Iskander Mirza | |
|---|---|
| ইস্কান্দার আলী মির্জা اسکندر مرزا | |
 Official portrait,c. 1956 | |
| 1st President of Pakistan | |
| In office 23 March 1956 – 27 October 1958 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | General Ayub Khan |
| 4thGovernor-General of Pakistan | |
| In office 7 August 1955 – 23 March 1956 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Prime Minister | Mohammad Ali Bogra(1955) Chaudhry Muhammad Ali(1955–56) |
| Preceded by | Malik Ghulam Muhammad |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| 4thMinister of Interior of Pakistan | |
| In office 24 October 1954 – 7 August 1955 | |
| Prime Minister | Mohammad Ali Bogra |
| Preceded by | Mushtaq Ahmed Gurmani |
| Succeeded by | A. K. Fazlul Huq |
| Minister of States and Frontier Regions | |
| In office 24 October 1954 – 7 August 1955 | |
| Prime Minister | Mohammad Ali Bogra |
| Governor of East-Bengal | |
| In office 29 May 1954 – 23 October 1954 | |
| Governor General | Malik Ghulam Muhammad |
| Chief Minister | A. K. Fazlul Huq |
| Preceded by | Chaudhry Khaliquzzaman |
| Succeeded by | Muhammad Shahabuddin(Acting) |
| Secretary of Defence | |
| In office 23 October 1947 – 6 May 1954 | |
| Prime Minister | Liaquat Ali Khan(1947–51) Khawaja Nazimuddin(1951–53) Mohammad Ali Bogra(1953–54) |
| Minister | Liaquat Ali Khan |
| Preceded by | State established |
| Succeeded by | Akhter Husain |
| Vice-President of theRepublican Party | |
| In office 1956–1958 | |
| President | Feroz Khan Noon |
| Minister of Defence Acting | |
| In office 16 October 1951 – 17 October 1951 | |
| Preceded by | L. A. Khan |
| Succeeded by | Khawaja Nazimuddin |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Iskandar Ali Mirza (1899-11-13)13 November 1899 |
| Died | 13 November 1969(1969-11-13) (aged 70) London, England |
| Resting place | Imamzadeh Abdullah,Tehran, Iran |
| Citizenship | British India(1899–1947) United Kingdom(1958–1969) Pakistani(1947–1958)[1][failed verification] |
| Political party | Republican Party(1956–1958) |
| Other political affiliations | Muslim League(1955–1956) |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 6 |
| Relatives | Nawabs of Murshidabad (paternal) Tyabji family (maternal) |
| Residence(s) | Dhaka,East Bengal London,England |
| Alma mater | Royal Military College, Sandhurst Bombay University |
| Civilian awards | _-_ribbon_bar.gif) Nishan-i-Lmar.gif) Nishan-e-Pahlavi Order of the Indian Empire |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service |  British Indian Army Pakistan Army |
| Years of service | 1920–1954 |
| Rank |   Major-General |
| Unit | Corps of Military Police |
| Commands | Corps of Military Police East Pakistan Rifles |
| Battles/wars | Waziristan campaign (1936–1939) Indo-Pakistani War of 1947 |
| Military awards | _Ribbon.png) Order of the British Empire General Service Medal |
Iskander Ali Mirza[a] (13 November 1899 – 13 November 1969) was a Pakistani politician and military general who served as the fourth and lastgovernor-general of Pakistan from 1955 to 1956, and then as the firstpresident of Pakistan from thepromulgation of the first constitution in 1956 until hisoverthrow in a coup d'état in 1958, following his declaration ofmartial law and unilateralabrogation of the constitution.[2]
Mirza was educated at theUniversity of Bombay before attending theRoyal Military College, Sandhurst. Aftermilitary service in theBritish Indian Army, he joined theIndian Political Service and spent the most of his career as apolitical agent in theWestern region ofBritish India until elevated asJoint Secretary to the Government of India[3][4][5] at theMinistry of Defence inNew Delhi in 1946.[3][4] Following theindependence of Pakistan in 1947 as a result of thePartition of British India, Mirza was appointed as the firstDefence Secretary by prime ministerLiaquat Ali Khan, only to oversee the military efforts in thefirst war with India in 1947, followed by the failedsecession inBalochistan in 1948. In 1954, he was appointed as theGovernor of his home province ofEast Bengal byPrime MinisterMohammad Ali Bogra to control the law and order situation sparked by the popularlanguage movement in 1952, but was later elevated asInterior Minister in theBogra administration in 1955.
Playing a crucial role in the ousting of Governor-GeneralMalik Ghulam Muhammad, Mirza assumed his position in 1955 and waselected as the first President of Pakistan when thefirst Constitution was promulgated in 1956. His presidency, however, was marked with political instability which saw hisunconstitutional interferences in thecivilian administration that led to the dismissal of four prime ministers in a mere two years. Facing challenges in getting the political endorsements and reelection for thepresidency, Mirza surprisingly suspended thewrit of the Constitution by imposingmartial law against his ownparty's administration governed by Prime MinisterFeroz Khan Noon on 8 October 1958, enforcing it through his army commanderGeneral Ayub Khan. Three weeks later, General Ayub ousted President Mirza when the situation between them escalated and sent him into exile. Mirza lived in the United Kingdom for the remainder of his life and was buried inIran in 1969.[6]
His legacy and image are viewed negatively by somePakistani historians who believe that Mirza was responsible for weakeningdemocracy and causing political instability in the country.
Sahibzada Iskandar Ali Mirza[7] was born inMurshidabad,Bengal, inIndia on 13 November 1899,[8] into an elite and wealthy aristocrat family who were titled asNawab of Bengal and later after 1880,Nawab of Murshidabad.[9] Mirza was the eldest[citation needed] child of Nawab Fateh Ali Mirza and Dilshad Begum (1875–1925).[10] From his grandfather's ancestral roots, he was ofSyedIraqi Arab descent.[11] The Nawab of Murshidabad family was an influential and wealthy feudal family in Bengal, with close ties to theBritish monarchy. His father, Fateh Ali Mirza, belonged to the ruling house of Murshidabad, grandson of the first NawabMansur Ali Khan.[citation needed] He was the descendant ofMir Jafar.[12] Mirza's mother belonged to theBombay-basedTyabji family ofCambay and was the niece ofCongress presidentBadruddin Tyabji of theSulaymani Bohra community.[13]
Mirza grew up and completed his schooling inBombay, attending theElphinstone College of theUniversity of Bombay, but left the university to attend theRoyal Military College in Sandhurst when he was selected by the BritishGovernor-General for theKing's Commission.[14][15][16]
Mirza was the first Indian graduate of the military college, and gained hiscommission in theBritish Indian Army as a2nd Lt. on 16 July 1920.[17][16][18] As was customary for newly commissioned British Indian Army officers, he was initially attached for a year to the second battalion of theCameronians (Scottish Rifles).[16] On 16 July 1921, he was promoted to lieutenant and was assigned to command a platoon on 30 December 1921.[19]
His military career was spent in theMilitary Police.[16] In spite of hailing fromBengal, his military career was mostly spent in the violentNorth-West Frontier Province of India, participating in theWaziristan war in 1920.[16] After the campaign, he was transferred to the17th Poona Horse (Queen Victoria's Own), as an army inspector but left active service to join theIndian Political Service (IPS) in August 1926.[16][20]
His first assignment was a posting inAligarh in what is nowUttar Pradesh as anassistant commissioner before posting as apolitical agent inHazara in theNorth West Frontier Province.[16][20] He received his promotion tocaptain on 17 October 1927.[21]
During his time spent fighting for theBritish Empire againstPashtun Freedom Fighters in Waziristan, he learnt to speakPashto fluently for his deployment in theNorth-West Frontier.[22] From 1928 to 1933, Mirza spent time as a political agent in the troubledTribal Belt, having served as anassistant commissioner in the districts ofDera Ismail Khan in April 1928,Tonk in May 1928,Bannu in April 1930, andNowshera in April 1931.[20] In 1931, Captain Mirza was appointed a district officer and was later posted as deputy commissioner at Hazara in May 1933, where he served for three years until a posting to Mardan as assistant commissioner from October 1936 (deputy commissioner from January 1937).[20] Promoted to major on 16 July 1938,[23] he became the political agent of the Tribal Belt in April 1938, stationed at Khyber. He remained there until 1945.[20][16]
Mirza was appointed and served as the political agent ofOdisha and North West Frontier Province from 1945 until 1946.[24] He was promoted tolieutenant-colonel on 16 July 1946.[25] His ability to run the colonial administrative units had brought him to prominence that prompted the British Indian Government to appoint him as theJoint Secretary to the Government of India[3][4] inNew Delhi in 1946.[24] In this position, he was responsible for dividing the British Indian Army into the future armies of Pakistan and India.[24] Around this time, he became closer toLiaquat Ali Khan and began formatting political relations with the politicians of theMuslim League.[16] About himAbdul Ghaffar Khan wrote: ""According to my instructions the mass movement was launched. A Muslim Deputy-Commissioner, Janab Iskander Mirza, avowing his traditional loyalty to the British, excelled his masters, beating to death Syed Akbar, a Khudai Khidmatgar. He went to the extent of poisoning vegetables in a Khudai Khidmatgar camp. Those who ate them were taken seriously ill. I would rather not expose his other crimes but would rather produce him before the Almighty, whom we all have to face on the Day of judgement."[26]
He was appointed as the firstDefence Secretary in the Liaquat administration by the Prime MinisterLiaquat Ali Khan, who relied on running the government on the British viceregal model with the close coordination of thecivilian bureaucracy, thepolice, and themilitary.[27] As Defence Secretary, he oversaw the military efforts in thefirst war with India in 1947, as well as witnessing thefailed secession inBalochistan byKhan of Kalat.[28][29]
In 1950, Mirza was promoted totwo-star rank, having skipped the one-star promotion asbrigadier, and upgraded his rank tomajor-general in thePakistan Army by the promotion papers approved by Prime Minister Ali Khan. He was appointed ascolonel commandant of theMilitary Police while serving as the Defence secretary in the Liaquat administration. In 1951, Prime minister Ali Khan appointed him as the director of the Department of Kashmir and Afghanistan Affairs (DKA).[citation needed]
His tenure as defense secretary also saw the deployment of Military Police inEast Pakistan (now Bangladesh) as a result of theBengali language movement, during which theEast Pakistan Rifles fatally shot four student activists.[citation needed] Within a short span of time, the Military Police had control of the state and its commanding officer submitted the report of their course of action to Major General Iskander Mirza in 1954.[16]
In 1951, he backed the Liaquat administration's decision of appointing the native chiefs of staff of thearmy,air force, andnavy, and dismissed deputation appointments from theBritish military.[30][31] For thefour-star appointment, theArmy GHQ sent the nomination papers to thePrime Minister's Secretariat that included four-seniormajor-generals in the race for thearmy command of the Pakistan Army: Major-GeneralIftikhar Khan, Major-GeneralAkbar Khan, Major-GeneralIshfakul Majid, and Major-GeneralN.A.M. Raza.[32]
Initially, it was Major-GeneralIftikhar Khan who was promoted to four-star rank and selected to be appointed as the first native commander of the army but died in an airplane crash en route after finishing the seniorstaff officers' course in the United Kingdom.[33] All three remaining major-generals were bypassed including the recommended senior-most Major-GeneralAkbar Khan and Major-GeneralIshfakul Majid due to Major-General Mirza's lobbying for the army selection when he presented convincing arguments to Prime MinisterAli Khan to promote the junior-most Major-GeneralAyub Khan to the post despite the fact that his name was not included in the nomination list.[33] Ayub's papers of promotion were controversially approved and was appointed as the first nativeCommander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Army with a promotion to the rank of Lieutenant General (acting full General) on 17 January 1951 by Prime Minister Ali Khan.[30]
With Ayub becoming thearmy chief, it marked a change in the military tradition of preferring native Pakistanis and ending the transitional role ofBritish Army officers.[34] Also in 1951, he helped in elevatingCommodoreM.S. Choudhri to the promotion to two-star rank,rear-admiral, in order to assume thenavy command of the Pakistan Navy, but it was not until in 1953 whenAdmiral Choudhri took over the command.[30][35]
Due to rapid political instability inEast Bengal, Mirza was relieved asDefence Secretary and took over the governorship of East Bengal, in an appointment approved by thenGovernor-GeneralSir Malik Ghulam on 29 May 1954.[36]
On 1 June 1954, Mirza took over theGovernment of East Bengal from Chief MinisterA. K. Fazlul Huq as part of thegovernor's rule that dismissed theUnited Front.[36][37] He imposedmartial law, backed by theEast Pakistan Rifles, and dismissed theEast Bengal Legislative Assembly.[37]
After landing at the thenDacca Airport, Mirza sharply announced in theBengali language to thePakistan media representatives, that he would not hesitate to use force in order to establish peace in the province, and personally threateningMaulana Bhashani of shooting him.[36]: 142
Iskander Mirza ruled East Pakistan with an iron fist, having arrested 319–659 political activists in his first week, includingSheikh Mujibur Rahman andYusuf Ali Chowdhury.[37][36]
By mid-June 1954, the number of arrests reached 1,051, including 33 assembly members and twoDhaka University professors.[36] His authoritative actions had sown a permanent seed of hatred for thePakistani government in the hearts of the people of East Pakistan.[36] Amid criticism at the public level in Pakistan, Mirza was relieved from the post of the Governorship to East Bengal toMuhammad Shahabuddin in October 1954.[38][39] On 24 October 1954, he was appointed asInterior Minister in theBogra administration of Prime MinisterMohammad Ali Bogra.[40] During this time, he had maintained close political ties to the United States's establishment and was backed by Governor-GeneralSir Malik Ghulam for this post, which Mirza only remained at until 7 August 1955.[16]
As an Interior Minister, he provided strong political advocacy for the controversial geopolitical program,One-unit, which he faced strong criticism on byWest Pakistan's politicians and the public in general.[41]
In theBogra administration, he also took care of the matters of theCommonwealth and Kashmir affairs ministry as he had gained major political influence in the administration in 1955.[41] During this time,Governor-GeneralMalik Ghulam survived another attack ofparalysis that made him unable to talk and walk, seeking treatment in the United Kingdom on a two-month leave.[41]
Appointed only asacting governor-general since 7 August 1955, Mirza dismissedSir Malik Ghulam to take over his post on 6 October 1955, andforced Prime Minister Bogra to resign when he appointed him as thePakistan Ambassador to the United States.[41] On 12 August 1955, he invitedMuhammad Ali, theFinance Minister, to take over the government as a prime minister.[36]
The newly constitutedElectoral Collegeunanimously elected Mirza as the interimpresident upon the promulgation of thefirst set of theConstitution on 23 March 1956.[42] Thecoalition of theAwami League, theMuslim League, and theRepublican Party endorsed his presidency.[42]
The Constitution drives the country'ssystem of government towardsparliamentarianism, withexecutive powers vested under the electedPrime Minister while the president served as aceremonialhead of state.[42]
On 12 September 1956, he established and became vice-president of theRepublican Party that was in direct conflict with theMuslim League, mainly due to disagreements on the idea of republicanism and conservatism.[36] Unable to keep the substantial pressure on Mirza's Republic Party eventually led the Muslim League's successful demand for the resignation of Prime MinisterMuhammad Ali on 12 September 1956.[43]
Upon these developments, President Mirza invited theAwami League to form the central government that appointedHuseyn Suhrawardy as the Prime Minister, who made an alliance with the Republican Party, to take over charge of the government.[44]
Despite both being ethnicBengalis and hailing from East Bengal, the two leaders had very different views of running the central government and both leaders were in brief conflict, causing harm to theunity of the nation.[36] Prime Minister Suhrawardy found it extremely difficult to govern effectively due to the issue ofOne Unit, alleviating thenational economy, and President Mirza's constant unconstitutional interference in theSuhrawardy administration.[44]
President Mirza demanded the resignation of Prime MinisterSuhrawardy and turned down his request to seek amotion of confidence at theNational Assembly.[44] Threatened by President Mirza's dismissal, Prime Minister Suhrawardy tendered his resignation on 17 October 1957 and was succeeded byI. I. Chundrigar but he too was forced to resign in a mere two months.[45]
President Mirza had widely lacked the parliamentary spirit, distrusting the civilians to ensure the integrity and sovereignty of the country.[42] His unconstitutional interference in thecivil administration made the elected prime ministers effectively unable to function, as he had dismissed four elected prime ministers in a matter of two years.[42] On his last nomination, he appointedFeroz Khan as the seventh Prime Minister of the country, who had been supported by the Awami League and the Muslim League.[16]
After thelegislative elections held in 1954, theAwami League had been successfully negotiating with theMuslim League for apower-sharing agreement to form thenational government against theRepublican Party.[46]
By 1958,I.I. Chundrigar andA.Q. Khan had successfully reorganized the Muslim League that was threatening the reelection and the political endorsement for Mirza for his second term of the presidency.[46] Furthermore, theRepublican Party, presided by Prime MinisterSir Feroze Khan, had been under pressure over the electoral reforms issue at theNational Assembly.[46] Upon witnessing these developments, President Mirza ordered the mass mobilization of the military and imposedemergency rule in the country after declaringmartial law against his ownparty's administration led by Prime MinisterFeroze Khan by abrogating thewrit of theConstitution and dissolving thenational andprovisional assemblies at midnight on 7/8 October 1958.[46]
In the morning of 8 October 1958, President Mirza announced vianational radio that he was introducing a new constitution "more suited to the genius of the Pakistan nation",[47] as he believed democracy was unsuited to Pakistan "with its 15% literacy rate".[47] Upon abdicating, Mirza took the nation into confidence, saying that:
Three weeks ago, I (Iskander Mirza) imposed martial law in Pakistan and appointed General Ayub Khan asSupreme Commander of the [Armed Forces] and also asChief Martial Law Administrator.... By the grace ofGod... This measure which I had adopted in the interest of our beloved country has been extremely well received by our people and by our friends and well wishers abroad... I have done best to administer in the difficult task of arresting further deterioration and bringing order out of chaos... In our efforts to evolve an effective structure for future administration of this country...Pakistan Zindabad, Pakistan Zindabad!
— President Iskander Mirza,abdicating on 1958.10.27,[48]
This martial law imposed by the country's first president was the first example ofmartial law in Pakistan, which would continue until thedissolution of East Pakistan in 1971.[46] Iskander Mirza appointed then-Army Commander of thePakistan Army, GeneralAyub Khan, as theChief Martial Law Administrator (CMLA), which proved his undoing within three weeks.[46]
Thetwo-man rule political regime was evolved under President Mirza and his appointedchief martial law administration and then-army chief GeneralAyub Khan.[49] However, the two men had very differentpoints of view on running the government with the new situation, even though they were responsible for bringing about the change.[49]
I did not mean to do it.... The martial law would be for the shortest possible duration until the new elections....
— President Mirza, 1958,[49]
President Mirza had not envisaged any change in his previous powers; he wanted to retain the ability to maneuver things in keeping with his own whims.[49] Judging from the situation, the things however had changed as the time and situation both were demanding the complete solution.[49] General Ayub Khan came to an understanding that the realpolitical power rested with the support of the military, and within a week of enforcingmartial law, President Mirza realized the delicate position he got himself into.[49] In an interview withDawn, President Mirza regretted his decision saying: "I did not mean to do it"[49] while offering assurances that martial law would be for the shortest possible duration.[49][50]
In 1958, President Mirza accepted the resignation of Vice-AdmiralM.S. Choudhri, replacing him with Vice-AdmiralA.R. Khan as the newnaval chief butcivil-military relations continued to be a dominant factor between President Mirza and General Ayub Khan.[49]
Mirza unilaterally made Ayub Khan Prime Minister and appointed a newcabinet of technocrats for him.[51]
The new administration did not satisfy CMLA Ayub Khan who had more control in the administration than President Mirza.[49] Ayub dispatched the military unit to enter thepresidential palace on midnight of 26–27 October 1958 and placed him in an airplane to be exiled to England.[52][53] Subsequently, Admiral A. R. Khan andfour army and air force generals:Azam,Amir,Wajid, andAsghar Khan were instrumental in the dismissal of President Mirza.[53][49]
Exiled in 1959, Mirza lived the remainder of hislife in exile in London, England, where he financially struggled running a smallPakistani cuisine hotel until his death.[54] It was reported widely by Pakistani media that despite hailing from a wealthy Nawab and aristocratic family, Mirza lived inpoverty in England and his regular income was based on his retirement pension of £3,000 as a former military officer and president. Foreign dignitaries such asArdeshir Zahedi,Shah of Iran,Lord Inchcape, Lord Hume, andPakistani billionairesin London made his life in exile tolerable.[55]
At the London hospital where he died, he once said to his wife, Nahid: "We cannot afford medical treatment, so just let me die."[55]
He died of a heart attack on 13 November 1969, his 70th birthday.Yahya Khan, thepresident of Pakistan, denied him a burial inEast Pakistan.Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, theShah of Iran, sent his personal plane to London to bring President Mirza's body toTehran, where he was given astate funeral. Hundreds of Iranians, including Prime MinisterAbbas Hoveyda, andPakistani expatriates in Iran bade farewell and offered their prayers.[54]
The funeral ceremony was marred by the absence of Iskander Mirza's relatives living in Pakistan. The military government barred them from leaving Pakistan in time despite the best efforts of Ardeshir Zahedi, Iran's foreign minister, and President Iskander Mirza's friends in Pakistan and Iran. There are unfounded rumors that after theIslamic Revolution in Iran (1979), his grave was desecrated.[54]
Mirza was married twice: his first marriage took place on 24 November 1922, when he married an Iranian woman, Rifaat Begum (1907–23 March 1967). The couple had two sons and four daughters.[56]
Humayun Mirza is the only surviving son of Iskander Mirza. He was born inPoona, India, and was educated atDoon School. He also studied in the U.K., before moving to the U.S., where he earned his MBA fromHarvard. He married Josephine Hildreth, the daughter ofHorace Hildreth, the U.S. ambassador to Pakistan.[57] He retired from theWorld Bank in 1988. He lives inBethesda, Maryland. He is the author of a book "From Plassey to Pakistan: The Family History of Iskander Mirza." Humayun's younger brother,Enver Mirza, had died in a plane crash in 1953.
In October 1954, while in West Pakistan, Mirza's second marriage took place in Karachi after he fell in love with an Iranian aristocrat,Naheed Amirteymour (1919–2019), daughter ofAmirteymour Kalali. She was a close friend of BegumNusrat Bhutto. It was this friendship that broughtZulfikar Ali Bhutto into the political arena of Pakistan.[58]
Iskandar Ali Mirza is often criticized byPakistani historians for imposing martial law.[16] Historians have noted that Mirza held that Pakistanis "lacked the parliamentary spirit and because of the lack of training in the field of democracy and the low literacy rate among the masses, democratic institutions cannot flourish in Pakistan".[16] He believed that the judicial authorities should be given the same powers which they used to enjoy during the British Indian Empire.[16][59][24]
Mirza's political ideology reflectedsecularism, and an image ofinternationalism, strongly advocatingreligious separation in state matters.[16] Mirza had never had a high opinion of politicians.[55] He was well known for his conviction that the politicians were destroying the country. He felt that in order to work towards real and responsible democracy, the country must have what he called "controlled democracy".[55]
Historians also asserted that Mirza's role as thehead of state led him to play an active part in power politics, building an image of being akingmaker in the country's politics.[16] Mirza took full advantage of the weaknesses of politicians and played them against each other, first offsetting the influence of the Muslim League by creating the Republican Party.[16]
Your services are indispensable for Pakistan. When the history of our country is written by objective historians, your name will be placed even before that of Mr. Jinnah....
— Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, 1958,[58]
During his short span of four years as the head of state, four prime ministers were changed, three of them were his appointees, while the only popularly elected Bengali prime minister was dismissed. Iskander Mirza is thus widely held responsible for the instability that brought the active role of Pakistan armed forces into politics.[16]
By the 1950s, Mirza had moved his personal wealth toPakistan which was confiscated by the government of Pakistan when he was exiled, and it was reported byHindustan Times in 2016, that his family estate in Murshidabad, West Bengal, was left in ruins.[60]
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(ribbon bar, as it would look today)
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Members and collaterals of the [Murshidabad] nawab family have been prominent in Pakistani politics, including Iskandar Mirza ... Mirza was a member of the Murshidabad family of Sirajuddaulah."
Mirza ... attended Bombay University before joining the British Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, as its first Indian cadet.
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| New office | Defence Secretary of Pakistan 1947–1954 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Governor ofEast Bengal 1954 | Succeeded by Muhammad Shahabuddin Acting |
| Preceded by | Minister of the Interior 1954–1955 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Governor-General of Pakistan 1955–1956 | Position abolished. Himself as firstPresident of Pakistan |
| New title | President of Pakistan 1956–1958 | Succeeded by |
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Italics indicate acting Presidents | ||
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