| Governor-General of Pakistan | |
|---|---|
| گورنر جنرل پاکستان | |
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| Style | His Excellency |
| Status | Abolished |
| Residence | Governor-General's House |
| Appointer | Monarch of Pakistan |
| Formation | 14 August 1947 |
| First holder | Muhammad Ali Jinnah |
| Final holder | Iskander Mirza |
| Abolished | 23 March 1956 |
Thegovernor-generalof Pakistan (Urdu:گورنر جنرل پاکستان) was therepresentative of thePakistani monarch in theDominion of Pakistan, established by theIndian Independence Act 1947. The office of governor-general was abolished when Pakistan became anIslamic republic in 1956.[1][2]
In the first years after its independence, Pakistan was one of therealms of theCommonwealth of Nations that shared the same person as sovereign and head of state. The Pakistani monarch was represented in the dominion by the governor-general of Pakistan, whom the monarch appointed on the advice of the Pakistani government.[3][4]
The Pakistani monarch and the Federal Legislature of Pakistan constituted the Parliament of Pakistan. All executive powers of Pakistan rested with the sovereign. All laws in Pakistan were enacted only withroyal assent, granted by the governor-general on behalf of the sovereign. The governor-general was also responsible for summoning,proroguing, anddissolving the Federal Legislature. The governor-general chose and appointed the Council of Ministers and dismissed them at his discretion. All Pakistani ministers of the Crown held office at the pleasure of the governor-general. The governor-general of Pakistan was also exempted from any proceedings against him in any Pakistani court.[5][6]
Akhilesh Pillalamarri ofThe Diplomat wrote that during the reign ofElizabeth II, Queen of Pakistan, "her governors-general were presidents of Pakistan in all but name."[7]
The governor-general of Pakistan was required to take an oath of allegiance to the Constitution of Pakistan and the Pakistani monarch before being permitted to assume his seat. The oath of allegiance taken by Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the first governor-general, was as follows:[6]
"I, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, do solemnly affirm true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of Pakistan as by law established and that I will be faithful to His Majesty King George VI, in the office of Governor General of Pakistan."
The following is a list of people who served as governor-general of Pakistan.
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Monarch (Reign) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||||||
| 1 |  | Muhammad Ali Jinnah (1876–1948) | 14 August 1947 | 11 September 1948 | 1 year, 28 days | .jpg) George VI (1947–1952) | |||
| Office vacant (11 September 1948 –14 September 1948) | |||||||||
| 2 |  | Sir Khawaja Nazimuddin (1894–1964) | 14 September 1948 | 17 October 1951 | 3 years, 33 days | ||||
| 3 |  | Sir Ghulam Muhammad (1895–1956) | 17 October 1951 | 7 August 1955 | 3 years, 294 days | ||||
_(cropped)_(3-to-4_aspect_ratio).jpg) Elizabeth II (1952–1956) | |||||||||
| 4 |  | Iskander Mirza (1899–1969) | 7 August 1955 | 23 March 1956 | 229 days | ||||
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