Not a single Prime Minister of Pakistan completed five-year term in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: History repeat itself? Not a single prime minister in Pakistan has been allowed to complete his tenure since the country’s inception 70 years ago.

The political situation in Pakistan has had a bumpy ride ever since 1947, as four times democratic governments were thrown away by military dictators, one prime minister was murdered while another was hanged by judiciary, while many were sent home by presidents and one was dismissed by the Supreme Court. Another one awaits a decision of the apex court. However, never in the history of Pakistan, the Supreme Court of Pakistan has sent home a PM under Article 184-3 of the constitution which is the suo moto jurisdiction. 

Pakistan’s first prime minister was murdered in Rawalpindi on October 16, 1951. He had assumed the charge of the premier on August 15, 1947. Then the second PM Khawaja Nazimuddin was sent home by Governor General Ghulam Muhammad on April 17, 1953. Nazimuddin knocked the doors of the Supreme Court where Justice Munir had to invent the doctrine of necessity to validate Ghulam Muhammad’s illegal act. Then came Muhammad Ali Bogra who too was dismissed by Ghulam Muhammad in 1954 but later was again appointed as PM but he did not enjoy majority in the Constituent Assembly therefore Governor General Iskender Mirza dismissed his government in 1955. Chaudhary Muhammad Ali succeeded in becoming the PM in 1955 but because of his conflict with Iskender Mirza who had become president as a result of 1956 constitution, Muhammad Ali resigned on September 12, 1956. Hussain Shaheed Suhrawardy was the leader of Awami League and led the party through a victory in the 1954 elections for Constituent Assembly. He was the first person from another party than Muslim League to be appointed as a Prime Minister in 1956. He was deposed in 1957, due to differences with Iskander Mirza.

Ibrahim Ismail Chundrigar was appointed by Iskander Mirza after the resignation of Suhrawardy. He remained prime minister for almost two months. Chundrigar resigned from the post in December 1957. Then Mirza appointed Feroz Khan Noon as the seventh prime minister of Pakistan. He was dismissed after Martial Law was declared in 1958 by Ayub Khan. 

After thirteen years of Martial Law, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto succeeded to power. Bhutto remained President under special arrangement till 1973 Constitution was passed. He resigned as president to become the prime minister of Pakistan after the 1973 Constitution. He went in to elections in 1977 and succeeded but was deposed the same year through coup d'état by General Muhammad Ziaul Haq in July 1977. He was hanged in 1979 by all powerful military-judicial nexus.

In 1985 non-party elections, Muhammad Khan Junejo was elected as PM of Pakistan under the worst dictators of Pakistan. As he was a political breed, he remained a threat to the dictator therefore his government was dismissed on May 29, 1988, just days after Junejo announced to probe the Ojhri Camp incident in Rawalpindi in which military’s weapons depot was exploded killing around 100 people and injuring thousands.

As a result of 1988 general elections, Benazir Bhutto came into power as PM on December 2, 1988. An impeachment move was shot down by PPP in 1989 but President Ghulam Ishaq Khan dismissed Ms Bhutto’s government on August 6, 1990 using the notorious presidential powers of Article 58 (2)b. Mian Nawaz Sharif followed Ms Bhutto and become PM for the first time in 1990. His government was dismissed by President Ghulam Ishaq Khan in 1993 but the Supreme Court restored it later. However, the famous Kakar formula came into play when the then Army Chief Waheed Kakar forced both, Mian Nawaz Sharif and Ghulam Ishaq Khan to resign on July 18, 1993.

Ms Benazir Bhutto again became PM of Pakistan in 1993 but her second government also could last three years and his own handpicked loyal president Farooq Laghari conspired against her and dismissed her government in November 1996 using Article 58(2)b. Mian Nawaz Sharif again became PM of Pakistan as a result of February 1997 election but on October 12, 1999, General Pervez Musharraf imposed emergency in the country and threw Nawaz Sharif out of the power.

Then three PMs under the dictator Musharraf served the office, of which Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali could hold the office for 19 months only and was sent home by Musharraf. Chaudhary Shujaat acted as a stopgap arrangement for two months before Musharraf’s friend Shaukat Aziz became PM in August 2004. 

As a result of 2008 general elections, PPP succeeded to secure majority in the National Assembly and Yusuf Raza Gilani was elected as the PM. It was all well for Mr Gilani until he was convicted in a contempt of court case in Supreme Court for not writing a letter against the sitting president to the Swiss authorities to reopen corruption cases. Gilani remained PM of Pakistan from March 25, 2008 to June 19, 2012. The remaining term of PPP government was completed by Raja Pervaiz Ashraf who held the office from June 2012 to March 2013.

Mian Nawaz Sharif became the PM for the third time in 2013 but as he entered the last year of his tenure, he has been engulfed by Panama Papers case in Supreme Court. The SC will announce an important judgment on Friday (today) Five-member larger bench of the apex court, headed by Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa and including Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan, Justice Gulzar Ahmed, Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed and Justice Ijazul Ahsen, announced the judgment. It was an unanimous decision by all the five judges.

The court, in its verdict directed the Election Commission of Pakistan to issue disqualification notification of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif with immediate effect.

Most famous forts of Pakistan

Rohtas Fort:

This one arguably is the best fort in Pakistan. It was constructed by the famous king Sher Shah Suri in 1547 AD. It is situated in the town of Dina, which is near Jhelum city and also not far from the capital, Islamabad. 

Derawar Fort:

This fort is just near Bahawalpur City and the area is known for the historic monuments and forts. This is one of the largest square type fortresses in the country. The walls of the fort are 30 meters high and have a circumference of 1500 meters. This was the residence of the Royal Family of Bahawalpur and was constructed in 1733.

Ranikot Fort:

This fort is also famously known as the great wall of Sindh. It is situated in the Jamshoro District and is a talismanic wonder of the country. It was build way back in 836 AD but it was again reconstructed in the year 1812.

Lahore Fort:

It is located in the heart of Lahore which signifies the brilliance in construction of the Mughal Empire. It was built by Emperor Akbar of the Mughal Royal dynasty and is still there in very excellent condition. 

Bala Hissar Fort:

Bala Hissar Fort is located near the Peshawar City which was the residents of the Afghan kings in the early 19th century. The fort has seen good and bad times in the times of wars which resulted in destruction of the fort. But, still it is preserved in reasonably good condition which fascinates the visitors.

Red Fort Muzaffarabad:

This famous fort in Muzaffarabad is also popularly known as Muzaffarabad fort. The Chuk rulers of the area initially began with its construction but was completed much later by Sultan Muzaffar Khan in 1646.

Altit Fort:

This ancient fort is located in the picturesque Hunza valley and the collage of history with nature creates a majestic spell for the visitors. The rulers of the Hunza state constructed it some 1100 years ago for their private residence.

Baltit Fort:

This is another ancient fort just near the Altit fort which is also on the tentative list of World heritage of UNESCO. It is 700 years old fort and alterations and rebuilds were done over the centuries.

Skardu Fort:

It is situated in the Skardu valley which used to be the royal residence of the kings of Skardu. It was constructed in the 16th century and because of its so much charm, Emperor Aurangzeb of the Mughal tried to capture the fort but in vain.

Quetta Fort:

Quetta fort in the province of Baluchistan is a military garrison fortress which was constructed by the British Empire in the late 19th century. Its historic relevance and impeccable beauty makes it one of the finest forts in Pakistan.

Attock Fort.

Akbar's Fort at Attock. Asfandyar Shaheed Monument in Attock City. Attock (Punjabi, Urdu: اٹک) formerly Campbellpur, is a city located in northern part of Punjab.

History of Pakistan

The history of Pakistan: The history of the regions constituting modern day Pakistan. Prior to independence in 1947, the areas now known as Pakistan were ruled in various periods by local kings and numerous imperial powers. The ancient history of the region consisting of present-day Pakistan also includes some of the oldest empires of the Indian Subcontinent; and some of the world's major civilizations[2][3][4][5] such as the Indus Valley civilization.

Pakistan's political history is closely connected with the struggle of Indian Muslims to regain power after they lost it to British colonialism.[6] In 1906 the Muslim League was established in opposition to the Congress party which it accused of failing to protect "Muslim interests, aims neglect and under-representation." On 29 December 1930, philosopher Sir Muhammad Iqbal called for an autonomous new state in "northwestern India for Indian Muslims".The League rose in popularity through the late 1930s. Muhammad Ali Jinnah espoused the Two Nation Theory and led the League to adopt the Lahore Resolution of 1940, demanding the formation of independent Muslim states in the North-West and North-East of British India. In 1946 the Muslim League contested elections over the question of partition. The 1946 election in British India was essentially a plebiscite among Indian Muslims over the creation of Pakistan. The Muslim League won 90 percent of reserved Muslim seats and the demand for partition and the creation of Pakistan received overwhelming popular support among Indian Muslims.[9] Pakistan gained independence as a new state on 14 August 1947.

On 12 March 1949, the second constituent assembly of Pakistan passed the Objectives Resolution which proclaimed that sovereignty over the entire universe belongs to Allah alone. The promulgation of the Constitution in 1956 led to Pakistan declaring itself an Islamic republic (official name) with the adoption of a parliamentary democratic system of government. The constitution transformed the Governor-General of Pakistan into President of Pakistan (as head of state). Subsequently, Iskander Mirza became the first Bengali president in 1956, but the democratic system was stalled after President Mirza imposed a military coup d'état and appointed Ayub Khan as an enforcer of martial law. Two weeks later, President Mirza was ousted by Ayub Khan; his presidency saw an era of internal instability and a second war with India in 1965. Economic grievances and political disenfranchisement in East Pakistan led to violent political tensions and armed repression, escalating into a civil war followed by the third war with India. Pakistan's defeat in the war ultimately led to the secession of East Pakistan and the birth of Bangladesh.

In 1972 the leftist Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) led by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto came to power and in 1973 Pakistan's elected parliament promulgated the 1973 Constitution which proclaimed that no Pakistani law could contradict Islamic laws from the Quran and Sunnah.[13] Bhutto faced vigorous opposition which united under the banner of Nizam e Mustafa (Rule of the Prophet) and demanded the establishment of an Islamic state.In 1977 Bhutto was deposed in a bloodless coup by General Zia-ul-Haq, who became the country's third military president. Zia-ul-Haq committed himself to the establishment of Sharia law (Islamic law) in Pakistan.

With the death of President Zia-ul-Haq in 1988, new general elections saw the victory of PPP led by Benazir Bhutto who was elevated as the country's first female Prime Minister of Pakistan. Over the next decade, she alternated power with the conservative Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML(N)) led by Nawaz Sharif, as the country's political and economic situation deteriorated. Military tensions in the Kargil conflict with India were followed by yet another coup d'état in 1999 in which General Pervez Musharraf assumed executive powers.

Appointing himself President after the resignation of President Rafiq Tarar, Musharraf held nationwide general elections in 2002 to transfer the executive powers to newly elected Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali, who was succeeded in the 2004 by Shaukat Aziz. During the election campaign of 2007, Benazir Bhutto was assassinated which led to a series of important political developments including the left-wing alliance led by the PPP. Historic general elections held in 2013 marked the return of PML(N) with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif assuming the leadership of the country for the third time in its history.