The period of 1947-1958 is marked as a tragic span in the history of Pakistan, where we witnessed the appointment and dismissal of nine prime ministers, while India sustained Jawaharlal Nehru for decades. The chapters of power shifts and power struggles capture the game of thrones, responsible for decimating the political structure forever.
At the time of Partition, Jinnah had sole, unchallenged power that rendered him infallible and impeccable concerning political and administrative policymaking. He appointed the stalwart Liaquat Ali Khan, who had immense political experience and expertise to run the administration. Moreover, his voice had considerable amplitude in echoing the decision-making realm.
However, with the sudden and unexpected demise of Jinnah in 1948, the man of absolute power was gone, and the vacuum was filled by Khawaja Nazimuddin, who was a loyalist but had less shrewdness to maintain the equilibrium of political power. The sad assassination of Liaquat Ali Khan (1951) left the chair of the prime minister vacant, for which Nazimuddin was pressured to take the oath as the prime minister of Pakistan. According to historians, decision-making was subjected to political arrangements rather than a democratic process.
Notably, at that time, there was no formulated constitution of Pakistan, and political and administrative decisions were guided by the Government of India Act (1935), which granted the Governor General the power to dissolve the assembly and appoint a suitable candidate for the prime ministership. As Nazimuddin became the prime minister, he and the Muslim League considered taking a maverick decision of choosing Ghulam Muhammad, a bureaucratic and authoritarian personality. Thus, Ghulam Muhammad was appointed as the Governor General of Pakistan in 1951, with immense power and authority.
Seemingly, it was the first mistake made by the Muslim League because Ghulam Muhammad was not a political person, nor had his loyalty to democratic norms ever been tested. Following the intrinsic lust for power, Ghulam Muhammad dismissed Khawaja Nazimuddin, arguing the incapability of the government to control the law and order situation and the lack of good governance. Later, Ghulam Muhammad appointed Muhammad Ali Bogra as prime minister, who was also a bureaucrat, and thus, the power to rule had been captured by the bureaucracy. Muhammad Ali Bogra was rather a puppet than an outright head of government.
However, as it is said, “As you sow, so shall you reap,” Ghulam Muhammad was forced to step down as Governor General. Though he was not willing to be dethroned and resisted, due to deteriorating health and medical complications, he was forcibly made to resign, and Iskander Mirza became the new Governor General in 1955.
Under his reign, Pakistan passed its first constitution (1956), leading to the abolishment of Pakistan’s dominion status, and it became a republic named the “Islamic Republic of Pakistan.” Moreover, the head of state was replaced by the president instead of the governor general, and thus, Iskander Mirza became the first president of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. However, the structure and dominance of power remained similar, except for the One Unit solution, which merged West Pakistan into one unit and East Pakistan into another. Mirza successfully retained his power to dissolve the assembly and dismiss the prime minister from office, which, of course, he exercised bluntly and almost witnessed five prime ministers under his authority. He overthrew Muhammad Ali Bogra in 1955, followed by Chaudhry Muhammad Ali, Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, Ibrahim Ismail Chundrigar, and Feroze Khan Noon in 1956, 1957, 1957, and 1958, respectively. The misuse of power peaked when Iskander Mirza abrogated the constitution, dissolved the assembly, dismissed the prime minister, and imposed martial law.
However, the one mistake he made was appointing General Ayub Khan as Chief Martial Law Administrator, who later overthrew Iskander Mirza and shifted power under military rule.
