynamically
formed by Bengali regulars and civilians after the proclamation of Bangladesh's independence
on March 26, 1971.
Q: Describe the Six Points of Mujeeb? [4]

The Six Points of Mujeeb-ur-Rehman were given in February 1966 on the reason of unjust
behaviour of the West and less spending of wealth on East Pakistan. It demanded for all
provincial powers except Defence and foreign policy. It asked for a paramilitary force for
Bengal, its own taxation system. It also demanded for its own currency. The Points became a
reason of violence as Bengalis wanted it as their constitution whereas West Pakistan rejected it
badly.

Q: Why were there so many governments changed during 1951 and 1958? [7]

Ans:

Pakistan faced a trouble time during 1951 and 1958 and many Prime Ministers were removed
for a number of reasons.

The Prime Ministers were considered incompetent as they were not able to solve the food
shortage and economic crisis of 1953-54. East Pakistan faced severe weather conditions and the
Bengalis were agitated with the ignorant behaviour of the Central government of the country.
In general elections of 1955, East Pakistanis had lost faith and trust Muslim League from their
area.

The issue of Bengali and Urdu conflict created more issue as the first and second draft of the
Basic Principle’s Committee were rejected by the Bengalis and in 1952 serious riots took place
in east Pakistan despite of a Bengali PM of the country. Similarly, the One Unit Scheme given by
Mohammad Ali Bogra could not make the East Pakistanis happy for their economic problems.

The jostle of power between the Prime Ministers and the Governor Generals/ President was a
big reason. Mohammad Ali Bogra was dismissed by Ghulam Mohammad when he challenged
Governor General’s power. Similarly, the military coup of March 1951 against Liaquat Ali Khan
or the dismissal of four Prime Ministers during 1955 and 1958 by General Iskander Mirza was a
major evident of the fact that their relations were very weak.

Q: ‘Constitutional reforms were the most important of Ayub Khan’s domestic policies during
the “Decade of Progress” between 1958 and 1969.’ Do you agree? Give reasons for your
answer. [14]

Ans:

General Ayub Khan ruled for eleven years from 1958 till 1969 and remained prominent for a
number of his domestic policies however, his constitutional reforms did not bring that effective
impact as compared to his economic policies which became more successful.
Amongst his economic policies, agricultural reforms were the most important. Ayub Kahn’s
government focused more on bringing up the production of main crops and improving the
economic condition of the farmers. In October 1958, Land Reforms were introduced in which
500 acres of irrigated land and 1000 acres of Barani land was made taxable. He built dams,
barrages to irrigate more lands. This brought Green revolution in the country as more lands
were then cultivated.

Secondly, Ayub established Industrial Development Bank of Pakistan (IDBP) to promote

industries. Industrialists were provided with loan to set up their business. National Investment
Trust was established to promote investors in the government policies for industries. Major
industries like Cement, Cotton Textile, Sugar, Iron and Steel Industries were established at
many major towns like Karachi, Faisalabad, Lahore which gave a boost to economic growth of
the country.

Thirdly, Ayub Khan brought an immediate policy in 1958. 1-5 class education was made free at
all government schools from Class 1-8 education was made compulsory for all jobs in Pakistan
which made many students able to get enrolled at schools. Large investment was done in the
sector of education. New schools, colleges, nursing homes and medical colleges were opened
to give skilled training to many illiterate people which helped in bringing up the rate of literacy
and many got jobs after getting trained.

However, on the other case, his constitutional reforms were important but remained
controversial to many. In 1959 Basic Democracies were introduced which was a four-tier
structure of government, allowing elections at various levels. The success of these councils
which were set up was such that martial law was lifted. The Basic Democracies were not really
political success as many political parties found it as a part of Ayub’s power gaining.

Similarly, the 1962 Constitution brought strength to the democracy of the government however
the ultimate power was laid with the President with a dominant control over provincial
autonomy which was not liked by political parties. Later the constitution was annulled by Yahya
Khan in March 1969.

With the help of the given statements, it can be said that Ayub Khan remained successful in his
reforms during the Decade of Progress and the most important contribution was his economic
reforms which gave benefits to the millions rather than his constitutional reforms which
remained in disagreements despite of all their positive for the President Ayub till 1969.

Q: Why did Mujeeb give his Six Points? [7]

Ans:
Mujeeb-ur-Rehman gave his famous Six Points as the manifesto of Awami League in February
1966 for the following reasons.

Firstly, he wanted to achieve Provincial autonomy as he believed West Pakistan was dominating
East Pakistan through the central government, he thus wanted to achieve political rights so that
the East Pakistani could also gain the benefits of economic developments.

Secondly, Mujeeb wanted that taxes be collected by provinces and not the central government
in the West, since he believed that East Pakistan was unfairly spending the revenue on the
development of West Pakistan. Thus gave the points for the economic independence of East
Pakistan so they would not be exploited by West Pakistan.

He believed that these points contained the main demands of East Pakistan (Provincial
autonomy, Minority rights, Separate currencies etc.). Thus he made the points to gain support
of East Pakistan in the elections of 1970.

Q: Why did General Ayub Khan declare Martial Law in 1958? [7]

Ans:

Pakistan was under political disorder during 1955 and 1958 and then Martial Law was imposed
by General Ayub Khan.

The rift between the East and West Pakistan grew during 1950s as the government was
centered in the West and the control on finance and budget was a reason that created the
political tension further worse. East Pakistan’s politicians wanted more say in the running of the
central government which increased tension.

There were a number of Prime Ministers between 1956 and 1958 who were dismissed by
General Iskander Mirza as he claimed they were incompetent and were not able to solve the
problems of East Pakistan floods which had been a major problem of the agitation in East
Pakistan.

The constitution had been finalized in 1956 and both Urdu and Bengali were announced as the
official languages however it had got delayed and the gulf between the East and West had
grown a lot and it reached a stage when Ayub Khan achieved that status that he felt the army
should take control until stability had been restored and questions answered.

Q: Explain why Ayub Khan called the years 1958 to 1969, the ‘Decade of Progress’? [7]

Ans:
Ayub Khan remained the leader of the country from 1958 to 1969 however, when his reforms
started to fail, he celebrated the Decade of Progress from 27 th October 1967 to 27th October
1968.

Medical facilities were improved and attempts were made to control the population through a
family planning programme. This enabled the government better plans to benefit the
population and the GDP rate remained more than 7%. Pakistan’s economy developed three
times faster than India that time and got the title of Asian Tiger.

Economic growth was enabled through industrial developments funded by loans from the
West. Many countries including the UK and other European countries raised their investment in
Pakistan. With the help of the loan and aid, infrastructure was made better and new industries
were started under the Second Five Year Plan.

Agricultural reform meant an increase in agricultural production. Many millions of acres were
irrigated and the country showed improvement in agriculture sector. He also tried to deflect
increased criticism of his government by highlighting the reforms which benefitted the
wealthier class.

Q: Who of the following contributed the most to Pakistan’s domestic policies between 1948
and 1958:

(i) Liaquat Ali Khan;

(ii) Malik Ghulam Muhammad;
(iii) Iskander Mirza?
Explain your answer with reference to all three of the above. [14]

Ans:

Pakistan was made in 1947 with a number of problems inherited from India. There were many
domestic policies brought by the leaders, Liaquat Ali Khan, Malik Ghulam Muhammad and
Iskander Mirza however, Liaquat Ali Khan remained most important due to many reasons.

Liaquat Ali Khan made the first move towards constitutional development with his Objectives
Resolution in 1949. This focussed on the principles of Islam and human rights. It was designed
to deflect criticism from religious leaders who said the new state was not Islamic enough. This
was then followed by the drafting of a constitution, which attracted much criticism as it was
seen by many as being insufficiently Islamic.

Secondly, he also managed to keep the economy going and produced surplus budgets for the
new state. He started the National Bank in November 1949 to help the economy and made the
borrowing of government’s loan. The installation of a paper currency mill in Karachi. Pakistan
Security Press was established in Karachi which printed Pakistani Currency notes and the
government system and economic policies became better.

Thirdly, he gave education policy of the country and established Sindh University. This
represented major reform of Liaquat Ali Khan that how important the establishment of schools
and other institutes to raise literacy rate in Pakistan which was very crucial for the country.

On the other hand, Malik Ghulam Muhammad as Governor General was responsible for the 6
Year Plan for Pakistan that covered agriculture, power, industry and transport. It played an
important part in bringing about economic development in Pakistan. However, there were
severe problems in Pakistan that hampered development at this time such as food shortages
and a drought. Rioting followed and the government found difficulty in dealing with these
matters and resulted in many changes in personnel. Little constitutional development could
take place because of these problems.

Similarly, Iskander Mirza became Governor General and introduced the new Constitution in
1956, under which he was able to become President. However, its introduction was short lived
as he scrapped it in 1958 and declared Martial Law. He did introduce the One Unit Policy in
1955 which he claimed would bring about greater efficiency and development in West Pakistan.
In introducing this policy, he prevented East Pakistan gaining a majority in the Assembly. His
rule became increasingly unpopular and lost the support of many leading politicians despite
declaring Martial Law and having appointed Ayub Khan as PM in 1958, he was forced to resign
by Ayub Khan.

In the light of the above facts, it can be proven that despite of many problems faced by Liaquat
Ali Khan during his time, his domestic policy of formulating the first draft of constitution and
the Objective Resolution laid the foundation of democracy for Pakistan.

Q: Why did Pakistan face political crisis during Yahya Khan’s rule? [7]

Ans:

Yahya Khan’s time was full of trouble in terms of political crisis during 1970 and 1971 for a
number of reasons.

Firstly, Yahya delayed the Elections of 1970 due to political disorder in the country which was
created by Awami League and other political parties. Similarly, the Bhola Cyclone of 12 th
November 1970 had killed thousands of people in East Pakistan and the Bengali had created
hatred against Yahya as they believed he was ignorant towards their problems.
The Elections of 1970 created another confusion when Yahya’s unfavoured Mujeeb-ur Rehman
was able to yield 160 seats out of 162 in East Pakistan making it the largest party in the national
assembly. Mujeeb’s rigid behaviour towards not including Peoples’ Party a part of coalition
government urged Yahya to delay the first session of the assembly and later this resulted in
boycotts and agitation from the East.

The Operation Searchlight of March 1970 was yet another major reason which brought serious
crisis for Yahya’s government as he was not able to control the aggression of the militants of
Mukti Bahini and millions of Bengali civilians who had the slogan, ‘Joy Bangla.’ The Indian
involvement in the matter and later the War of 1971 brought Yahya’s government to a final end
and he resigned on 20th December 1971.

PAST PAPER PRACTICE QUESTIONS:

Q: WHAT WAS THE OBJECTIVE RESOLUTION? [4]

Q: WHAT WAS THE BASIC PRINCIPLE’S COMMITTEE? [4]
Q: WHAT WAS RAWALPINDI CONSPIRACY? [4]
Q: WHAT WAS PRODA? [4]
Q: WHAT WAS MAULVI TAMIZUDDIN CASE? [4]
Q: WHAT WAS ONE UNIT SVHEME? [4]
Q: WHAT WAS TASHKENT DECLARATION? [4]
Q: WHAT WAS 1962 CONSTITUTION? [4]
Q: WHAT IS EBDA? [4]
Q: WHAT WAS BASIC DEMOCRATIC SYSTEM? [4]
Q: WHAT WAS THE U2 AFFAIR? [4]
Q: WHAT WERE THE SIX POINTS? [4]
Q: WHAT WAS LFO? [4]
Q: WHAT WAS BHOLA CYCLONE? [4]
Q: WHAT WAS MUKTI BAHINI? [4]
Q: WHY WERE THERE SO MANY GOVERNMENTS CHANGED IN PAKISTAN DURING 1955 AND
1958? [7]
Q: WHY DID AYUB KHAN DECALRE MARTIAL LAW IN 1958? [7]
Q: WHY DID AYUB CELEBRATE THE DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT? [7]
Q: WHY DID AYUB FACE TROUBLE AFTER 1965? [7]