BRIEF HISTORY OF PAKISTAN

 
Forties - Fifties - Sixties - Seventies - Eighties - Nineties

PRE-PARTITION HISTORY

4500BC Moenjodaro built.
2500BC Harappa built.
1500BC Aryans invade valley of the River Indus.
  530BC The Persian emperor, Cyrus the Great, conquers part of Punjab.
  330BC Alexander the Great conquers the north of Pakistan.100AD Peshawar
                 becomes an important trading centre of the Kushan Empire.
  711AD Arabs arrive, bringing Islam with them.
1000AD Arabs overthrown by the Turks.
1206AD Most of Pakistan becomes part of the Delhi Sultanate.
1526AD Moghuls become rulers and Islam spreads.
1740AD The Moghul Empire begins to decline.
1756AD Start of British rule.
1800AD Sikh kingdoms begin to gain power in Punjab.
1857AD Indian mutiny. The Moguls defeated by the British.
1858AD The British government assumes direct control of India.
1876AD Mohammed Ali Jinnah, "founder of Pakistan", born in Karachi, on December 25th.
1877AD Allama Iqbal, Muslim scholar, born in Sialkot, on November 9th.
1906AD Mohammed Ali Jinnah joins All India National Congress.

POST-PARTITION HISTORY

1947: The first session of the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan was held on August 10 and the next day it unanimously elected Mohammad Ali Jinnah as its first President. Pakistan appears on the world map on August 14 and Mr. Jinnah was sworn in as the first Governor General. Liaquat Ali Khan becomes the first Prime Minister of Pakistan.

1948: Jinnah died on September 11. Khawaja Nazimuddin becomes the Governor General and Molvi Tamizuddin Khan elected as the Speaker of the Constituent Assembly.

1949: On March 7, the Constituent Assembly approves the Objectives Resolution and appoints a Basic Principles Committee (BPC) to evolve the fundamental principles of the country's future constitution.

1950: The BPC presents its interim report to the Constituent Assembly on September 28. But the report was hastily withdrawn amid scathing criticism from the religious groups as well as the protagonists of provincial autonomy.

1951: On January 24, a conference of 31 prominent Ulema from different school of thoughts formulated 22 fundamental principles of the Islamic state. Liaquat Ali Khan was assassinated on October, 16, 1951. No one knows till now why he was assassinated, apparently, by a hired killer Said Akbar at a public meeting in Rawalpindi. Khawaja Nazimuddin steps down (or forced to step down) to become the Prime Minister on October 19. Malik Ghulam Mohammad, the Finance Minister, who had served as a civil servant in the Indian Audit Service, sworn in as Governor General.

1952: The first ethnic riots in East Pakistan against attempts to make Urdu as the national language and lack of representation for Bengalis in central administration. The BPC presents the second revised report to the Constituent Assembly on November 23. The report called for a parity of representation between East and West Pakistan in parliament elected on the basis of separate balloting for minorities. It also recommended that no law would be made in violation of the tenets of the Quran and Sunnah.

1953: Martial Law imposed in Lahore to control the sectarian riots against Qadianis. This was the first sectarian rioting in the country and the army was called for the first time to control a civil strife. Governor General, Malik Ghulam Mohammad, sacked Prime Minister Khawaja Nazimuddin (although he enjoyed confidence of the parliament) and appointed Mohammad Ali Bogra to form a government on April 17. Mr. Bogra was summoned by the G.G. from the Washington, where he was serving as Pakistan's ambassador.

1954: Governor General, Ghulam Mohammad, declared emergency in the country and dissolved the Constituent Assembly on October 24. The Assembly had passed a bill in September which made the Governor General subservient to the advice of the Prime Minister. Mohammad Ali Bogra was again called to form a new government in which Commander-in-Chief of Pakistan Army, General Mohammad Ayub Khan, became the Defense Minister. He was the first serving C-in-C to join the cabinet. Pakistan joins Baghdad Pact (later known as Central Treaty Organization after the withdrawal of Iraq) and South East Asian Treaty Organization (SEATO), a US-sponsored military alliance to contain communism.

1955: On May 10, the Federal Court, headed by Chief Justice Mohammad Munir, declared the dissolution of the Constituent Assembly as justified on the principle of state necessity. Mohammad Ali Bogra resigned and another bureaucrat, Chaudhry Mohammad Ali, was installed as Prime Minister in August. In October, Major General Iskandar Mirza becomes Governor General following the resignation of Ghulam Mohammad because of health reasons.

1956: On February 29, the Constituent Assembly approves a constitutional draft which came into effect on March 23. The constitution, based on the principle of "parity" between the two wings of the country, empowered the Federal government to strangulate the provinces. Iskandar Mirza becomes the first President of Pakistan. Hussein Shaheed Suhrawardy, who had refused to sign the 1956 constitution as a member of the Constituent Assembly, becomes Prime Minister in September.

1957: In October, Ismael Ibrahim Chundrigar replaced Suharwardy as Prime Minister. He remained in office for only 59 days and was forced to resign in December. Malik Feroz Khan Noon succeeds Chundrigar as Prime Minister. He was the seventh Prime Minister in 10 years.

1958: President Iskandar Mirza, on October 7, abrogated the constitution and imposed martial law. On Oct. 27, the Supreme Court -- in Dosso case -- upheld the imposition of martial law as constitutional. On the same day President Iskandar Mirza was forced at gun point to stepaside and hand over all power to General (later Field Marshal) Ayub Khan.

1959: Oct. 27, on the first anniversary of his seizure of power, Ayub Khan announces the system of Basic Democracies, comprising 80,000 Basic Democrat Wards.

1960: February 14, a referendum is held to elect the president. Ayub Khan, being the only candidate, received 95.6 per cent of the votes cast. On Feb. 17, Ayub Khan was sworn in as the "elected" president.

1961: May 6, the Constitution Commission, appointed by President Ayub Khan, presents its report to the President. The Commission pinpoints the following as the cause of the failure of the parliamentary form of government in Pakistan: (a) lack of proper elections and defects in the constitution; (b) undue interference by the head of state in the ministries and political parties by the Central Government in the functioning of governments in the provinces; and (c) lack of leadership, resulting in the lack of well organized and disciplined parties, the general lack of character in politicians, and their undue interference in the administration.

1962: March 1, Ayub Khan promulgates a constitution which sought to reinforce his authority in the absence of martial law. In April, Elections for the National and provincial assembly were held on the basis of Basic Democracies. July, the National Assembly passes the Political Parties Act, legalizing the formation of political parties.

1963: To avert any possibility of political agitation, Ayub Khan, in January, amends the Political Parties Act, which provided that the politicians disqualified under the Elected Bodies Disqualification Ordinance (EBDO) would become liable to two years imprisonment if they indulged in any political activity. A list of fundamental rights which were incorporated in the constitution through the first Amendment. March 2, Pakistan and China sign a border agreement.

1964: August, the National Assembly approves the Presidential Election Bill that called for holding of elections, on the basis of Basic Democracies, for the President, national and provincial assemblies in early 1965. According to the 1962 constitution, the first term of President Ayub was to expire on August 8, 1965.

1965: January 2, Ayub Khan defeats his main opponent, Miss Fatima Jinnah in the presidential elections amid opposition accusations of mass rigging of the polls. September 6, the Indo-Pakistan war begins as India attacks Pakistan. The 17-day war, when the East Pakistan was left undefended, weakened the already fraying national ties between the two wings.

1966: January 10, Pakistan and India sign an agreement in Tashkent to formally end the hostilities between the two countries. In February, the leader of the East Pakistan Awami League, Sheikh Mujibur Rehman announced his six points "charter for survival" that called for limiting the federal government to national defense and foreign affairs.

1967: April, a conference of opposition parties in Dhaka, forms the National Democratic Front and announces an eight-point political program that called for limiting the federal government powers to defense, foreign affairs, currency and federal finance and inter-provincial communications and trade. It also called for a parliamentary form of government elected on the basis of adult franchise.

1968: November, students launch a nation-wide protest campaign against an ordinance which empowered the government to withdraw the degree of any student.

1969: March 25, President Ayub Khan imposes martial law, and hands over power to the Commander-in-chief of the army, General Agha Mohammad Yahya Khan, amid mounting anti-government demonstrations demanding resignation of Ayub Khan. March 31, General Yahya assumes the office of President. November 28, General Yahya announces his plan to hold general elections on the basis of adult franchise.

1970: June 30, One Unit dissolved in West Pakistan and the four provinces -- Baluchistan, North West Frontier Province, Punjab and Sindh -- restored. Elections scheduled to be held in October were postponed till December because of hurricane and floods in East Pakistan. December 7, elections for the National Assembly. December 17, elections for the provincial assemblies. The National Assembly elections accorded an overwhelming majority in the eastern wing to the Awami League (151 out of 162 seats) and to the Pakistan People's Party (81 out of 138 seats) in the western wing.

1971: February 13, Yahya Khan announces that the first session of the National Assembly will be held in Dhaka on March 3. March 26, the Awami League declares the independence of Bangladesh. March 27, Sheikh Mujibur Rehman is arrested for treason. Yahya Khan orders military operation to suppress anti-government civil and guerrilla movement. November 23, Indian forces attack East Pakistan to help Bengalis. December 3, Indian forces also attack West Pakistan. December 17, Pakistan army surrenders arms in Dkhaka and Bangladesh comes into existence. December 20, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto takes over as President and Chief Martial Administrator.

1972: January 2, all major industries nationalized. Jan. 30, Pakistan quits the Commonwealth. April 20, the Supreme Court declares Yahya Khan's martial to be illegal. April 21, the interim constitution, drafted by the federal government, is introduced which limits the powers of the courts. May 11, Bhutto devalues rupee by 131 per cent and begins nationalization campaign. July 2, Pakistan and India sign Simla agreement to normalize relations. October, a special task force, the Federal Security Force created. November 20, Pakistan's first nuclear atomic reactor commissioned.

1973: April 10, the National Assembly approves the constitution unanimously which comes into force on August 14. April, Baluchistan government dismissed and the NWFP government resigns in protest. Army sent into Baluchistan to deal with insurrection. August 28, Pakistan and India sign an agreement in New Delhi on the return of Pakistani POWs in India and Bangladeshis in Pakistan.

1974: February 22-24, Bhutto hosts the second Islamic summit in Lahore. May 4, the first Constitution Amendment Act redefined the territories of Pakistan and the eastern wing was excluded. May 18, Bhutto talks about an "Islamic atom bomb" after India explodes a nuclear device. September 17, the second Constitution Amendment Act declares the Qadiani sect as non-Moslems.

1975: Feb. 17, the NWFP cabinet dissolved and the province placed under governor's rule. February 18, the third Constitution Amendment Act empowered the government to detain a person without trial upto three months. October 30, the Supreme Court declares the NAP as illegal and held that the party had never reconciled itself to the existence and ideology of Pakistan. November 21, the fourth Constitution Amendment Act amends 10 articles and two schedules. December 31, Baluchistan government suspended and governor's rule imposed.

1976: September 13, the fifth Constitution Amendment Act amends 16 articles. December 31, the sixth Constitution Amendment Act amends four articles related to the retirement of the Supreme and High Court judges. December, Pakistan and Bangladesh establish diplomatic relations.

1977: January 7, Bhutto announces mid-term polls and the nine opposition parties form the Pakistan National Alliance to contest the elections. April 21, martial law imposed in Karachi, Hyderabad and Lahore amid violent anti-government demonstrations. May 16, the seventh Constitution Amendment Act, provided that the Prime Minister might seek a vote of confidence from the people through a referendum. July 5, General Ziaul Haq, the hand-picked C-in-C imposes a martial law but promises to hold elections within 90 days. October 1, General Zia announces postponement of elections until the "process of accountability has been completed." September 3, Bhutto is arrested in the murder case of Nawab Mohammad Ahmad Khan Qasuri. November 10, the Supreme Court, in Begum Nusrat Bhutto case, unanimously validates imposition of martial law under the doctrine of necessity.

1978: March 18, Lahore High Court sentences Bhutto and four FSF officials to death in the murder case of Nawab Mohammad Ahmad Khan Qasuri. May 6, the Supreme Court begins hearing an appeal against the Lahore High Court verdict against Bhutto. September, President Chaudhry Fazal Ilahi retires as his term of office expires and General Zia becomes president.

1979: February 6, the Supreme Court, in a majority decision, rejects appeal of Bhutto and four others. March 25, the Supreme Court rejects a review petition of all the five convicts. April 1, President General Ziaul Haq rejects the mercy petition and Bhutto is executed on April 4. February, General Zia, to legitimize military rule, begins the process of Islamization with the promulgation of Hudood Ordinances and established Shariah Benches. November 21, the US Embassy in Islamabad ransacked during the anti-US demonstrations. December 27, Soviet troops enter into Afghanistan and Pakistan becomes a front-line state for the west.

1980: January, Pakistan hosts an emergency meeting of the Islamic Foreign Ministers to discuss the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan. May, full-fledged Federal Shariah Court established. June 30, Zakat and Ushr Ordinance promulgated.

1981: February, Movement for Restoration of Democracy formed. March 24, General Zia promulgates a Provisional Constitutional Order, purported to validate everything done by him since its coup, virtually ending the independence of the judiciary -- 19 judges fired. July, Pakistan and US sign an agreement to provide Pakistan with $ 3.2 billion economic and military aid. August 30, Pakistan Steel Mill, built with the help of Soviet Union, inaugurated. October 20, the US Senate lifts ban on assistance to Pakistan imposed in 1979 over its nuclear program.

1982: July, reporting of all political news banned as Movement for Restoration of Democracy demands elections and restoration of 1973 constitution.

1983: Army sent into Sindh to suppress revolt against the military government.

1984: December, General Zia holds a referendum on Islam to legitimize his dictatorial rule.

1985: February, elections for the national and provincial assemblies are held on non-party basis. March 23, Mohammed Khan Junejo appointed as the civilian Prime Minister while martial law remains in force. November 9, the Majlis-e-Shoora (parliament) approved the controversial 8th amendment to the constitution under the threat of martial law. December 31, martial law lifted.

1986: Junejo forms Muslim League parliamentary party in the parliament elected on the basis of non-party basis and formally allows the political parties to function. April, Benazir Bhutto returns to Pakistan to a tumultuous welcome in Lahore.

1987: May, Junejo government curtails the defense budget and limits certain benefits to the civilian and military bureaucracy. November, Foreign Minister, General Sahibzada Yaqub Ali Khan, replaced by Zain Nourani.

1988: April 10, explosion at the Ojheri armament depot near Rawalpindi. April, 14, Pakistan signs on the agreement on the Soviet troops withdrawal from Afghanistan. May 29, Prime Minister Mohammad Khan Junejo, soon after his return from a foreign tour, sacked. June 3, Nawaz Sharif appointed the Chief Minister of the Punjab. July 20, General Zia announces that elections for the national assembly will be held on November 16. August 17, General Ziaul Haq dies in a C-130 plane crash and the Senate Chairman Ghulam Ishaq Khan takes over as the acting president. November 16, Benazir Bhutto's PPP emerges as the largest party in the general elections. December, Benazir sworn in as the Prime Minister; Ghulam Ishaq Khan elected as the President; Nawaz Sharif forms government of the Punjab province; Baluchistan Assembly dissolved.

1989: January, law and order situation starts deteriorating amid bomb explosions in the Punjab and decoits activities in the Sindh province. March, Benazir's federal government, fails to topple the government of Nawaz Sharif in the Punjab province through vote of no-confidence despite horse trading. August, President Ghulam Ishaq Khan foils Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto's attempt to remove the Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Sirhoney. November 1, the combined opposition unsuccessfully moves a motion of no-confidence against Benazir's government but she found her support had dwindled from 148 to 119 in the National Assembly. December, Differences between Prime Minister Benazir and President Ghulam Ishaq Khan emerge over the of appointment of the Supreme Court Justice.

1990: January, the Baluchistan High Court restores the provincial assembly. July, Benazir government declines to give judicial powers to the army to restore law and order in the Sindh province. August 6, Benazir's government sacked and the national and provincial assemblies dissolved. October, the Islamic Jamhoori Ittehad captures majority seats in the National Assembly and Nawaz Sharif becomes Prime Minister.

1991: Indus Water Apportionment Treaty divides the water resources among the four provinces. Cooperative societies scam in which the politicians robbed the national development financial institutions of over 29 billions rupees. June, the National Assembly approves the Shariah Act. July, the 12th amendment of the constitution takes away the write jurisdiction of the High Courts and the Supreme Court in cases that are to be tried before the various Special Courts and provided for an increase in salaries and allowances for the judges of the High Courts and the Supreme Court.

1992: January 2, the Federal Shariah Court declares riba (interest) as un-Islamic. May 19, the army called out to restore deteriorating law and order in the Sindh province. June 19, General Asif Nawaz Janjua launches a "cleanup operation" in the interior of Sindh as well as crackdown against the MQM. December 19, Benazir Bhutto leads the long march to Islamabad against the Nawaz government.

1993: January, President Ghulam Ishaq Khan appoints General Abdul Waheed Chief of Army Staff. March, the Muslim League President, Mohammad Khan Junejo, dies and Nawaz Sharif nominated as the next party leader which divided the PML into Nawaz and Junejo groups. April 18, the president sacks Nawaz Sharif government and appoints Balkh Sher Mazari as the interim Prime Minister. April , Nawaz Sharif challenges his dismissal in the Supreme Court. May 26, the Supreme Court declares President's order as illegal and restores the Nawaz government. July, President Ghulam Ishaq Khan and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif resign under army pressure. Dr. Moeen Qureshi, a former World Bank Vice President takes over as Prime Minister. Oct. 6, none of the political parties get an-over all majority in the general elections but the PPP gets majority seats in the National Assembly as well as in the Punjab and Sindh provinces. Oct. 19, Benazir Bhutto sworn-in as Prime Minister for the second time. Nov. 13, Farooq Ahmad Khan Leghari elected as the President.

1994: February 27, the central government topples the Muslim League government of Pir Sabir Shah in the NWFP through horse trading and installs the PPP government. April, the arrest of the Mehran Bank Chief Executive Yunus Habib lifts the screen from one of the biggest financial scandals in Pakistan history that implicated politicians of the ruling and as well opposition parties and the army generals.

1995: February 22, the two Christians -- Salamat Masih and Rehmat Masih sentenced to death by a Sessions Judge for blasphemy -- acquitted from the charges by the Lahore High Court. September, the central government topples the PML/J government of Mian Manzoor Ahmad Wattoo but fails to install the PPP government and forced to accept Arif Nakai of the PML/J as a compromise Chief Minister.

1996 March 20: The Supreme Court, in a land mark judgment, held that the consultation with the Chief Justices of the Supreme Court and the High Courts, in the appointment of judges to the Courts "should be effective, meaningful, purposive, consensus-oriented, leaving no room for complaint of arbitrariness or unfair play." The Supreme Court also directed the federal government to appoint permanent chief justices in higher courts where at present constitutional functions are being performed by acting chief justices appointed by the government. The SC judgment also upheld the rule of seniority in respect of the appointment of high court chief justices. The Court struck down Article 203-C of the constitution, (which provided for the transfer of judges to the Shariah Court) an amendment made by General Zia, on the ground of conflict with Article 209. June 13: The chief justices of the Supreme Court and the four provincial High Courts ordered the sacking 24 judges -- all of whom were appointed by the Benazir government which had refused to sack those judges. June 26: The Supreme Court restored the PML (Nawaz Group) dominated, local municipal councils in Punjab, which were disbanded in 1993 before completion of their tenure. Sept 7: With external debt standing at $29.57 billion, Pakistan is the world's 18th most indebted country, according to World Debt Tables. Sept. 20: Mir Murtuza Bhutto, 42, brother of Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and head of the Pakistan People's Party (Shaheed Bhutto group) was gunned down by the police near his 70 clifton residence in Karachi. Oct. 17: Baluchistan Assembly rejects resolution on giving Urdu national language status. Oct. 22: President's counsel tells Supreme Court that Mr. Leghari has been found not guilty of involvement in the Mehran Bank scandal by an inquiry committee. Nov. 3: The Lahore High Court restores the Watto government but asks him to seek a vote of confidence in 10 days while 85 PDF MPAs file a no-trust move against him. Supreme Court Chief Justice Sajjad Ali Shah says that in view of one of its rulings, it is proper for the president to repromulgate ordinances. Nov. 4: President Farooq Ahmad Khan Leghari, exercising his powers under Article 58-2(b) of the constitution, dismissed the government of Benazir Bhutto and dissolved the National Assembly. Nov. 18: Ordinance to try the corrupt is promulgated: chief accountability commissioner to be appointed. Nov. 19: The Supreme Court returns former PM Benazir Bhutto's petition challenging the dissolution of the NA on the ground that it is objectionable and scandalous in parts.

1997:Jan. 6: President Farooq Ahmad Khan Leghari amended the rules of business to establish the Council for Defense and National Security (CDNS) providing a role of the army in the affairs of the government. Jan. 12: The Supreme Court upholds the 8th Amendment; terms Article 58(2(b as a deterrent to martial law. Jan. 29: The Supreme Court upholds the president's order dissolving the National Assembly and dismissing Ms Bhutto's government. Feb. 3: The PML sweeps the polls in the Punjab; emerges strong in the NWFP as the largest single party. ANP-PML alliance gets 65 seats in the province. Imran Khan loses in all eight constituencies. Mustafa Khan, Sardar Asif Ahmad Ali, Maulana Fazlur Rahman, Yousef Raza Gilani, Nasrullah Khan, Ghinwa Bhutto were among prominent losers. PML, allies achieve two-thirds majority. In the Punjab, the PPP gets only two seats in the provincial elections. Election brings in 95 new faces in the Punjab Assembly. The tribal area go to the polls on the basis of adult franchise for the first time. Feb. 4: The HRCP says there is discrepancy in the number of votes cast and the results announced. Feb. 5: The PPP central executive committee rejects election results but said it will not launch any movement for the time being. The US State Department rejects allegations of electoral irregularities in the Pakistani elections. Feb. 6: LHC upholds formation CDNS, says it is up to parliament to retain or disband it. Feb. 14: PML and allied parties unanimously elect Mr. Nawaz Sharif as the parliamentary leader in the National Assembly with 146 MNAs attending. Feb. 17: Nawaz Sharif sowrn-in as the Prime Minister of Pakistan. Feb. 19: Nawaz Sharif won a vote of confidence in the National Assembly with 177 against 16 votes. Feb. 20: The Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) formally assumed power in the Punjab with the swearing in of the prime minister's brother, Shahbaz Sharif, as chief minister. March 9: PM instructs election commission to give voting right to overseas Pakistanis. March 10: The Registration of Press & Publications Ordinance 1977 issued to curb freedom of press and expression. In its judgment in the Saima case, the LHC rules that a woman can marry without the wali's consent. March 12: In the Senate elections from Sindh Baluchistan and the NWFP, the PML wins 11 seats. Asif Ali Zardari of the PPP also gets in. April 1: Section 58(2)B of the Eighth Amendment is deleted through the 13th Amendment passed by both Houses of parliament (79-0 and 190-0). It does away with the president's power to dissolve parliament. The PM also gets the power to appoint services chiefs and governors in that it will now be mandatory for the President to seek the former's advice in this regard. April 4: Flour crisis worsens in the NWFP. The National Assembly amends the Ehtesab Law shifting the power of investigating charges of corruption from the Chief Ehtesab Commissioner to the Ehtesab Cell set up by Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif. The amendment also changed the starting date for accountability from the original 31st December 1985 to 31st December 1985 to 6 November 1990. June 5: Nuclear reactor near Khushab becomes operational. SC bench issues notice to Justice Sajjad in petitions challenging his appointment. Dec 23: SC bench declares illegal the appointment of Sajjad Ali Shah as chief justice: Justice Ajmal Mian takes oath as CJ.

1998 Jan. 1: Rafiq Ahmad Tarar sworn-in as the President of Pakistan by the newly appointed Chief Justice, Ajmal Mian to succeed Farooq Ahmad Leghari.