Transcript Document
Lecture # 14
Establishment of Pakistan I from 1947-71
Recap of lecture # 13,Topic: Creation of Pakistan and Role of
Muslim Leadership
• Role of Quaid-i-Azam
• Iqbal and Pakistan Movement
• Choudhry Rahmat Ali
• Prominent Leaders of the Pakistan Movement
• Role of Women of the Pakistan Movement
• Role of Ulema and Mushaikh
• Now today’s lecture:Establishment of Pakistan I from
1947-71 (34 years)
Early Problems of Pakistan
• The emergence of Pakistan, after a long and difficult
freedom movement, was actually a great victory of the
democratic idea of life. The Indian Muslims happily and
boldly laid down their lives and properties to achieve a
destination in which they saw the fulfillment of their
dreams of living an independent life free from Hindu
and British dominance.
• From its very beginning, Pakistan faced a large number
of problems. Some of the initial difficulties were :
Choice of Capital and Establishment of Government
• The first problem that Pakistan had to face was to
choose a capital to form a Government and to
establish a secretariat. Karachi was chosen as the
capital of Pakistan.
• Quaid-e-Azam took the office of the Governor
General, Liaquat Ali Khan was appointed as Prime
Minister and a Cabinet of experienced persons was
selected. Arrangements were to be made to bring the
officials who had opted for Pakistan from Delhi to
Karachi.
Unfair Boundary Distribution
• A boundary commission was set up under a British
Chairman, Sir Cyril Redcliff. He misused his powers
and handed over Muslims majority areas like
Gurdaspur, Ferozpur and Junagadh to India hence
providing them a gateway to Kashmir. Quaid-eAzam called it an unjust, incomprehensible and
even perverse award.
The Massacre of Muslim Refugees in India
• On the birth of Pakistan, Hindus and Sikhs became
more violent. In a planned move, Muslims
properties were set on fire and they were
compelled to leave India for Pakistan with nothing
but their lives.
• Millions of refugees were killed before they reached
Pakistan. Many migrants were looted and had to be
provided boarding immediately as they reached
Pakistan.
Division of Military and Financial Assets
• In order to embarrass Pakistan financially, India did
a lot of enmity in the matters of Pakistan which
were concerned with its benefits. Pakistan was
promised to get Rs. 750 million but the Indian
Government refused to give.
• Pakistan received only 200 million. Pakistan also
did not receive the due share of the military assets.
This dishonest attitude put Pakistan into great
difficulties.
Canal Water Dispute
• Most of the rivers flowing in Pakistan have their
origin in India. In 1948, India stopped water supply
to Pakistani canals to damage the Pakistani
agriculture. However on 9th September, 1960 an
agreement called Indus Basin Treaty was signed
between the two countries.
Kashmir Dispute
• Kashmir dispute is the most important and unsolved
problem. Kashmir is the natural part of Pakistan
because at the time of partition 85% of the Kashmir's
total population was Muslim.
• The Hindu Dogra Rule, who was secretly with the
Government of India, declared Kashmir as a part of
India. Pakistan has continuously insisted that Kashmir
must get their right of self determination but due to
non-cooperation of India, Kashmir issue still remain
unsolved.
Annexation of Princely States
• All Indian princely states were given the right to link up
with either of states. However, the fate of some states
remained undecided. The Muslim Nawab governing
Junagadh favoured in acceding to Pakistan. But Indian
Government sent Army troops towards Junagadh and
occupied the State by force in November, 1947.
• Hyderabad Deccan was the largest and richest state
ruled by Muslim leader Nizam who decided to remain
independent. But pressure tactics began to the applied
by Indian Government and Mountbatten. India
attacked Hyderabad on 13th September 1948 and
forcibly annexed this state to India.
Economic Problems
• When Pakistan came into existence, it mostly consisted
of economically backward and underdeveloped areas.
The agricultural system was obsolete and outdated
which added to the economic backwardness of the
areas forming part of Pakistan. Before partition the
Hindus, with the blessings of the British Government,
had acquired complete monopoly in trade and
commerce.
• The entire capital was in the hands of the Hindus.
Unfortunately, the banks and other financial
institutions were located in Indian territory. The major
industries were also in those areas which were part of
India.
Cont.
• Besides these factors the technical experts and
laborers, who operated the industries, were all
Hindus because the Muslims extremely lagged
behind in education and financial capabilities.
• The insufficient system of transportation and
communication also made its adverse affect on
economic development of the country. The railway
system and river transportation in East Pakistan was
in depleted condition.
Cont.
• The roads were in shabby and irreparable condition.
The communication and transportation system in
West Pakistan, comparatively, was in better
position. The power resources in the two wings
were rare and small which were insufficient to meet
the national requirement.
Administrative Problems
• Pakistan came into being under the most terrible
conditions. The Government of Pakistan could not get
enough time to set up workable administrative
machinery because of the great difficulties created by
Congress. The Indian Government adopted delaying
strategies in transferring the Government servants and
official record which aggravated the situation.
• Therefore the immediate task before the nation was to
establish a workable administrative and Government
machinery to run the affairs of the newly born state.
Cont.
• The biggest administrative problem facing Pakistan was
the acute shortage of competent and experienced
employees in the Central and Provincial Governments.
• Furthermore, there weren't enough chairs, tables or
even stationary and paper pins for administrative
purposes. However, Quaid-e-Azam paid his immediate
attention towards setting up of administrative
machinery and took a number of steps to overcome
the administrative problems of the new state.
Constitutional Problem
• At the time of establishment of Pakistan the
Government of India Act 1935 became the working
constitution of Pakistan with certain adaptions.
• But the need of a constitution framed by the elected
representatives of the people was necessary for free
people. So the first constituent assembly was formed
and was given the task to frame the constitution for
the country. But the constituent assembly failed to
frame a constitution even in eight years.
CONT.
• Lack of a permanent constitution created chances
of corrupt interference in democratic progress of
Pakistan.
• On the other hand, the constituent assembly
conferred extra ordinary powers on Governor
General which afterwards led to future
constitutional crisis.
Power Problem
• Due to transfer of Muslim majority areas to India
and of unfair demarcation, electricity system of
West Punjab was disrupted, because all power
stations were at Mundi, a predominantly Muslim
majority area, gifted to Bharat.
First democratic era (1947–1958)
• The first government of Pakistan was headed by Prime
Minister Liaquat Ali Khan and it chose the seaport of
Karāchi as its capital. Jinnah, considered the founder of
Pakistan and welcomed as the Quaid-i-Azam (Great
Leader), became head of state as Governor-General.
• The government faced many challenges in setting up
new economic, judicial, and political structures. It tried
to organize the bureaucracy and the armed forces,
resettle the Mohajirs (Muslim refugees from India), and
establish the distribution and balance of power in the
provincial and central governments. Before the
government could overcome these difficulties, Jinnah
died in September 1948.
Cont.
• In foreign policy, Liaquat Ali Khan established friendly
relations with the United States and visited USA in
1950.
• Pakistan’s early foreign policy was one of
nonalignment, with no formal commitment to either
the United States or the Union of Soviet Socialist
Republics (USSR), the two major adversaries in the Cold
War.
• In 1953, however, Pakistan aligned itself with the
United States and accepted military and economic
assistance.
From 1948-54
• Liaquat Ali Khan was assassinated in 1951. Khwaja
Nazimuddin, an East Pakistani who had succeeded
Jinnah as governor-general, became Prime Minister.
• Ghulam Muhammad became Governor-General.
Nazimuddin tried to limit the powers of the governorgeneral through amendments to the Government of
India Act of 1935, under which Pakistan was governed
pending the adoption of a constitution.
• Ghulam Muhammad dismissed Nazimuddin and
replaced him with Muhammad Ali Bogra, Pakistan’s
ambassador to the United States, who subsequently
was elected president of the Muslim League.
Cont.
• In the 1954 provincial elections in East Pakistan, the
Muslim League was routed by the United Front
coalition, which supported provincial autonomy.
• The coalition was dominated by the Awami League.
However, Ghulam Muhammad imposed governor’s rule
in the province, preventing the United Front from
taking power in the provincial legislature.
• After the constituent assembly tried to control the
Governor-General’s power, Ghulam Muhammad
declared a state of emergency and dissolved the
assembly.
From 1955-58
• A new constituent assembly was indirectly elected in
mid-1955 by the various provincial legislatures. The
Muslim League, although still the largest party, was no
longer dominant as more parties, including those of the
United Front coalition, gained representation.
• Bogra, who had little support in the new assembly, was
replaced by Chaudhri Muhammad Ali, a former civil
servant in West Pakistan and a member of the Muslim
League. At the same time, General Iskander Mirza
became Governor-General.
Cont.
• The new constituent assembly enacted a bill, which
became effective in October 1955, integrating the
four West Pakistani provinces into one political and
administrative unit, known as the One Unit.
• This change was considered to give West Pakistan
parity with the more populous East Pakistan in the
national legislature. The assembly also produced
Pakistan’s first constitution, which was adopted on
March 23, 1956.
Cont.
• It provided for a unicameral (single-chamber)
National Assembly with 300 seats, evenly divided
between East and West Pakistan.
• It also officially designated Pakistan an Islamic
republic. According to its provisions, Mirza’s title
changed from Governor-General to President.
• Unstable Parliamentary Democracy
Cont.
• The new charter not bearing political instability
continued because no stable majority party emerged in
the National Assembly.
• Prime Minister Ali remained in office only until
September 1956, when he was unable to retain his
majority in the National Assembly and was succeeded
by Hussain Shaheed Suhrawardy, founder of the
Awami League of East Pakistan.
• He formed a coalition cabinet that included the Awami
League and the Republican Party of the West Wing, a
new party that was formed by rebel members of the
Muslim League.
Cont.
• However, President Mirza forced Suhrawardy to resign
after he discovered that the prime minister was
planning to support Firoz Khan Noon, leader of the
Republican Party, for the presidency in the country’s
first general elections, scheduled for January 1959.
• The succeeding coalition government, headed by Ismail
Ibrahim Chundrigar of the Muslim League, lasted only
two months before it was replaced by a Republican
Party cabinet under Noon.
Cont.
• President Mirza, realizing he had no chance of being
reelected president and openly dissatisfied with
parliamentary democracy, proclaimed martial law on
October 7, 1958.
• He dismissed Noon’s government, dissolved the
National Assembly, and canceled the scheduled general
elections. Mirza was supported by General
Muhammad Ayub Khan, commander in chief of the
army, who was named chief martial-law administrator.
• Twenty days later Ayub forced the president to resign
and assumed the presidency himself.
First military era (1958–1971):The Ayub Years 1958-69
• President Ayub ruled Pakistan almost absolutely for
a little more than ten years. Although his regime
made some notable achievements, it did not
eliminate the basic problems of Pakistani society.
• Ayub’s regime increased developmental funds to
East Pakistan more than threefold. This had a
noticeable effect on the economy of the province,
but the disparity between the two wings of Pakistan
was not eliminated.
Cont.
• His regime also initiated land reforms designed to
reduce the political power of the landed aristocracy.
Ayub also publicized a progressive Islamic law, the
Muslim Family Laws Ordinance of 1961, imposing
restrictions on polygamy and divorce and
reinforcing the inheritance rights of women and
minors.
• He also implemented constitution of 1962
Presidential Republic (1962-1969)
• In 1959, soon after taking office, Ayub ordered the
planning and construction of a new national capital, to
replace Karachi. The chosen location of the new capital
in the province of Punjab was close to the military
headquarters of Rawalpindi which served as an interim
capital. Islamabad officially became the new capital in
1967, although construction continued into the 1970s.
• Perhaps the most important of Ayub’s changes, was his
introduction of a new political system, known as the
Basic Democracies, in 1959
Cont.
• A new constitution promulgated by Ayub in 1962 ended the
period of martial law. The new, 156-member National
Assembly was elected that year by an electoral college of
120,000 Basic Democrats from the union councils.
• The presidential election of January 1965, also determined
by electoral college rather than direct vote, resulted in a
victory for Ayub, although opposition parties were allowed
to participate.
• Ayub was skillful in maintaining cordial relations with the
United States, stimulating substantial economic and
military aid to Pakistan.
Cont.
• This relationship declined in 1965, when another war
with India broke out over Kashmīr. The United States
then suspended military and economic aid to both
countries.
• The USSR interfered to mediate the conflict, inviting
Ayub Khan and Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri of
India to meet in Tashkent. By the terms of the so-called
Tashkent Agreement of January 1966, the two
countries pull out their forces to prewar positions and
restored diplomatic, economic, and trade relations.
Cont.
• The Tashkent Agreement and the Kashmīr war,
however, generated frustration among the people and
resentment against President Ayub.
• Foreign Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who opposed
Pakistan’s policy regarding war, resigned his position
and founded the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) in
opposition to the Ayub regime.
• Ayub tried unsuccessfully to make compensations, But
public protests started and he declared martial law and
resigned in March 1969.
Martial law in Pakistan : Yahya Regime from 1969 -1971
• Instead of transferring power to the speaker of the
National Assembly, as the constitution dictated, he
handed it over to the commander in chief of the
army, General Agha Muhammad Yahya Khan, who
was the designated martial-law administrator. Yahya
then assumed the presidency.
• This way Ayub period ended and Yahya regime
started in 1969
Cont.
• In an attempt to make his martial-law regime more
acceptable, Yahya dismissed almost 300 senior civil
servants and identified 32 families that were said to
control about half of Pakistan’s gross national product.
• To control their power Yahya issued an ordinance
against monopolies and restrictive trade practices in
1970. He also committed to the return of constitutional
government and announced the country would hold its
first general election on the basis of universal adult
franchise in late 1970.(Every adult rich or poor irrespective of their
religion caste or education , religion , color , race , economic conditions is
free to vote. Universal Adult Franchise is based on the concept of equality.)
Cont.
• Yahya determined that representation in the National
Assembly would be based on population. In July 1970
he abolished the One Unit, thereby restoring the
original four provinces in West Pakistan.
• As a result, East Pakistan emerged as the largest
province of the country, while in West Pakistan the
province of Punjab emerged as the dominant province.
East Pakistan was allocated 162 seats in the 300-seat
National Assembly, and the provinces of West Pakistan
were allocated a total of 138.
Civil War
• Yahya opened negotiations with Mujib in Dhaka in midMarch, but the effort soon failed. Meanwhile Pakistan’s
army went into action against Mujib’s civilian followers,
who demanded that East Pakistan become independent
as the nation of Bangladesh.
• The Awami League leaders took refuge in Calcutta (now
Kolkata) and established a government in exile. India
finally intervened on December 3, 1971, and the
Pakistani army surrendered 13 days later. East Pakistan
declared its independence as Bangladesh.
Summary
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Early Problems of Pakistan
Choice of Capital and Establishment of Government
Unfair Boundary Distribution
The Massacre of Muslim Refugees in India
Division of Military and Financial Assets
Canal Water Dispute
Kashmir Dispute
Annexation of Princely States
Economic Problems
Cont.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Administrative Problems
Constitutional Problem
Power Problem
First democratic era 1947–1958
History From 1947-48
From 1948-54
First military era:The Ayub Years 1958-69
Presidential republic (1962-1969)
Yahya Regime From 1969-71
Quotation
All that is valuable in human society depends upon
the opportunity for development accorded the
individual.
Albert Einstein
Thank you