West Pakistan was the popular and sometimes official (1955–1970) name of the western wing of
PakistanPakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located at the crossroads of South Asia, the Middle East, and Central Asia...
until 1971, when the
eastern wingEast Pakistan was a former province of Pakistan which existed between 1947 and 1971. East Pakistan was created from Bengal Province based on a plebiscite in what was then British India in 1947. Eastern Bengal chose to join the Dominion of Pakistan and became a province of Pakistan by the name East...
became independent as
Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a country in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
. The politically dominant western wing was composed of three Governor's provinces (
North-West Frontier ProvinceThe North-West Frontier Province is the smallest of the four provinces of Pakistan...
,
PunjabWest Punjab was a former province of Pakistan which existed from 1947 to 1955. The province covered an area of 160,622 km², including much of the current Punjab province and the Islamabad Capital Territory, but excluding the former princely state of Bahawalpur...
and
SindSind is a former province of British India from 1936 to 1947 and Pakistan from 1947 to 1955. Under the British, it encompassed the current territorial limits excluding the princely state of Khairpur with the capital at Karachi...
), one Chief Commissioner's province (
BaluchistanThe Chief Commissioners Province of Baluchistan was a former province of British India located in the northern parts of modern Balochistan province.- History :...
), the
Baluchistan States UnionThe Baluchistan States Union existed between 3 October 1952 and 14 October 1955 in southwest Pakistan. It was formed by the states of Kalat, Kharan, Las Bela and Makran with the capital at the town of Kalat. The area of the Union was roughly the western half of the modern province of Balochistan...
, several other princely states (notably Bahawalpur,
ChitralChitral or Chatrāl , translated as field in the native language Khowar, is the capital of the Chitral District, situated on the western bank of the Kunar River . The town is at the foot of Tirich Mir, the highest peak of the Hindu Kush, high...
,
Dir-In computing:* An abbreviation for directory .* dir , a shell command.* directory , an operating system command.* Digital Instrumentation Recorder, a magnetic tape format by Sony.-Places and areas:...
, Hunza,
KhairpurKhairpur is the twelfth largest city in the province of Sindh in southeast Pakistan. It is the capital of the modern Khairpur District and was the capital of the former princely state of Khayrpur. This city produced hundreds of great leaders, folk singers, artists and scholars. The great mystic...
and
SwatSwat is a valley and an administrative district in the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan located 160 km/100 miles from Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan. It is the upper valley of the Swat River, which rises in the Hindu Kush range. The capital of Swat is Saidu Sharif, but the main...
), the Federal Capital Territory (around
Karachiis the largest city, main seaport and the financial capital of Pakistan, and the capital of the province of Sindh. It is the 3rd largest city in the world by population and 20th largest city of the world, in terms of metropolitan population. It is Pakistan's premier centre of banking, industry, and...
) and the
tribal areasThe FATA or FC-ATA is a type of computer hard disk drive. FATA is simply the low cost ATA or SATA disk drive equipped with a small external converter, that changes the interface to Fibre Channel...
.
The eastern wing formed the single province of
East BengalEast Bengal was a province in the Dominion of Pakistan, and was in existence from August 15, 1947 to October 14, 1955. It came into being after the partition of Bengal in 1947...
(including the former
AssamAssam ) is a northeastern state of India with its capital at Dispur located in the Guwahati city. Located south of the eastern Himalayas, Assam comprises the Brahmaputra and the Barak river valleys and the Karbi Anglong and the North Cachar Hills with an area of 30,285 square miles...
district of
SylhetSylhet , is a major city in north-eastern Bangladesh. It is the capital of Sylhet Division and Sylhet District, and was granted metropolitan city status in March 2009. Sylhet is located on the banks of the Surma River and is surrounded by the Jaintia, Khasi and Tripura hills...
), which despite having over half of the population had a disproportionately small number of seats in the Constituent Assembly.
West Pakistan was the popular and sometimes official (1955–1970) name of the western wing of
PakistanPakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located at the crossroads of South Asia, the Middle East, and Central Asia...
until 1971, when the
eastern wingEast Pakistan was a former province of Pakistan which existed between 1947 and 1971. East Pakistan was created from Bengal Province based on a plebiscite in what was then British India in 1947. Eastern Bengal chose to join the Dominion of Pakistan and became a province of Pakistan by the name East...
became independent as
Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a country in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
. The politically dominant western wing was composed of three Governor's provinces (
North-West Frontier ProvinceThe North-West Frontier Province is the smallest of the four provinces of Pakistan...
,
PunjabWest Punjab was a former province of Pakistan which existed from 1947 to 1955. The province covered an area of 160,622 km², including much of the current Punjab province and the Islamabad Capital Territory, but excluding the former princely state of Bahawalpur...
and
SindSind is a former province of British India from 1936 to 1947 and Pakistan from 1947 to 1955. Under the British, it encompassed the current territorial limits excluding the princely state of Khairpur with the capital at Karachi...
), one Chief Commissioner's province (
BaluchistanThe Chief Commissioners Province of Baluchistan was a former province of British India located in the northern parts of modern Balochistan province.- History :...
), the
Baluchistan States UnionThe Baluchistan States Union existed between 3 October 1952 and 14 October 1955 in southwest Pakistan. It was formed by the states of Kalat, Kharan, Las Bela and Makran with the capital at the town of Kalat. The area of the Union was roughly the western half of the modern province of Balochistan...
, several other princely states (notably Bahawalpur,
ChitralChitral or Chatrāl , translated as field in the native language Khowar, is the capital of the Chitral District, situated on the western bank of the Kunar River . The town is at the foot of Tirich Mir, the highest peak of the Hindu Kush, high...
,
Dir-In computing:* An abbreviation for directory .* dir , a shell command.* directory , an operating system command.* Digital Instrumentation Recorder, a magnetic tape format by Sony.-Places and areas:...
, Hunza,
KhairpurKhairpur is the twelfth largest city in the province of Sindh in southeast Pakistan. It is the capital of the modern Khairpur District and was the capital of the former princely state of Khayrpur. This city produced hundreds of great leaders, folk singers, artists and scholars. The great mystic...
and
SwatSwat is a valley and an administrative district in the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan located 160 km/100 miles from Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan. It is the upper valley of the Swat River, which rises in the Hindu Kush range. The capital of Swat is Saidu Sharif, but the main...
), the Federal Capital Territory (around
Karachiis the largest city, main seaport and the financial capital of Pakistan, and the capital of the province of Sindh. It is the 3rd largest city in the world by population and 20th largest city of the world, in terms of metropolitan population. It is Pakistan's premier centre of banking, industry, and...
) and the
tribal areasThe FATA or FC-ATA is a type of computer hard disk drive. FATA is simply the low cost ATA or SATA disk drive equipped with a small external converter, that changes the interface to Fibre Channel...
.
The eastern wing formed the single province of
East BengalEast Bengal was a province in the Dominion of Pakistan, and was in existence from August 15, 1947 to October 14, 1955. It came into being after the partition of Bengal in 1947...
(including the former
AssamAssam ) is a northeastern state of India with its capital at Dispur located in the Guwahati city. Located south of the eastern Himalayas, Assam comprises the Brahmaputra and the Barak river valleys and the Karbi Anglong and the North Cachar Hills with an area of 30,285 square miles...
district of
SylhetSylhet , is a major city in north-eastern Bangladesh. It is the capital of Sylhet Division and Sylhet District, and was granted metropolitan city status in March 2009. Sylhet is located on the banks of the Surma River and is surrounded by the Jaintia, Khasi and Tripura hills...
), which despite having over half of the population had a disproportionately small number of seats in the Constituent Assembly. This inequality of the two wings and the geographical distance between them was believed to be holding up the adoption of a new
constitutionThe Constitution of Pakistan is the supreme law of Pakistan. There have been several documents known as the Constitution of Pakistan. The Constitution of 1973 is the existing constitution, which provides for a parliamentary system with a President as head of state and popularly elected Prime...
. To diminish the differences between the two regions, the government decided to reorganise the country as two distinct provinces under the One Unit policy announced by
Prime MinisterThe Prime Minister of Pakistan , is the Head of Government of Pakistan.The Prime Minister is elected by the National Assembly, members of which are elected by popular vote. Most commonly, the leader of the party or coalition with the most votes becomes the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister is...
Chaudhry Muhammad AliChaudhry Muhammad Ali Chaudhry Muhammad Ali Chaudhry Muhammad Ali (Punjabi, ; (July 15, 1905 - December 2, 1980) was a Pakistani statesman who served as Prime Minister of Pakistan from 1955 to 1956.-Early life:...
on 22 November 1954.
History
The province of West Pakistan was created in 14 October 1955 by the merger of the provinces, states and tribal areas of the western wing. The province was composed of twelve divisions and the provincial capital was established at
LahoreLahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in Pakistan after Karachi. Historically the main city of the undivided Punjab, it is often called the Garden of Mughals because of its rich Mughal heritage...
. The province of
East BengalEast Bengal was a province in the Dominion of Pakistan, and was in existence from August 15, 1947 to October 14, 1955. It came into being after the partition of Bengal in 1947...
was renamed East Pakistan with the provincial capital at
DhakaDhaka , is the capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka District. Dhaka is a megacity and one of the major cities of South Asia...
. The federal government moved in 1959 from
Karachiis the largest city, main seaport and the financial capital of Pakistan, and the capital of the province of Sindh. It is the 3rd largest city in the world by population and 20th largest city of the world, in terms of metropolitan population. It is Pakistan's premier centre of banking, industry, and...
to
Rawalpindi' Rāwalpindī) is a city in the Potwar Plateau near Pakistan's capital city of Islamabad, in the province of Punjab. Rawalpindi is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad. Locally known as Pindi, the area was home to the pre-historic Soanian culture indigenous to...
(provisional capital until
IslamabadIslām ābād is the capital of Pakistan, and is the tenth largest city in Pakistan with an estimated population of over 673,766 in 2009...
was finished), whilst the federal legislature moved to Dhaka.
West Pakistan formed a seemingly homogeneous block but with marked linguistic and ethnic distinctions and the One Unit policy was regarded as a rational administrative reform which would reduce expenditure and eliminate provincial prejudices. However with the military coup of 1958, trouble loomed for the province when the office of Chief Minister was abolished and the President took over executive powers for West Pakistan. The province of West Pakistan was dissolved in July 1970 by President
Yahya KhanAgha Muhammad Yahya Khan, H.Pk, HJ, S.Pk, psc was the President of Pakistan from 1969 to 1971, following the resignation of Ayub Khan. He has one son, Ali Yahya and one daughter, Yasmeen Khan.-Early life:...
.
General elections held in December 1970 saw the Awami League under Mujibur Rahman win an overall majority of seats in parliament (all but two of the 162 seats allocated to East Pakistan). The Awami League advocated greater autonomy for East Pakistan but the military government did not permit Mujibur Rahman to form a government.
On 25 March 1971, West Pakistan began a
civil warA civil war is a war between organized groups within a single nation state, or, less commonly, between two nations created from a formerly-united nation state. The aim of one side may be to take control of the nation or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies...
to subdue the democratic victory of East Pakistanis. This began the war between the Pakistani military and the Mukhti Bahini. The resulting refugee crisis led to the intervention by
IndiaIndia, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal...
, eventually leading to the surrender of the Pakistani Army. East Pakistan suffered a genocide of its Bengali population. East Pakistan became the independent state of Bangladesh on 16 December 1971. The term West Pakistan became redundant.
Government
The office of
Governor of West Pakistan was a largely ceremonial position but later Governors wielded some executive powers as well. The first Governor was
Mushtaq Ahmed GurmaniMushtaque Ahmed Gurmani was a Pakistani politician. In his role as Minister without Portfolio he signed the Karachi Agreement of 1949 that established a ceasefire line between Pakistani and Indian areas of Kashmir, which later become known as the Line of Control...
, who was also the last Governor of West Punjab.
The
Chief Minister of West Pakistan was the chief executive of the province and the leader of the largest party in the provincial assembly. The first Chief Minister was Dr Khan Sahib who had served twice as Chief Minister of the
North-West Frontier ProvinceThe North-West Frontier Province is the smallest of the four provinces of Pakistan...
prior to independence. The office of Chief Minister was abolished on 1 July 1970 when President
Yahya KhanAgha Muhammad Yahya Khan, H.Pk, HJ, S.Pk, psc was the President of Pakistan from 1969 to 1971, following the resignation of Ayub Khan. He has one son, Ali Yahya and one daughter, Yasmeen Khan.-Early life:...
took over the administration of West Pakistan.
The
twelve divisions of West Pakistan province were
BahawalpurBahawalpur , located in the province of Punjab, is the twelfth largest city in Pakistan. The city was once the capital of the former princely state of Bahawalpur. The city was home to various Nawabs and counted as part of the the Rajputana states...
,
Dera Ismail KhanDera Ismail Khan is a city in North West Frontier Province, Pakistan. The town, the headquarters of Dera Ismail Khan District, is situated on the west bank of the Indus River and lies 200 miles west of Lahore and 120 miles north-west of Multan...
, Hyderabad,
KalatKalat or Qalat is a district in Balochistan, Pakistan. It is one of 26 in that province, and encompasses an area of 6,621 km². The population of the district is estimated to be over 400,000 in 2005. The district is governed from the city of Kalat....
,
KhairpurKhairpur is the twelfth largest city in the province of Sindh in southeast Pakistan. It is the capital of the modern Khairpur District and was the capital of the former princely state of Khayrpur. This city produced hundreds of great leaders, folk singers, artists and scholars. The great mystic...
, Lahore,
MalakandMalakand may refer to*Malakand Pass, a mountain pass in the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan, the location of Malakand FortCurrent and former administrative areas named for Malakand Pass or Malakand Fort...
,
Multanis a city in the Punjab Province of Pakistan and capital of Multan District. It is located in the southern part of the province. Multan District has a population of over 3.8 million—according to 1998 census—and the city itself is the sixth largest within the boundaries of Pakistan...
,
Peshawar' onMouseout='HidePop("38922")' href="http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Quetta">Quetta
) is the largest city and the provincial capital of the Balochistan Province of Pakistan. It is known as the "Fruit Garden of Pakistan", due to its diversity in plant and animals wildlife. The city has been a major stronghold along the western frontier of the country. It is situated at an average...
, Rawalpindi, and
SargodhaSargodha is a city in the Sargodha District of Punjab province, Pakistan. It is located in northeast Pakistan. It is 8th largest city of Pakistan and also known as Pakistan best Citrus producing area. It is an agricultural trade centre with various industries...
; all named after their capitals except the capital of Malakand was Saidu, and Rawalpindi was administered from Islamabad. The province also incorporated the former
OmanOman , officially the Sultanate of Oman , is an Arab country in southwest Asia on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It borders the United Arab Emirates on the northwest, Saudi Arabia on the west and Yemen on the southwest....
i enclave of
GwadarGwadar is located on the southwestern coast of Pakistan, on the Arabian Sea. It is strategically located between three increasingly important regions: the oil-rich Middle East, heavily populated South Asia and the economically emerging and resource-laden region of Central Asia...
following its purchase in 1958, and the former Federal Capital Territory (Karachi) in 1961; the latter forming a new division in its own right.
| Tenure |
Governor of West Pakistan |
| 14 October 1955 - 27 August 1957 |
Mushtaq Ahmed Gurmani Mushtaque Ahmed Gurmani was a Pakistani politician. In his role as Minister without Portfolio he signed the Karachi Agreement of 1949 that established a ceasefire line between Pakistani and Indian areas of Kashmir, which later become known as the Line of Control...
|
| September 1957 - 12 April 1960 |
Akhter HusainAkhter Husain , HPk, OBE, was an eminent senior statesman and civil servant of Pakistan. He was appointed Governor of West Pakistan in September 1957 succeeding Mushtaq Ahmed Gurmani and then continued in office during the regime of General Muhammad Ayub Khan until April 1960.-Early life:Mr...
|
| 12 April 1960 - 18 September 1966 |
Amir Mohammad Khan |
| 18 September 1966 - 20 March 1969 |
Gen (R) Musa KhanGeneral Musa Khan Hazara H.Pk., HJ, HQA, MBE, IDC, psc was the Commander in Chief of Pakistan's Army. He succeeded Field Marshal Ayub Khan, who assumed the Presidency of Pakistan....
|
| 20 March 1969 - 25 March 1969 |
Yusuf Haroon Muhammad Yusuf Abdullah Haroon was a politician from Sindh, Pakistan....
|
| 25 March 1969 - 29 August 1969 |
Lt Gen Attiqur Rahman (first term) (martial law administrator and governor) |
| 29 August 1969 - 1 September 1969 |
Lt Gen Tikka KhanGeneral Tikka Khan, HJ, HQA, SPk, was Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff from 3 March, 1972 to 1 March, 1976....
(martial law administrator and governor) |
| 1 September 1969 - 1 February 1970 |
Air Marshal Air Marshal is a 3 star air officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries...
(R) Nur KhanAir Marshal Malik Nur Khan, HJ, HS, HQA, SPk was the Commander-in-Chief of Pakistan Air Force from 1965 to 1969. Considered the hero of the 1965 air war - the man who led the Pakistan air force achieve parity over the three times bigger Indian air force on the very first day of the 1965 war - a...
(governor) |
| 1 February 1970 - 1 July 1970 |
Lt Gen Attiqur Rahman (second term) (governor) |
| 1 July 1970 |
Province of West Pakistan dissolved |
| Tenure |
Chief Minister of West Pakistan |
Political Party |
| 14 October 1955 - 16 July 1957 |
Dr Khan Sahib |
Pakistan Muslim League The Pakistan Muslim League was founded in 1962, as a successor to the previously disbanded Muslim League in Pakistan. Unlike the original PML which ended in 1958 when General Ayub Khan banned all political parties, each subsequent Muslim League was in some way propped by the military dictators of...
/Republican PartyThe party was formed in October 1955, by a break away of the Muslim League and other politicians supporting the creation of the West Pakistan province, on the instigation of key leaders in the military and civil service....
|
| 16 July 1957 - 18 March 1958 |
Sardar Abdur Rashid Khan Sardar Abdur Rashid Khan was a senior police officer from the North-West Frontier Province and cabinet minister in Pakistan.Born in Dera Ismail Khan, Sardar Rashid was educated at Islamia College Peshawar...
|
Republican Party The party was formed in October 1955, by a break away of the Muslim League and other politicians supporting the creation of the West Pakistan province, on the instigation of key leaders in the military and civil service....
|
| 18 March 1958 - 7 October 1958 |
Nawab Muzaffar Ali Khan Qizilbash Nawab Muzaffar Ali Khan Qizilbash was a politician from the Punjab and a minister in the governments of the Punjab, West Pakistan and Pakistan....
|
Republican Party The party was formed in October 1955, by a break away of the Muslim League and other politicians supporting the creation of the West Pakistan province, on the instigation of key leaders in the military and civil service....
|
| 7 October 1958 |
Office of Chief Minister abolished |
|
See also
- Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 was a military conflict between India and Pakistan. Indian and Bangladeshi sources consider the beginning of the war to be Operation Chengiz Khan, Pakistan's 3 December 1971 pre-emptive strike on 11 Indian airbases...
- Bangladesh Liberation War
The Bangladesh Liberation War
was a civil war in Pakistan resulting in the separation of Bangladesh and West Pakistan . The war broke out after Sheikh Mujibur Rahman declared Bangladeshi independence on 26 March 1971...
- East Pakistan
East Pakistan was a former province of Pakistan which existed between 1947 and 1971. East Pakistan was created from Bengal Province based on a plebiscite in what was then British India in 1947. Eastern Bengal chose to join the Dominion of Pakistan and became a province of Pakistan by the name East...
- Partition of India
The Partition of India was the partition of British India that led to the creation, on August 14, 1947 and August 15, 1947, respectively, of the sovereign states of the Dominion of Pakistan and the Union of India...
- West Pakistan High Court
The High Court of West Pakistan was High Court for the province of West Pakistan during the days of one unit from 1956 to 1971 till the separation of East Pakistan.-Establishment:...