Pakistan: a political timeline

Pakistan has alternated between eras of civilian rule and

decades under the control of its powerful military.
Asad Hashim | 30 Apr 2013 08:37 GMT | Politics, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia
For just over half of its 64 years of independence, Pakistan has been ruled by its powerful
military. Democratically elected governments have struggled to complete their terms, being
alternately dismissed by presidents or removed from power by army chiefs.
Indeed, only one parliament has ever completed its five-year term - and it was headed by General
Pervez Musharraf, a military dictator, as both president and army chief.
Al Jazeera traces through Pakistan's complex political history in this interactive timeline.
The periods in orange represent civilian rule, and in blue represent military rule. The black
markers represent key events. Hover over them for more information.
1947-1958
1958-1971
1971-1977
1977-1988
1988-1999
1999-2008
2008-2012
1947

The Indian subcontinent is partitioned into mainly Muslim Pakistan and mainly Hindu India. The
government is headed by Muhammad Ali Jinnah as Governor-General, with Liaquat Ali Khan
serving as Prime Minister. A constituent assembly is formed to act as both parliament and to draft
a constitution.
1948

Long suffering from Tuberculosis, Muhammad Ali Jinnah dies. He is replaced by Khwaja
Nazimuddin.
1951

Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan, who drafted the Objectives Resolution which today is the
preamble to Pakistan's constitution, is assassinated in Rawalpindi.

1956

Pakistan gets its first constitution, turning the country from an autonomous dominion into an
"Islamic Republic".
First military period
1958

President Iskander Mirza carries out a coup d'etat, suspending the constitution. Shortly
afterwards, Army chief General Ayub Khan deposes Mirza and declares himself president. He
appoints a commission to formulate a new system of government for the country.
1962

The second constitution outlines a presidential form of government, with a 156-member National
Assembly and a Presidential electoral college of 80,000 "Basic Democrats". Members of both
bodies are equally divided between West Pakistan and East Pakistan (present-day Bangladesh).
1965

Ayub Khan defeats Fatima Jinnah in a controversial and closely fought poll.
1969

Amid protests, Ayub Khan resigns as president, handing over power to Army Chief General
Yahya Khan. Martial Law is proclaimed and all assemblies are dissolved.
1970

General elections are held, with East Pakistani leader Sheikh Mujib-ur-Rehman's party emerging
as the overall winner. The results of the poll are contested.
1971

The controversy over the general election leads to a war, also involving India, that results in the
independence of Bangladesh after a brutal Pakistani army action in East Pakistan.
Second democratic era
1972

Martial Law is lifted. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto is elected as president. He also launches Pakistan's
nuclear programme.
1973

A new constitution is enacted, declaring Pakistan a parliamentary democracy, with a prime

minister as head of state, leading a bi-cameral legislature. Bhutto goes from president to prime
minister.

1976

Bhutto appoints General Zia-ul-Haq as his chief of army staff.

1977

General elections are held, with the Bhutto's party winning the majority of seats in the national
assembly. Amid unrest following allegations of vote-rigging from the opposition, General Zia-ulHaq steps in, removing Bhutto in a coup, suspending the constitution and declaring martial law.
Second military period
1978

Zia-ul-Haq is sworn in as president. He retains the office of army chief.

1979

After having been found guilty of "conspiracy to murder" in a trial heavily criticised for having
been influenced by Zia, Bhutto is executed. Zia enacts the controversial Hudood Ordinance, a
law brought in as part of Zia's 'Islamisation' policy that prescribed punishments considered more
in line with the Quran.
1982

Having put off polls indefinitely and banned political activity, Zia forms a federal council of
'technocrats' he has nominated.
1984

Zia-ul-Haq holds a referendum on his Islamisation policies. His government claims that more
than 95 per cent of votes cast were in support of Zia.
1985

General elections are held (on a non-party basis). Martial law is lifted and the newly elected
national assembly ratifies Zia's actions over the last eight years, and elects him as President.
Muhammad Khan Junejo is elected as prime minister.
1988

Amid widening rifts, Zia dissolves parliament, dismissing Junejo's government under Article 582(b) of the constitution. He promises elections within 90 days. On August 17, however, he is
killed, along with 31 others, in a plane crash.
Third democratic era
1988

General elections are held, with the PPP (led by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's daughter, Benazir) winning
a majority of seats. Bhutto is sworn in as prime minister.

1990

President Ghulam Ishaq Khan dissolves the National Assembly, dismissing Bhutto's government
on charges of alleged corruption and incompetence. Fresh elections are held, and Nawaz Sharif,
groomed under Zia as the head of the Islami Jamhoori Ittehad (IJI), is elected prime minister.
1991

The National Assembly adopts the Shariat bill, codifying elements of Islamic law into Pakistan's
legal system.
1992

Nawaz's government initiates a military operation against violence in Karachi, the country's
largest city. The operation is largely seen to target members of the Muhajir Qaumi Movement
(MQM), a political party with its base in the city.
1993

President Ghulam Ishaq Khan dismisses Sharif's government for alleged corruption and
incompetence. He himself resigns later in the year. General elections are held, with Benazir
Bhutto elected prime minister for her second term. Farooq Leghari, a member of the PPP, is
elected as the country's president.
1996

President Farooq Leghari dissolves the National Assembly, dismissing Benazir Bhutto's
government, which was operating under a cloud of corruption allegations.
1997

General elections are held, the fourth time such polls have taken place since 1988. Nawaz
Sharif's PML-N party wins in a landslide, and he is elected prime minister for the second time.
Rafiq Tarar is sworn in as President the next year.
1998

Pakistan conducts nuclear tests in the Chaghai Hills of Balochistan, in response to similar Indian
tests days earlier. The international community imposes strict economic sanctions on the country
in response.
Third military period
1999

After the Kargil War, Nawaz Sharif attempts to replace General Pervez Musharraf, his army
chief. Musharraf takes power in a coup, placing Nawaz Sharif and other political leaders under
house arrest.

2000

The Supreme Court validates Musharraf's coup and gives him executive and legislative authority
for a period of three years. Nawaz Sharif and his family flee to exile in Saudi Arabia.
2001

General Pervez Musharraf assumes the office of president, while remaining chief of army staff.
2002

Musharraf wins a referendum on his presidency, granting him five more years in the job. The
government claims he wins the poll by more than 95 per cent. A general election is also held,
with the PML-Q, a party created by Musharraf and loyal to the president, winning most seats.
The PML-Q's Zafarullah Khan Jamali is elected prime minister. Musharraf, meanwhile, institutes
a raft of amendments to the 1973 constitution.
2004

Zafaraullah Khan Jamali is replaced by Shaukat Aziz, then the finance minister, as prime
minister of Pakistan.
2007

President Musharraf dismisses Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Iftikhar Muhammad
Chaudhry, prompting a nationwide protest movement for his reinstatement. Chaudhry is
eventually restored, but Musharraf imposes a state of emergency later in the year ahead of a key
apex court ruling on the legality of his rule. The National Assembly, meanwhile, completes its
five-year term for the first time in Pakistan's history. Benazir Bhutto, who returned to the country
to campaign in the general elections after the passage of a controversial blanket corruption
amnesty deal, is killed in a bomb attack in Rawalpindi.
Fourth democratic era
2008

General elections are held, with the PPP winning the majority of seats in the national assembly.
Yousuf Raza Gilani is elected prime minister, with Asif Ali Zardari, Bhutto's widower and now
co-chairman of the PPP, replacing Musharraf as president.
2009

After heightening tensions over the issue, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and his colleagues in
the judiciary are restored to their positions, having been dismissed by Pervez Musharraf after his
2007 state of emergency.

2010

Pakistan's parliament passes the 18th amendment to the 1973 consitution, which, among other
things, reverses some of the changes brought about by Musharraf and also removes the
President's power to dissolve the parliament unilaterally under Article 58-2(b).
2011

Caught amidst scandals involving both corruption probes and the so-called "Memogate" affair,
the PPP government comes under increasing pressure from the opposition to hold early elections.
2012

After being found guilty of having committed contempt of court for not implementing a Supreme
Court order to reopen a corruption case involving President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister
Yousuf Raza Gilani is deemed to be ineligible to hold public office. He loses his seat in
parliament, but not before he becomes the longest serving prime minister in Pakistan's history.
He is succeeded as PM by Raja Pervez Ashraf, another leading PPP member and Zardari loyalist.
2013

The PPP-led coalition government becomes Pakistan's first democratically elected civilian-led
government to complete its five-year term in office. A caretaker government is appointed and a
general election is set for May 11.
A Brief History of Pakistan

Taken from Us Depratment of State website www.state.gov

Archeological explorations have revealed impressive ruins of a 4,500-year old urban civilization
in Pakistan's Indus River valley. The reason for the collapse of this highly developed culture is
unknown. A major theory is that it was crushed by successive invasions (circa 2000 B.C. and
1400 B.C.) of Aryans, Indo-European warrior tribes from the Caucasus region in what is now
Russia. The Aryans were followed in 500 B.C. by Persians and, in 326 B.C., by Alexander the
Great. The "Gandhara culture" flourished in much of present-day Pakistan.
The Indo-Greek descendants of Alexander the Great saw the most creative period of the
Gandhara (Buddhist) culture. For 200 years after the Kushan Dynasty was established in A.D.
50, Taxila (near Islamabad) became a renowned center of learning, philosophy, and art.
Pakistan's Islamic history began with the arrival of Muslim traders in the 8th century. During the
16th and 17th centuries, the Mogul Empire dominated most of South Asia, including much of
present-day Pakistan.
British traders arrived in South Asia in 1601, but the British Empire did not consolidate control
of the region until the latter half of the 18th century. After 1850, the British or those influenced
by them governed virtually the entire subcontinent.

In the early 20th century, South Asian leaders began to agitate for a greater degree of autonomy.
Growing concern about Hindu domination of the Indian National Congress Party, the
movement's foremost organization, led Muslim leaders to form the all-India Muslim League in
1906. In 1913, the League formally adopted the same objective as the Congress -- selfgovernment for India within the British Empire -- but Congress and the League were unable to
agree on a formula that would ensure the protection of Muslim religious, economic, and political
rights.
Pakistan and Partition
The idea of a separate Muslim state emerged in the 1930s. On March 23, 1940, Muhammad Ali
Jinnah, leader of the Muslim League, formally endorsed the "Lahore Resolution," calling for the
creation of an independent state in regions where Muslims constituted a majority. At the end of
World War II, the United Kingdom moved with increasing urgency to grant India independence.
However, the Congress Party and the Muslim League could not agree on the terms for a
constitution or establishing an interim government. In June 1947, the British Government
declared that it would bestow full dominion status upon two successor states -- India and
Pakistan. Under this arrangement, the various princely states could freely join either India or
Pakistan. Consequently, a bifurcated Muslim nation separated by more than 1,600 kilometers
(1,000 mi.) of Indian territory emerged when Pakistan became a self-governing dominion within
the Commonwealth on August 14, 1947. West Pakistan comprised the contiguous Muslimmajority districts of present-day Pakistan; East Pakistan consisted of a single province, which is
now Bangladesh.
The Maharaja of Kashmir was reluctant to make a decision on accession to either Pakistan or
India. However, armed incursions into the state by tribesman from the NWFP led him to seek
military assistance from India. The Maharaja signed accession papers in October 1947 and
allowed Indian troops into much of the state. The Government of Pakistan, however, refused to
recognize the accession and campaigned to reverse the decision. The status of Kashmir has
remained in dispute.
After Independence
With the death in 1948 of its first head of state, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, and the assassination in
1951 of its first Prime Minister, Liaqat Ali Khan, political instability and economic difficulty
became prominent features of post-independence Pakistan. On October 7, 1958, President
Iskander Mirza, with the support of the army, suspended the 1956 constitution, imposed martial
law, and canceled the elections scheduled for January 1959. Twenty days later the military sent
Mirza into exile in Britain and Gen. Mohammad Ayub Khan assumed control of a military
dictatorship. After Pakistan's loss in the 1965 war against India, Ayub Khan's power declined.
Subsequent political and economic grievances inspired agitation movements that compelled his
resignation in March 1969. He handed over responsibility for governing to the Commander-in-

Chief of the Army, General Agha Mohammed Yahya Khan, who became President and Chief
Martial Law Administrator.
General elections held in December 1970 polarized relations between the eastern and western
sections of Pakistan. The Awami League, which advocated autonomy for the more populous East
Pakistan, swept the East Pakistan seats to gain a majority in Pakistan as a whole. The Pakistan
Peoples Party (PPP), founded and led by Ayub Khan's former Foreign Minister, Zulfikar Ali
Bhutto, won a majority of the seats in West Pakistan, but the country was completely split with
neither major party having any support in the other area. Negotiations to form a coalition
government broke down and a civil war ensued. India attacked East Pakistan and captured Dhaka
in December 1971, when the eastern section declared itself the independent nation of
Bangladesh. Yahya Khan then resigned the presidency and handed over leadership of the western
part of Pakistan to Bhutto, who became President and the first civilian Chief Martial Law
Administrator.
Bhutto moved decisively to restore national confidence and pursued an active foreign policy,
taking a leading role in Islamic and Third World forums. Although Pakistan did not formally join
the non-aligned movement until 1979, the position of the Bhutto government coincided largely
with that of the non-aligned nations. Domestically, Bhutto pursued a populist agenda and
nationalized major industries and the banking system. In 1973, he promulgated a new
constitution accepted by most political elements and relinquished the presidency to become
Prime Minister. Although Bhutto continued his populist and socialist rhetoric, he increasingly
relied on Pakistan's urban industrialists and rural landlords. Over time the economy stagnated,
largely as a result of the dislocation and uncertainty produced by Bhutto's frequently changing
economic policies. When Bhutto proclaimed his own victory in the March 1977 national
elections, the opposition Pakistan National Alliance (PNA) denounced the results as fraudulent
and demanded new elections. Bhutto resisted and later arrested the PNA leadership.
1977-1985 Martial Law
With increasing anti-government unrest, the army grew restive. On July 5, 1977, the military
removed Bhutto from power and arrested him, declared martial law, and suspended portions of
the 1973 constitution. Chief of Army Staff Gen. Muhammad Zia ul-Haq became Chief Martial
Law Administrator and promised to hold new elections within three months.
Zia released Bhutto and asserted that he could contest new elections scheduled for October 1977.
However, after it became clear that Bhutto's popularity had survived his government, Zia
postponed the elections and began criminal investigations of the senior PPP leadership.
Subsequently, Bhutto was convicted and sentenced to death for alleged conspiracy to murder a
political opponent. Despite international appeals on his behalf, Bhutto was hanged on April 6,
1979.

Zia assumed the Presidency and called for elections in November. However, fearful of a PPP
victory, Zia banned political activity in October 1979 and postponed national elections.
In 1980, most center and left parties, led by the PPP, formed the Movement for the Restoration of
Democracy (MRD). The MRD demanded Zia's resignation, an end to martial law, new elections,
and restoration of the constitution as it existed before Zia's takeover. In early December 1984,
President Zia proclaimed a national referendum for December 19 on his "Islamization" program.
He implicitly linked approval of "Islamization" with a mandate for his continued presidency.
Zia's opponents, led by the MRD, boycotted the elections. When the government claimed a 63%
turnout, with more than 90% approving the referendum, many observers questioned these
figures.
On March 3, 1985, President Zia proclaimed constitutional changes designed to increase the
power of the President vis-a-vis the Prime Minister (under the 1973 constitution the President
had been mainly a figurehead). Subsequently, Zia nominated Muhammad Khan Junejo, a Muslim
League member, as Prime Minister. The new National Assembly unanimously endorsed Junejo
as Prime Minister and, in October 1985, passed Zia's proposed eighth amendment to the
constitution, legitimizing the actions of the martial law government, exempting them from
judicial review (including decisions of the military courts), and enhancing the powers of the
President.
The Democratic Interregnum
On December 30, 1985, President Zia removed martial law and restored the fundamental rights
safeguarded under the constitution. He also lifted the Bhutto government's declaration of
emergency powers. The first months of 1986 witnessed a rebirth of political activity throughout
Pakistan. All parties -- including those continuing to deny the legitimacy of the Zia/Junejo
government -- were permitted to organize and hold rallies. In April 1986, PPP leader Benazir
Bhutto, daughter of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, returned to Pakistan from exile in Europe.
Following the lifting of martial law, the increasing political independence of Prime Minister
Junejo and his differences with Zia over Afghan policy resulted in tensions between them. On
May 29, 1988, President Zia dismissed the Junejo government and called for November
elections. In June, Zia proclaimed the supremacy in Pakistan of Shari'a (Islamic law), by which
all civil law had to conform to traditional Muslim edicts.
On August 17, a plane carrying President Zia, American Ambassador Arnold Raphel, U.S. Brig.
General Herbert Wassom, and 28 Pakistani military officers crashed on a return flight from a
military equipment trial near Bahawalpur, killing all of its occupants. In accordance with the
constitution, Chairman of the Senate Ghulam Ishaq Khan became Acting President and
announced that elections scheduled for November 1988 would take place.

After winning 93 of the 205 National Assembly seats contested, the PPP, under the leadership of
Benazir Bhutto, formed a coalition government with several smaller parties, including the
Muhajir Qaumi Movement (MQM). The Islamic Democratic Alliance (IJI), a multi-party
coalition led by the PML and including religious right parties such as the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI),
won 55 National Assembly seats.
Differing interpretations of constitutional authority, debates over the powers of the central
government relative to those of the provinces, and the antagonistic relationship between the
Bhutto Administration and opposition governments in Punjab and Balochistan seriously impeded
social and economic reform programs. Ethnic conflict, primarily in Sindh province, exacerbated
these problems. A fragmentation in the governing coalition and the military's reluctance to
support an apparently ineffectual and corrupt government were accompanied by a significant
deterioration in law and order.
In August 1990, President Khan, citing his powers under the eighth amendment to the
constitution, dismissed the Bhutto government and dissolved the national and provincial
assemblies. New elections, held in October of 1990, confirmed the political ascendancy of the
IJI. In addition to a two-thirds majority in the National Assembly, the alliance acquired control of
all four provincial parliaments and enjoyed the support of the military and of President Khan.
Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, as leader of the PML, the most prominent Party in the IJI, was
elected Prime Minister by the National Assembly.
Sharif emerged as the most secure and powerful Pakistani Prime Minister since the mid-1970s.
Under his rule, the IJI achieved several important political victories. The implementation of
Sharif's economic reform program, involving privatization, deregulation, and encouragement of
private sector economic growth, greatly improved Pakistan's economic performance and business
climate. The passage into law in May 1991 of a Shari'a bill, providing for widespread
Islamization, legitimized the IJI government among much of Pakistani society.
After PML President Junejo's death in March 1993, Sharif loyalists unilaterally nominated him
as the next party leader. Consequently, the PML divided into the PML Nawaz (PML/N) group,
loyal to the Prime Minister, and the PML Junejo group (PML/J), supportive of Hamid Nasir
Chatta, the President of the PML/J group.
However, Nawaz Sharif was not able to reconcile the different objectives of the IJI's constituent
parties. The largest religious party, Jamaat-i-Islami (JI), abandoned the alliance because of its
perception of PML hegemony. The regime was weakened further by the military's suppression of
the MQM, which had entered into a coalition with the IJI to contain PPP influence, and
allegations of corruption directed at Nawaz Sharif. In April 1993, President Khan, citing
"maladministration, corruption, and nepotism" and espousal of political violence, dismissed the
Sharif government, but the following month the Pakistan Supreme Court reinstated the National

Assembly and the Nawaz Sharif government. Continued tensions between Sharif and Khan
resulted in governmental gridlock and the Chief of Army Staff brokered an arrangement under
which both the President and the Prime Minister resigned their offices in July 1993.
An interim government, headed by Moeen Qureshi, a former World Bank Vice President, took
office with a mandate to hold national and provincial parliamentary elections in October. Despite
its brief term, the Qureshi government adopted political, economic, and social reforms that
generated considerable domestic support and foreign admiration.
In the October 1993 elections, the PPP won a plurality of seats in the National Assembly and
Benazir Bhutto was asked to form a government. However, because it did not acquire a majority
in the National Assembly, the PPP's control of the government depended upon the continued
support of numerous independent parties, particularly the PML/J. The unfavorable circumstances
surrounding PPP rule -- the imperative of preserving a coalition government, the formidable
opposition of Nawaz Sharif's PML/N movement, and the insecure provincial administrations -presented significant difficulties for the government of Prime Minister Bhutto. However, the
election of Prime Minister Bhutto's close associate, Farooq Leghari, as President in November
1993 gave her a stronger power base.
In November 1996, President Leghari dismissed the Bhutto government, charging it with
corruption, mismanagement of the economy, and implication in extra-judicial killings in Karachi.
Elections in February 1997 resulted in an overwhelming victory for the PML/Nawaz, and
President Leghari called upon Nawaz Sharif to form a government. In March 1997, with the
unanimous support of the National Assembly, Sharif amended the constitution, stripping the
President of the power to dismiss the government and making his power to appoint military
service chiefs and provincial governors contingent on the "advice" of the Prime Minister.
Another amendment prohibited elected members from "floor crossing" or voting against party
lines. The Sharif government engaged in a protracted dispute with the judiciary, culminating in
the storming of the Supreme Court by ruling party loyalists and the engineered dismissal of the
Chief Justice and the resignation of President Leghari in December 1997. The new President
elected by Parliament, Rafiq Tarar, was a close associate of the Prime Minister. A one-sided
accountability campaign was used to target opposition politicians and critics of the regime.
Similarly, the government moved to restrict press criticism and ordered the arrest and beating of
prominent journalists. As domestic criticism of Sharif's administration intensified, Sharif
attempted to replace Chief of Army Staff General Pervez Musharraf on October 12, 1999, with a
family loyalist, Director General ISI Lt. Gen. Ziauddin. Although General Musharraf was out of
the country at the time, the Army moved quickly to depose Sharif.
On October 14, 1999, General Musharraf declared a state of emergency and issued the
Provisional Constitutional Order (PCO), which suspended the federal and provincial parliaments,
held the constitution in abeyance, and designated Musharraf as Chief Executive. While

delivering an ambitious seven-point reform agenda, Musharraf has not yet provided a timeline
for a return to civilian, democratic rule, although local elections are anticipated at the end of
calendar year 2000. Musharraf has appointed a National Security Council, with mixed
military/civilian appointees, a civilian Cabinet, and a National Reconstruction Bureau (think
tank) to formulate structural reforms. A National Accountability Bureau (NAB), headed by an
active duty military officer, is prosecuting those accused of willful default on bank loans and
corrupt practices, whose conviction can result in disqualification from political office for twentyone years. The NAB Ordinance has attracted criticism for holding the accused without charge
and, in some instances, access to legal counsel. While military trial courts were not established,
on January 26, 2000, the government stipulated that Supreme, High, and Shari'a Court justices
should swear allegiance to the Provisional Constitutional Order and the Chief Executive.
Approximately 85 percent of justices acquiesced, but a handful of justices were not invited to
take the oath and were forcibly retired. Political parties have not been banned, but a couple of
dozen ruling party members remain detained, with Sharif and five colleagues facing charges of
attempted hijacking.

Quick History of Pakistan

3000 - 1500 BC
Indus Civilization.

1700 BC
Aryans invade from Central Asia.

516 BC
Northern Pakistan becomes the easternmost province of the Achaemenid
Empire of Persia.

327 - 325 BC
Alexander the Great invades Pakistan.

272 - 236 BC
Mauryan Emperor Ashoka promotes Buddhism.

185 BC
Bactrian Greeks conquer northwest Pakistan.

75 BC
Arrival of Scythians (Sakas) from Central Asia.

20 AD
Parthians conquer northern Pakistan.

60 AD
Kushans from Central Asia overthrow the Parthians.

3rd Century
Kushans decline and are dominated by the Sassanian Empire of Persia

4th Century
Kidar (Little) Kushans come to power.

445
White Huns invade Gandhara and are converted to Hinduism, possibly as
the Rajput warrior caste.

565
Sassanians and Turks overthrow Huns.

Late 6th - 7th Century

Turki Shahis control area west of Indus, including Gandhara.

711
Mohammad Bin Qasim conquers Sindh and southern Punjab

870
Hindu Shahis arrive from Central Asia

1001 - 26
Mahmud of Ghaznavi invades.
Mass conversions to Islam.

1034 -1337
Sindh ruled by Sumrahs, a Sindhi tribe

1150
Mohammad Ghuri destroys the Kingdome of Mahmud Ghaznavi.

1194
Mohammad Ghuri makes Delhi the capital of the empire

1206 - 1526 Delhi Sultanate

Delhi Sultanate established by Ilbari Dynasty

At the time of Muhammd Ghuri's death in 1206 (had no sons), Qutbuddin
Aibak was in Lahore, where he assumed the sovereign powers as he was
elected Sultan by the Amirs. The assumption of sovereign powers by
Qutbuddin Aibak in 1206 is regarded as the foundation of the Sultanate Delhi.

1221
The Mongol, Genghiz Khan invades Punjab

1290-1320 Khalji Dynasty

Marks the end of the Turks rule.
Among the Khaljis, Alauddin Khalji (1296-1316) reign is known for revenue
reforms, market regulations and conquests.

1320-1412 Tuqhluq Dynasty

Tuqhluq were from 'Qarauna Turk' tribe.
Sultan Ghiyasuddin Tughluq Shah (Ghazi Malik) founder of third dynasty of
the Sultanate.
Among the Tughluq dynastry, Mohammad Tughluq and Firuz Tughluq are
most popular.

1337
Sammah Rajputs overthrow the Sumrahs in Sindh

1398-9
Tamerlane invades from Central Asia

1414-51 The Saiyids

Khizr Khan was the founder of the Saiyid dynasty.
Alauddin Alam Shah was the last ruler.

1451-1526 The Lodhis

Lodhis were Afghans
Bahlol Lodhi was the founder of this dynasty.
The last Lodhi Sultan, Ibrahim Ladhi (1517-26) was killed by Babur in the
first battle of Panipat.

1526

The Sultanate of Delhi ended.

Babur defeats the Lodis, the last of the Delhi sultans, and establishes the
Mughal Empire.
Tarkhans capture power in Sindh.

1524
Babur, first Mughal emperor, rais Punjab
Sindh conquered by Shah Beg Arghun from Kandahar.
Amir Chakar Rind unites Balochi tribes and defeats Sammahs.

1527 - 1857 The Mughal Empire

Zahiruddin Mohammad Babur son of Umar Shaikh Mirza -- The first Mughal
Emeror (1526-30) and founder of the Mughal empire in India.
March 16 -- A decisive battle took place with Rana Songa of Mewar, a
powerful Rajput prince.
Babur's autobiography Tuzuk-i-Bauri (Babur Namah) written in Turki.

1530
December 26 -- Babur died in Agra.
Humyun become the Mughal emperor.
Humayun reign 1530, 40, 1555-6.

1540
Suri Dynasty (1540-55)
Sher Shah Suri defeated Humayun in the battles of Chausa and Kanauj and
became the emperor.
Humayun is forced into exile in Persia by Sher Shah Suri.

1545
Death of Sher Shah Suri.

1555
Humayun regains empire.

1556
Akbar, son of Humayun, is emperor (1556-1605)
Humayun died after falling from his library (Sher Mandil) stairs.
Thirteen years old Humayun's son Akbar becomes the emperor.
Akbar is famous for his liberal policies especially towards non-Muslims.

Akbar contributed greatly in Indian music. Tansen was the most

accomplished musician of that days.

1527
Jahangir is emperor (1605-27)
After Akbar, his son Salim becomes emperor. Salim took the title of Jehagir
(Conqueror of the world).
Jehangir's reign consider be the peak of Mughal rule (and his son's reign).

1528
Sha Jahan is emperor (1627-59)
After Jehangir, his son Khurram becomes the empror of Mughal emperor.
Khurram took the title of Shah Jehan (Emperor of the World)
The Mughal Empire was at its zenith during Shah Jehan's rule.

1583
Queen Elizabeth I dispatched the ship Tyger to the sub-continent to exploit
opportunities for trade.

1614
The British East India Company opens its first office in Bombay.

1658
Aurangzeb Alamgir is emperor (1658-1707).
Sikhs organize as a warrior sect.

1707
Aurangzeb Alamgir died.
His death regards as the beginning of the end of Mughal empires.
Aurangzeb Alamgir's son bahadur Shah Zafar becomes the last emperor of
Mughal dynastry.

1736
Founding of Kalhora Dynasty in Sindh

1739
Nadir Shah of Persia invades the subcontinent.

1747-73
Ahmad Shah Durrani founds the Kingdom of Afghanistan and acquires Indus
territories, Punjab and Kashmir.

1757
The battle of Plassey is considered a major breakthrough for the Britishers
in the Subcontinent.

1707 - 1762
Shah wali Ullah's Reform Movement.

1760-1830
Sikhs become dominate force in Pubjab.

1789
Talpur Balochis overthrow Kalhora Dynazty in Sindh

1799-1839
Ranjit Singh rules Punjab from Lahore.

1830
Faraizi Movement (1830-57)

1843
British annex Sindh.
First British-Afghan War

1845-6
First British-Sikh War

1848-9
The British defeat the Sikhs in Second Sikh War, annex Punjab and NWFP

1857
First War of Independence (Mutiny)

1858
British government assumes direct rule of British East India Company lands,
establishes British Raj
Aligarh Movement (1858-98)

1866
Deoband Movement (1866-1947)

1884
Anjuman Himayat-i-Islam, Lahore (1884-1947)

1885
Establishment of Indian National Congress

1887
All districts of Balochistan in British hands

1889
British establish Gilgit Agency

1891
British conquer Hunza and Nagar

1894
Nadva-tul-'Ulama of Lucknow (1894-1947)

1906
December 30 -- The annual meeting of Mohammadan Educational
Conference held at Dacca under the chairmanship of Nawab Viqar ul Mulk. In
the meeting Nawab Salim ullah Khan presented a proposal to establish a
political party, All India Muslim League, to safeguard the interests of the
Muslims.
All India Muslim League founded as forum for Indian Muslim separatism

1916
The Lucknow Pact

1919
The Khilafat Movement (1919-1924)

1930
Mohammad Iqbal proposes creation of separate Muslim state

1940
Lahore Resolution, which endorses idea of separate nation for India's
Muslims, to be called Pakistan.

1947
June 3 -- the British Government accepted the idea of partition of India.
July 18 -- The British Parliament passes the Indian Independence Act.
July 19 -- Nawabzada Liaquat Ali Khan (1895-1951) of Muslim League
becomes the first Prime Minister.
August 14 -- Birth of Pakistan, consisting of East Bengal, a part of Assam
(Sylhet), West Punjab, Sind, NWFP and Baluchistan.
Some 15 million people flee religious persecution, Muslim fleeing to East
and West Pakistan, while Hindus flee to India. An estimated one million
people are killed in widespread communal violence and millions are made
homeless.
Under Section 8 of the Indian Independence Act, 1947, the Government of
India Act, 1935 (with certain adaptations) becomes constitution of Pakistan.
August 15 -- Quid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah (1876-1948) of Muslim
League becomes first governor-general and Liaquat Ali Khan (1895-1951) of
Muslim League becomes the first Prime Minister of the new nation.

1948
September 11 -- Quid-e-Azam Dies and Kashmir Crisis Starts.
September 14 -- Cheif Minister of Bengal Khwaja Nazimuddin (1894-1964)
of Muslim League becomes second governor-general.
The first war with India over Kashmir

1949
March 12 -- Objectives Resolution passes moved by Prime Minister Liaquat
Ali Khan.

1951

October 16 -- Liaquat Ali Khan assassinated in Rawalpindi.

October 17 -- Finance Minister Ghulam Mohammad (1895-1956) of Muslim
League becomes the third Governor General.
Governor General Khawaja Nazimuddin of Muslim League becomes second
Prime Minister.

1952
December 22 -- The second draft of the Basic Principle Committee presents
to the Constituent Assembly.

1953
April 17 -- Malik Ghulam Mohammad dismisses the Khawaja Nazimuddin.
(Important note: This is this act of Ghulam Mohammad that sets an unhealthy
tradition and precedent in Pakistan of Presidents removing ELECTED
governments. This tradition is later carried on by various Presidents creating
a continuous instability in the Pakistan.)
April 17 -- A not well-known leader of East Pakistan Mohammad Ali Bogra
(1909-1963 ) of Muslim League, who was then Pakistani Ambassador to
United State, becomes third Prime Minister.

1954
May 1954 -- Governor General Ghulam Mohammad appointed Iskander Mirza (18991969) as Governor of East Pakistan. In order to established the peace in East Pakistan, the
first step he took as Governor was to order the arrest of 319 persons, including Mujib al
Rahman and Yusuf Ali Choudhury. By mid June, the number of persons arrested had
reached 1051, including 33 assembly members and two Dhaka University Professors. So,
in a way Iskander Mirza had sown a permanent seed of hatred for the Central government
in the heats of East Pakistani people.
October 24 -- Malik Ghulam Mohammad dissolved the Constituent Assembly of
Mohammad Ali Bogra and declares a state of emergency.
Pakistan signed an agreement with the U.S. saying that US will come to Pakistan's aid
in a time of war.
1955
August 11 -- Bogra resigns and Chaudhary Mohammad Ali (1905-1963) of
Muslim League becomes appointed forth Prime Minister.
October 6 -- Governor-General Ghulam Mohammad resigns.
October 6 -- Iskander Mirza (1899-1969) of Military becomes the fourth and
last Governor General.

1956

March 23 -- Constitution take on and proclaims Pakistan an Islamic republic.

The Constitution consisted of 234 articles, which divided into 13 parts and 6
schedules. The National Assembly (the only house of the parliament) was
consists of 300 members. The 300 hundred National Assembly seats were
equally divided between West Pakistan and East Pakistan (note that the
concept of one unit was there in constitution.).
March 23 -- Iskander Mirza of Republican Party becomes first president.
September 12 -- Chaudhry Mohammad Ali resigns and after the adoption of
the constitution, Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy (1893-1963) of Awami League
becomes the fifth Prime Minister.

1957
October 17 -- Suhrawardy resigns, due to President's refusal to convene a
meeting of the parliament to seek a vote of confidence.
October 17 -- The Law Minister in the Federal Cabinet Ibrahim Ismail
Chundrigar (1897-1960) of Muslim League becomes sixth Prime Minister.
December 11 -- I. I. Chundrigar was Forced to resign since he failed to
maintain the support of his coalition partners and thus becomes the only
Prime Minister of Pakistan for less than two months.
December 16 -- Malik Feroze Khan Noon (1893-1970) of Republican Party
takes over the office of Prime Minister and becomes the seventh prime
minister.

1958
October 7 -- President Iskander Mirza abrogates Constitution and with the
help of Gen. Ayub Khan, the Chief Martial Law Administrator, enforces the
first martial law as a response to rebellions in East Pakistan.
Military coup -- Chief of the army staff takes over and declares martial law.
October 24 -- Gen. Mohammad Ayub Khan (1907-1974) of Military becomes
eighth Prime Minister and resign from the office of chief martial law
administrator.
October 27 -- Iskander Mirza's Presidency ends and sent into exile.
October 27 -- Gen. (Mohammad Ayub Khan) of Military assumes
presidency and becomes second president.
October 28 -- Ayub Khan resigns from prime ministership.

1962
Constitution Adopted (second time).
Gen. Mohammad Ayub Khan of Military becomes president.

1965

August -- Second war between India and Pakistan over Kashmir

1966
January 10 -- Gen Ayub Khan and Indian prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri
signed the cease-fire agreement in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, USSR.
The cease-fire agreement led to the resigning of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, Ayub
Khan's talented Minister of Foreign Affairs.

1969
March 25 -- Ayub Khan handed his place over to Agha Mohammad Yahya
Khan (1907-1980), who promised return to civilian rule. He is the first chief
martial law administrator (March 25, 1969 through March 31, 1969).
Martial law declared by military chief Agha Mohammad Yahya Khan.
March 25 -- Gen. Agha Mohammad Yahya Khan of Military takes over and
becomes the third president.
March 27 -- Gen Ayub Khan resigns from office of Prime Minister.

1970
First general elections.
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's Awami League acquires absolute majority in new
National Assembly.
West Pakistan-dominated government headed by military chief Yahya Khan
Declines to assemble assembly.

1971
East Pakistan attempts to break away.
Civil war begins in East Pakistan.
East Pakistan declares itself independent nation and becomes Bangladesh.
India intervenes on behalf of Bengali separatists.
Pakistani military surrenders to Indian armed forces.
December 7 -- Nurul Amin (1893-1974) of Pakistan People's Party becomes
ninth prime minister.
December 20 -- Nurul Amin resigns.
December 20 -- President (military chief) Yahya Khan resigns.
December 20 -- Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto (1928-1979) of Pakistan Peoples Party
becomes fourth president of Pakistan.

1972

President Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and India's Prime Minister Indira Gandhi sign
Simla agreement that adjusts cease-fire line between Pakistan and India and
creates new Line of Control.

1973
New constitution goes into effect (Third time).
August 13 -- Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto resigns from presidency.
August 14 -- Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto of Pakistan People's Party becomes tenth
prime minister.
August 14 -- Fazal Elahi Chaudhry (1904-1982) of Pakistan People's Party
becomes fifth President.

1974
May - India tests its first nuclear device at nation's nuclear testing grounds near
Pokhran in southeastern India.
Prime Minister Z. A. Bhutto's government begins nuclear program.
1976
Diplomatic ties established between Pakistan and Bangladesh.

1977
Riots erupt over allegations of rigging of general election by Pakistan
Peoples Party.
Gen. Mohammad Zia ul-Haq (1924-1988) of Military declares martial law.
July 5 -- Gen. Zia ul-Haq of Military becomes eleventh prime minister.

1978
September 16 -- President Fazal Elahi Chaudhry resigns
September 16 -- Gen. Zia ul-Haq of Military becomes sixth president.

1979
Islamic penal code introduced.
Gen. and president Zia ul-Haq of Military hangs First elected Prime Minister
of Pakistan Z. A. Bhutto.

1980
United State pledges military assistance following Soviet Union intervention in
Afghanistan.

1983
Gen. and president Zia announces that he will lift the martial law but
military will retain the key role in future governments.

1985
Martial law and ban on political parties lifted.
General elections held under military rule.
Controversial eighth Amendment is passes.
March 24 -- Military chief Zia-ul Haq resigns from prime ministership and
Mohammad Khan Junejo (1932-1993) of Pakistan Muslim League become
twelfth prime minister.
Gen. Zia ul-Haq of Military President.

1986
Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto's daughter Benazir Bhotto (born: 1953) returns from exile to lead
PPP in campaign for elections.
1988
May 29 -- Military chief (president) Zia dismisses Prime Minister Mohammad
Khan Junejo's government.
June 9 -- Gen. and president Zia becomes thirteenth prime minister.
Military chief , president and prime minister Zia orders new elections.
August 17 -- Military chief ,president and prime minister Zia, the US
ambassador and top Pakistan army officials die in mysterious plane crash.
August 17 -- Ghulam Ishaq Khan (born: 1915) becomes seventh President.
(Acting president to Dec. 12, 1988.)
Benazir Bhotto's Pakistan People's Party wins November general election.
Benazir Bhutto, the eldest child of Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto sworn
in as first woman Prime Minister of a Muslim nation. She becomes fourteenth
prime minister.
December 14 -- Ghulam Ishaq Khan Khan becomes seventh President.

1989
May -- India test fires its Agni missile, ballistic missile that can be able to
deliver a nuclear warhead to any target in Pakistan or southern China.

1990
August 6 -- Benazir Bhutto's government dismissed on charges of
incompetence and corruption.
August 6 -- Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi (born: 1931) of National People's Party
becomes fifteenth Prime Minister (caretaker).
In National election, Benazir Bhutto's PPP lost to coalition of rightist parties.
November 6 -- Jotoi resigns and Mian Nawaz Sharif (born: 1949) of Pakistan
Muslim League (Nawaz group) becomes sixteenth prime minister.

1991
Islamic Shariah law formally incorporated into legal code.

1992
Nawaz Sharif's government launches campaign to stamp out violence by
supporter of Mohajir Quami Movement (MQM).

1993
April 19 -- President Ishaq Khan dissolves the National and Provincial
Assemblies.
April 18 -- Ishaq Khan selects Mir Balakh Sher Mazari of Pakistan Muslim
League (Nawaz group) as the seventeenth Prime Minister (caretaker).
May 26 -- Mazaris tenure as a caretaker Prime Minister ended in May, when
the Supreme Court of Pakistan invalidates the presidential order on May 26
and reinstated Mian Mohammad Nawaz Sharif as the Prime Minister. Nawaz
Sharif becomes eighteenth prime minister.
July 18 -- the President, Ghulam Ishaq and the Prime Minister, Mian Nawaz
Sharif both resign under pressure from military, thus dissolving all the Central
and provincial Assemblies.
July 18 -- Wasim Sajjad (born: 1941) of Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz
Group) selected as eight President (interim).
July 18 -- Moin Qureshi (born: 1930)selected as nineteenth Prime Minister
(caretaker).
On October 6th and 9th General Elections were held.
Octorber 19 -- Benazir Bhutto (born: 1953) wins slim margin and took oath
as Prime Minister. She becomes twenth prime minister.
On November 13, Presidential election was held.
Sardar Farooq Ahmad Khan Leghari (born: 1940) of Pakistan People's Party
candidate won by 274 to 168 votes against, the then acting President Wasim
Sajjad.

November 14 -- Wasim Sajjad resign and Farooq Ahmed Khan Leghari of

Pakistan Peoples Party elected as eighth President.

1996
November 5 -- President Farooq Leghari dismisses Benazir Bhutto accuses
her government of corruption and nepotism under the Article 58(2) b of the
Eighth Amendment.
November 5 -- Miraj Khalid (born: 1916) becomes twenty first prime
minister (caretaker).

1997
Queen Elizabeth II visits Pakistan on 50th Anniversary of its Independence.
Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, right, meets Britain's Queen
Elizabeth II at the presidential palace in Islamabad, Pakistan.
Malik Meraj Khalid selected as Caretaker Prime Minister.
On February, National elections held.
February 17 -- Mian Mohammad Nawaz Sharif becomes twenty second
Prime Minister.
February 18 -- Nawaz Sharif obtained a vote of confidence from the
National Assembly on February 18.
Controversial Eighth Amendment is repealed, which empowered the
president to dismiss the prime ministers.
Passing Thirteenth Am Amendment and the Ehtesab Act, 1997.
December 2 --Because of constitutional crisis, President Farooq Leghari
resigned on December 2.
December 2 -- Wasim Sajjad of PML-N becomes tenth President (interim)
(second time).

1998
January 1 -- Wasim Sajjad resigns and Mohammad Rafiq Tarar (born: 1929)
of PML-N becomes eleventh President.
May 28-29 -- Pakistan carried out its nuclear tests in response to Indian
detonation of its three nuclear devices and becomes a Nuclear Power.
Nawaz Sharif's government proclaims an emergency on May 28, because of
this, all fundamental rights of Pakistani people were suspended and all the
foreign currency accounts in Pakistani banks were frozen.
A Ghauri missile (a modified SCVD ballistic missile similar to India's Agni
ballistic missile).
Nawaz Sharif introduces the Fifteen Amendment on October 9.
The Fifteen Amendment, which is an effort by Sharif to acquire more
powers, soon brought him into serious confrontation with military. This

confrontation led to the resignation of General Jehangir Karamat on October

7.
Mohammad Rafiq Tarar (born: 1929) becomes an eleventh President.

1999
Feburary 20 -- Indian prime Minister Vajayeee visits Pakistan.
In April, Benazir Bhutto and her husband convicted of corruption and given
jail sentences.
April 11 -- India test an upgraded version of Agni missile on Wheeler Island
in the Bay of Bengal.
The Kargil Offensive.
The Kargil crisis in its aftermath led to tense relationship between Nawaz
Sharif and the military. It was this tense relationship, which culminated in the
removal of the Nawaz government by successor of General Karamat
(Musharraf ).
October 12 -- Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif overthrown in military coup led
by military chief Pervez Musharraf (born: 1943), thus Military Comes to Power
Again.
Pakistan is suspended from Commonweath due to widely condemned
military coup.
October 12 -- military chief Musharraf becomes the Chief Executive of
Pakistan.

October 14 -- military chief and chief executive becomes twenty third prime minister.

2000
In April, Nawaz Sharif sentenced to life imprisonment on hijacking and
terrorism charges.
In December, Nawaz Sharif goes into exile in Saudi Arabia after being
pardoned by military authorities.

2001
Agra Summit.
US Military invasion in Afghanistan.
June 20 -- Gen. Pervez Musharraf (born: 1943) of Military dissolved the
parliament as a result the figurehead president, Rafiq Tarar vacated his
position. Later in the day Gen Pervez Musharraf names himself president
while remaining head of the military. He becomes twelfth the President.
US Military invasion in Afghanistan.
July, Gen Musharraf meets Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee in

Agra summit. Talks fails (not even a joint statement).

September - Pakistan cut its diplomatic relation with the Taliban and
becomes a major ally to U.S. campaign against the Taliban and al-Qaida.
US lifts some sanctions imposed after Pakistan's nuclear tests, but retains
those imposed after Musharraf's coup.

2002
January - Gen. Musharraf announces that elections will be held on October
2002.
April - Gen. Musharraf of Military wins another five years in office in a
referendum criticized as unconstitutional and fraught with irregularities.
May - Pakistani military fires three medium-range surface-to-surface
missiles that can carry nuclear warheads.
August - President Musharraf of Military grants himself sweeping new
powers, including the right to dismiss an elected parliament. Opposition
parties accuse Musharraf of perpetuating dictatorship.
October - General election results in a hung parliament.
November 23 - National Assembly "selects" Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali
(born: 1944) of Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid-e-Azam Group), a member of
a party close to Gen Musharraf of Military, as a twenty fourth prime minister
and Musharraf resigns from prime ministership.