First Benazir Bhutto government

First Benazir Bhutto Government
Cabinet of Pakistan
Date formed	2 December 1988
Date dissolved	6 August 1990
People and organisations
Head of state	Ghulam Ishaq Khan
Head of government	Benazir Bhutto
Total no. of members	58
Member party	Pakistan People's Party
Status in legislature	Minority (Plurality)
Opposition party	Islami Jamhoori Ittehad
Opposition leader	Nawaz Sharif
History
Election(s)	1988 general elections
Outgoing election	1990 general elections
Predecessor	Zia government
Successor	First Nawaz Sharif government

The first Benazir Bhutto government was formed on 2 December, 1988 following general elections held in 1988. Due to the PPP only securing a plurality, the new government forged a coalition alliance with the MQM, ANP, JUI(FR) and other additional independents. Following elections President Ghulam Ishaq Khan called upon Benazir Bhutto, later announcing the formation of a new government. Benazir promised while taking oath on 2 December to eradicate illiteracy, poverty, restore student unions, liberate political prisoners, provide equal rights to women and free the media. However, the Army's continued influence and lack of a legislative majority led to her later declaring her government's freedom of action was "institutionally, economically, politically (and) structurally" constrained. Later during Presidential elections the same year, Benazir Bhutto solidified her alliance with President Ishaq Khan through supporting his bid for re-election. However later the two came into conflict, over the division of powers between the two offices and as the President continued to support Bhutto's opponent Nawaz Sharif. Eventually on 6 August, 1990 Ghulam Ishaq Khan issued an order under Article 58(2)(b) dissolving the National Assembly causing the Prime Minister and the cabinet to cease holding office. The stated charges of dismissal for the Bhutto government were corruption and the deteriorating law and order situation in Sindh.

History

Further information: Benazir Bhutto § First term as Prime_Minister (1988–1990)

Formative Period

Following the 1988 elections, the PPP did not gain a majority but emerged as the largest single party with 93 seats, 11 seats short to form a majority. The second largest party in the National assembly being the IJI and its 55 seats. Independents had secured 23 seats, MQM 13 seats, and JUI (Fazlur-Rehman Group) 7 seats. Nawaz Sharif the following day announced that the IJI would form a government, according to Hamid Khan, Sharif intended to make up for his lack of a electoral plurality through the support of the President Ghulam Ishaq Khan. Following MQM and ANP alliance with the PPP, the President instead decided to call upon Benazir to meet with him, and shortly later it was announced that the first civilian-led government in eleven years was to be formed. According to Lawrence Ziring, Ishaq Khan pursued this path in order to establish stability "as quickly as possible" and because he was disinclined to see the army under Aslam Beg take control of the government following Zia's death. Hamid Khan claims that Ghulam Ishaq Khan sought a full five-year term as President, so after "delivering a majority in the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab to the IJI" to counterbalance Bhutto he sought a deal with the PPP for his election. In the later Presidential elections that year, the PPP ignored its old ally Nawabzada Nasrullah for Ishaq Khan, who won with 603 votes out of 752.

Formation Provincial Governments

Punjab

The Islami Jamhoori Ittehad in Punjab would be able to secure 34.98% of the vote. Despite the PPP (52 seats) securing more seats than the IJI (45 seats) in the National Assembly, in the Provincial Assembly the IJI secured got 108 seats compared to the PPP's 94. With the help of most of the independents the IJI would be able to form a government with Nawaz Sharif as Chief Minister. Punjab would provide the main power base of the IJI, comprising both Nawaz Sharif and Junejo Muslim leagues and eight other allied parties held together by opposition to the PPP. According to Muhammad Waseem, the incumbent caretaker Chief Ministers used public funds to finance its candidates during the election. According to Ian Talbot, the requirement that voters produce identity cards also strengthened the IJI.

Sindh

In Sindh the PPP had won 67 out of a 100 general seats in the Provincial Assembly, securing a majority. Out of 31 independents in the Assembly, 26 belonged to the MQM but ran on independent tickets. On 20 March, the period until with which Governors could appoint Chief Ministers had lapsed, hence Qaim Ali Shah of the PPP was elected by the Provincial Assembly as Chief Minister of Sindh.

North West Frontier Province (NWFP)

In the NWFP no single political party had won an absolute majority. Out of 80 general seats the IJI had won the highest (28 seats), followed by the PPP (22 seats), ANP (13 seats) and as many as 15 independents. In order to form a government, Benazir approached Wali Khan head of the ANP to form a coalition, with the offer being accepted. Several independents also joined the PPP-ANP in NWFP. Aftab Sherpao would form the government as Chief Minister. Later when the PPP-ANP coalition broke down he would remain as CM.

Balochistan

In Balochistan, out of 40 general seats, 11 went to JUI(FR), 10 to the Balochistan National Alliance (BNA), 8 to the IJI, 4 to the PPP and the remaining seven to minor political parties and independents. The Provincial Assembly met on 2 December to elect the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the assembly and later to elect the Chief Minister of the province. Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali received 21 votes for and 21 votes against his bid for Chief Ministership. The Speaker issued a certificate declaring him elected by 22 votes including the casting vote of the speaker.

Cabinet

Federal Ministers

Federal Ministers under Benazir Bhutto
	Name	Portfolio	Period	Citation
1	Begum Nusrat Bhutto	● Senior Minister without portfolio	31 March, 1989—6 August, 1990
2	Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat	● Federal Minister of Commerce, Local Govt & Rural Development Industries	4 December, 1988—6 August, 1990
3	Makhdoom Amin Faheem	● Federal Minister of Communications ● Federal Minister of Railways	4 December, 1988—6 August, 1990 6 December, 1988—23 March, 1989
4	Agha Tariq Khan	● Federal Minister for Culture & Tourism ● Federal Minister for Culture & Supports	4 December, 1988—23 March, 1989 30 March, 1989—6 August, 1990
5	Rao Sikandar Iqbal	● Federal Minister for Food, Agriculture and Cooperatives	4 December, 1988—6 August, 1990
6	Sahabzada Yaqub Khan	● Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs	4 December, 1988—6 August, 1990
7	Syed Amir Haider Kazmi	● Federal Minister of Health, Special Education and Social welfare ● Federal Minister of Education	4 December, 1988—6 August, 1990 6 December, 1988—23 March, 1989
8	Jahangir Badr	● Federal Minister for Housing and Works ● Federal Minister of Science & Technology ● Federal Minister of Petroleum & Natural Resources	4 December, 1988—23 March, 1989 4 December, 1988—20 September, 1989 6 December, 1988—6 August, 1990
9	Aitzaz Ahsan	● Federal Minister of Interior ● Federal Minister of Law and Justice	4 December, 1988—6 August, 1990 4 December, 1988—28 December, 1988
10	Mukhtar Ahmad Awan	● Federal Minister of Labour Manpower & Overseas Pakistanis ● Federal Minister of Labour	4 December, 1988—11 November, 1989 11 November, 1989—6 August, 1990
11	Muhammad Hanif Khan	● Federal Minister of States and Frontier Regions & Kashmir Affairs ● Federal Minister of Housing & Works	4 December, 1988—23 March, 1989 4 December, 1988—28 January, 1990
12	Syed Iftikhar Hussain Gillani	● Federal Minister of Law and Justice	28 December, 1988—6 August, 1990
13	Farooq Ahmed Khan Leghari	● Federal Minister of Water and Power	28 December, 1988—6 August, 1990
14	Syed Ghulam Mustafa Shah	● Federal Minister of Education	23 March, 1989—6 August, 1990
15	Zafar Ali Leghari	● Federal Minister of Railways	23 March, 1989—6 August, 1990
16	Ali Nawaz Shah	● Federal Minister of Industries	23 March, 1989—6 August, 1990
17	Khan Bahadar Khan	● Federal Minister of Religious Affairs & Minorities Affairs	23 March, 1989—6 August, 1990
18	Khawaja Ahmad Tariq Raheem	● Federal Minister of Parliamentary Affairs	23 March, 1989—6 August, 1990
19	Mir. Baz Muhammad Khan Khetran	● Federal Minister of States & Frontier Regions and Kashmir Affairs ● Federal Minister of Environment and Urban Affairs ● Federal Minister of Kashmir Affairs & Northern Affairs	23 March, 1989—28 January, 1990 28 January, 1990—6 August, 1990 10 September, 1989—28 January, 1990
20	Begum Rehana Sarwar	● Federal Minister of Women Development	23 March, 1989—6 August, 1990
21	Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani	● Federal Minister of Tourism ● Federal Minister of Housing & Works (Works Division)	21 March, 1989—28 January, 1990 28 January, 1990—6 August, 1990
22	Mian Ghulam Mohammad Ahmad Khan Maneka	● Federal Minister of Manpower & Overseas Pakistanis	11 November, 1989—6 August, 1990

Ministers of State

Ministers of State under Benazir Bhutto
	Name	Portfolio	Period	Citation
1	Mir. Baz Muhammad Khan Khetran	● Minister of State for Culture and Tourism	4 December, 1988—23 March, 1989
2	Col (Retd) Ghulam Sarwar Cheema	● Minister of State for Defence	4 December, 1988—6 August, 1990
3	Ehsan-ul-Haq Piracha	● Minister of State for Finance, Economic Affairs, Planning & Development	4 December, 1988—6 August, 1990
4	Javed Jabbar	● Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting ● Minister of State for Science & Technology	4 December, 1988—20 September, 1989 20 September, 1989—6 August, 1990
5	Khawaja Ahmad Tariq Raheem	● Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs ● Minister of State for & Power	4 December, 1988—23 March, 1989 6 December, 1988—23 March, 1989
6	Raja Shahid Zafar	● Minister of State for Production	4 December, 1988—6 August, 1990
7	Khan Bahadar Khan	● Minister of State for Religious Affairs & Minorities Affairs	4 December, 1988—23 March, 1989
8	Malik Waris Khan Afridi	● Minister of State for States & Frontier Regions	5 December, 1988—6 August, 1990
9	Muhammad Farooq Azam Malik	● Minister of State for Railways	23 March, 1989—6 August, 1990
10	Malik Mushtaq Ahmad	● Minister of State for Works Division	23 March, 1989—6 August, 1990
11	Haji Amanullah	● Minister of State for Religious Affairs	23 March, 1989—6 August, 1990
12	Mehboob-ur-Rehman Yousuf Zaj	● Minister of State for Food, Agriculture & Cooperatives	23 March, 1989—6 August, 1990
13	Dr. Sher Afgan Khan Niazi	● Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs	23 March, 1989—12 June, 1990
14	Dr. Mrs. Mehmooda Shah	● Minister of State for Special Education & Social Welfare	23 March, 1989—6 August, 1990
15	Begum Nadir Khan Khakwani	● Minister of State for Population Welfare Division	23 March, 1989—6 August, 1990
16	Mian Muzaffar Shah	● Minister of State for Narcotics Control Division	23 March, 1989—6 August, 1990
17	Lt. Col. (Retd.) Ch. Qadir Bakhsh Mela	● Minister of State for Sports	23 March, 1989—6 August, 1990
18	Alhaj Syed Qasim Shah	● Minister of State for Environment and Urban Affairs Division ● Minister of State for the Tourism Division	23 March, 1989—28 January, 1990 28 January, 1990—6 August, 1990
19	Syed Parvez Ali Shah Jillani	● Minister of State for Youth ● Minister of State Incharge Youth Affairs	23 March, 1989—6 August, 1990 30 March, 1989—6 August, 1990
20	Mrs. Shahnaz Wazir Ali	● Minister of State for Education	31 March, 1989—6 August, 1990
21	Mr. Ahmad Saeed Awan	● Minister of State for Industries ● Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting	31 March, 1989—20 September, 1989 20 September, 1989—6 August, 1990
22	Mir Tariq Hussain Magsi	● Minister of State for Labour Manpower & Overseas Pakistanis	31 March, 1989—25 October, 1989
23	Mr. Shah Nawaz Junejo	● Minister of State for Local Govt & Rural Development	31 March, 1989—6 August, 1990
24	Father Rufin Julius	● Minister of State for Minorities Affairs	31 March, 1989—6 August, 1990
25	Syed Zafar Ali Shah	● Minister of State for Water and Power	31 March, 1989—6 August, 1990
26	Makhdum Syed Ahmed Alam Anwar	● Minister of State for Manpower & Overseas Pakistanis	11 November, 1989—6 August, 1990
27	Ghulam Akbar Lasi	● Minister of State for Labour	11 November, 1989—6 August, 1990