The Liaquat Ali Khan government, commonly abbreviated as the L.A Khan government or Ali Khan administration was the first government and cabinet of Pakistan[a] which ruled from 1947 to 1951, and was led by Liaquat Ali Khan.
Liaquat Ali Khan Government | |
|---|---|
 Cabinet of Pakistan | |
| 1947-1951 | |
 Members of the government, with Liaquat Ali Khan himself sat third from the right, with Governor-General Jinnah to his left. | |
| Date formed | 15th August 1947 |
| Date dissolved | 16th October 1951 |
| People and organisations | |
| Governor-General | Muhammad Ali Jinnah Khawaja Nazimuddin |
| Head of government | Liaquat Ali Khan |
| Member party | Muslim League |
| History | |
| Legislature term(s) | 1st Constituent Assembly of Pakistan |
| Predecessor | Interim |
The government was founded on 15th August, 1947, almost immediately after the Partition of India and Pakistan’s independence. The founder of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah tasked Liaquat Ali Khan, a leading figure in Pakistan’s independence to form an administration and consolidate the new Pakistani governments’ control, while Jinnah himself opted for the more the ceremonial position of head of state (Governor-General).[1]
The administration would be lead by the newly formed Muslim League, while the cabinet would be comprised of several Pakistan movement activists and members of the Muslim League. The government’s main focus was recovering from the bloody partition of India, which took the lives of over 1 million people. The government also faced increasing challenges from Communist opposition, Princely state annexations and mainly the outbreak of war with India.[2] The government tenure of Liaquat Ali Khan oversaw the consolidation of the new state of ‘Pakistan’, he did so effectively by laying the administrative groundwork for Pakistan’s constitution in the 1949 Objectives Resolution.[3]
Liaquat's government would not function as a democracy; instead Muslim League-rule was implemented. The legislature of the government would consist of the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan. The governor-general, Jinnah died in 1948 and was replaced by Khawaja Nazimuddin who ruled till the governments end in 1951.
The government would dissolve in 1951, when the head of government, Liaquat Ali Khan would be assassinated under mysterious circumstances. Governor-general Khawaja Nazimuddin would then take office as second prime minister of Pakistan and would form the second government in Pakistan’s history after Liaquat died, though the same cabinet and constituent assembly continued from Liaquat’s government.[4]
Cabinet ministry edit
Liaquat Ali Khan’s cabinet, called the Ali Khan Cabinet consisted of many seasoned politicians, statesmen and activists of the Pakistan Movement, with Liaquat himself regarded as a seasoned politician.[5]
Upon the cabinet’s formation, Liaquat Ali Khan, alongside his already existing role as prime minister, assumed the roles of Minister for Foreign Affairs, Minister of Defence, and Minister of States and Frontier Regions. Though, as the government and cabinet progressed, these roles were handed over to multiple diverse ministers.
| The Ali Khan Cabinet | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ministerial office | Officer holder | Term | Party |
| Prime minister | Liaquat Ali Khan | 1947–1951 | ML |
| Foreign Affairs | Sir Zafrullah Khan | 1947–1954 | ML |
| Treasury, Economic | Malik Ghulam | 1947–1954 | IND |
| Law, Justice, Labor | Jogendra Nath Mandal | 1947–1951 | ML |
| Interior | Khwaja Shahabuddin | 1948–1951 | ML |
| Defence | Iskander Mirza | 1947–1954 | ML |
| Science advisor | Salimuzzaman Siddiqui | 1951–1959 | N/A |
| Education, Health | Fazal Ilahi Chaudhry | 1947–1956 | ML |
| Finance, Statistics | Sir Victor Turner | 1947–1951 | N/A |
| Minorities, Women | Sheila Irene Pant | 1947–1951 | N/A |
| Communications | Abdur Rab Nishtar | 1947–1951 | ML |
History edit
Timeline edit
14th August, 1947, The Partition of India, Pakistan is declared as an independent state, Jinnah is placed as Pakistan’s first Governor-General.[1]
15th August, 1947, Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Liaquat Ali Khan form an administration, Liaquat Ali Khan is sworn in as first prime minister of Pakistan. Ministries, cabinets and the government are all formed.[6]
In the following months of the governments formation, refugees from the partition were taken, courts, juries, agencies and positions were established, relations and embassies with foreign nations were also established.
October 1947, following tensions skyrocketing between the Dominions of India and Pakistan over the princely state of Jammu & Kashmir, the Indo-Pakistani war of 1947-48 breaks out.[7]
11th September 1948, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Governor-General dies in office due to tuberculosis.
14th September 1948, Khawaja Nazimuddin is chosen as the second governor-general of Pakistan following Jinnah’s death.
1st January 1949, the Indo-Pakistani war of 1947-48 officially ends with a proclamation of a ceasefire.[8]
7th March, 1949, Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan presents the Objectives Resolution unto the Constituent assembly of Pakistan, Out of 75 members of the assembly, 21 voted for opposing it. All the amendments proposed by minority members were rejected. Consequently, all ten of them voted against it. The resolution was passed and laid the groundwork for Pakistan’s future constitutions.[3]
March 1951, members of the Communist Party of Pakistan plot to overthrow the L.A Khan government in the Rawalpindi Conspiracy. The plot fails and the conspirators are arrested by Liaquat’s government law enforcement.[9]
16th October, 1951, Prime minister Liaquat Ali Khan is shot twice and dies in office due to his injuries, dissolving the government.[10]
Legislature edit
The first unicameral legislature of Pakistan formed after the partition of India. There were 100 Members of Parliament, including 44 from East Bengal, 17 from West Punjab, 3 from the Northwest Frontier Province, 4 from Sindh, and 1 from Balochistan. Four of West Punjab's 17 allocated seats were laid vacant.[4]
Notes edit
- ^ From 1947 to 1956, Pakistan was known as the Dominion of Pakistan.
References edit
- ^ a b Newspaper, From the (2013-02-04). "Transfer of power and Jinnah". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2024-06-01.
- ^ Kāẓmī, Muḥammad Raz̤ā (2003). Liaquat Ali Khan: his life and work. Karachi: Oxford University Press. p. 354. ISBN 978-0-19-579788-6.
- ^ a b "The Objectives Resolution". Islamic Studies. 48 (1): 89–118. 2009. ISSN 0578-8072.
- ^ a b First Constituent Assembly of Pakistan 1947-1954, List of Members and Adresses - National Assembly of Pakistan
- ^ saadia.qamar (2017-02-10). "Liaquat Ali Khan — the unsung hero of Pakistan's history". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 2024-06-02.
- ^ "National Assembly of Pakistan". na.gov.pk. Retrieved 2024-06-02.
- ^ Nawaz, Shuja (2008-05-26). "The First Kashmir War Revisited". India Review. 7 (2): 115–154. doi:10.1080/14736480802055455. ISSN 1473-6489.
- ^ Prasad, Sri Nandan; Pal, Dharm (1987). Operations in Jammu & Kashmir, 1947–48. History Division, Ministry of Defence, Government of India.
- ^ Hasan Zaheer (1998). The times and trial of the Rawalpindi conspiracy 1951: the first coup attempt in Pakistan. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-577892-
- ^ "Liaquat Bagh adds to its gory history". DAWN.COM. 2007-12-28. Retrieved 2024-06-02.
Additional Sources edit
K. Sarwar Hasan, 1951. THE FOREIGN POLICY OF MR. LIAQUAT ALI KHAN