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Iskandar Ali Mirza

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Iskander Mirza
سکندر مرزا
File:DSC00018 resize.JPG
President of Pakistan
In office
23 March 1956 – 27 October 1958
Prime MinisterChaudhry Muhammad Ali
Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy
Ibrahim Ismail Chundrigar
Feroz Khan Noon
Ayub Khan
Preceded byOffice created
Succeeded byAyub Khan
Governor-General of Pakistan
In office
6 October 1955 – 23 March 1956
MonarchElizabeth II
Prime MinisterChaudhry Muhammad Ali
Preceded byGhulam Muhammad
Succeeded byOffice abolished
Personal details
Born(1899-11-13)13 November 1899
Murshidabad, British India
Died12 November 1969(1969-11-12) (aged 69)
London, United Kingdom
Political partyRepublican Party

Major-General Sahibzada Sayyid Iskander Ali Mirza, CIE, OBE (Urdu: اسکندر مرزا) November 13 1899 – 12 November, 1969) was the last Governor-General of the Dominion of Pakistan (6 October 1955 to 23 March 1956) and the first President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan (23 March 1956 to 27 October 1958).

Early life

Sayyid Iskander Ali Mirza was born at Murshidabad on 13 November 1899, the eldest son of Sahibzada Sayyid Muhammad Fateh Ali Mirza (1875-1948), a prince of the ruling house of Murshidabad and grandson of Nawab Mansur Ali Khan, the last Nawab of Bengal. Iskander Mirza was therefore a descendant of Mir Jafar. He was a Shi'a Muslim, as his emblem below displays the sign of the Zulfiqar, the sword of Ali (son-in-law of Prophet Muhammad). He grew up in Bombay. After completing his early education at Elphinstone College, of the then University of Bombay, he was later educated at the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, becoming the first graduate from the Indian subcontinent at the academy, and was commissioned into the British Indian Army in 1920.

He was attached to the 2nd Btn., Cameronians 16 July 1920, and served in the Khodad Khel Operations 1921 and at Waziristan 1924. He transferred to the 17th Poona Hse(Queen Victoria's Own) later that year, and joined the Indian Political Service in 1926. He was Assistant Commissioner at Abbottabad 1926-1928, Bannu 1928-1930, Nowshera 1930-1933, and Tonk 1933, a Department Commissioner at Hazara 1933-1936 & at Marda 1936-1938. He was a Political Agent Khyber 1938-1940, Dep. Cmsnr. Peshawar & Political Agent to the Mohmands 1940, Political Agent Orissa States 1945-1946, Joint Defence Sec. India 1946-1947 and Defence Secretary. Mirza only served in the army for six years, after which he was the first Indian to be accepted in the elite Indian Political Service, eventually becoming a joint secretary in the Ministry of Defence of British India. In this position, he was responsible for dividing the British Indian Army into the future armies of Pakistan and India.

Defence Secretary and Governor-General

Upon the formation of Pakistan, Mirza was made the Defence Secretary of the new nation, this appointment owed to Mirza's ranking as the highest Muslim civil servant in India at the time. In 1954, he was made governor of East Pakistan to bring order to a politically distressed region. This position was followed by his being appointed Minister of Interior and Frontier Regions in Prime Minister Muhammad Ali Bogra's cabinet. In 1955, he became acting Governor-General, before becoming the last Governor-General of Pakistan. Iskander Mirza was also a great advocate of the One Unit scheme and believed in the separation of state and religion. When Mirza succeeded the ailing Ghulam Mohammad as Governor-General, he was married to his second wife, Mrs Nahid Mirza, an Iranian lady who was previously the wife of the Military Attaché of Iran in Pakistan.

President of Pakistan

In 1956, Pakistan established its first constitution, and the position of Governor-General was replaced by that of President. The two were essentially the same, but Mirza was officially elected as President by the Assembly. During his presidency, Pakistan was politically unstable, this was marked by four different prime ministers in two years.

Military Coup D'état

By 1958, realising that the 1956 Constitution was contributing to political instability, Mirza declared martial law on 7 October with the view to introducing a new constitution "more suited to the genius of the Pakistani people" in November. However, it is disputed that even though, he became the first President of Pakistan under the new constitution, he was not very fond of it. He is quoted in the book, Shahabnama [1], holding the constitution in his hand, and referring it as a "trashy book." Mirza's efforts and energies, as Shahab relates, were geared to one principal purpose, his continuation in office. Mirza was apprehensive that general elections could lead to a change in the Office of President and so elections had to be deferred under some pretext or other, which led to his declaration of Martial Law on 7 October 1958. He appointed the commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Army, Ayub Khan, as the martial law administrator. Once the deed was done, he realized that he had forfeited his own political legitimacy. Less than three weeks into martial law he was ushered out of the Presidential Palace, first to Quetta and then to exile in London. He thus precipitated his departure from the Office of President rather than prolong his tenure. Ayub Khan declared himself President on 27 October after a bloodless coup d'état.

Honours

Family

On 24 November 1922, Iskander married Rif'a'at Begum (1907-23 March 1967). The couple had two sons and four daughters.

In October 1954, Iskander married Naheed Begum (1914-), the couple had no children.

Death

Mirza lived in exile in London till his death in 1969. He died of a heart-attack in London about 5:30 pm just a day before his 70th birthday on 12 November 1969. After Yahya Khan's military government refused to allow him to be buried in his own country, his body was flown to Tehran where the Shah of Iran gave him a State Funeral befitting a Head of State.

Excerpts From Major General Iskander Mirza's Letter to His Children

Mr. Chundrigar is now Prime Minister and I hope the present Government will continue until general election in November 1958. I am quite sure there will be a new President in the new set-up. I am tired of trying to keep the country on the rails and wish all the luck to my successor. With 15% literacy we are trying to run a Constitution which requires 70% literacy - This is the basis of all our troubles. I trusted the Army and in Military honour of General Ayub khan. This was an error of judgment, and people who got on top and misjudge as I did have no right to complain and deserve what they get. This is the end of an episode as far as I am concerned. Individuals don't count, it is the country which matters.

Signed I.A.M.

Political offices
Preceded by Governor of East Bengal
1954 – 1955 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Interior Minister of Pakistan
1954 – 1955 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Governor-General of Pakistan
1955 – 1956 		Succeeded by
Office abolished
Preceded by
Office created
 President of Pakistan
1956 – 1958 		Succeeded by

References

  • Shahab, Qudrat-Ullah (2005 (21st Edition)). Shahabnama. Karachi: Sang-e-Meel. ISBN 969-35-0025-3. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |year= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameters: |1=, |2=, |3=, |4=, |5=, |6=, |7=, |8=, and |9= (help)


  1. ^ Shahabnama


See Also

  • [1]Iskander Mirza's family tree.

See also

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