Iskander Mirza
Iskander Mirza | |
|---|---|
| ইস্কান্দার মির্জা اسکندر مرزا | |
 Official portrait, c. 1956 | |
| 1st President of Pakistan | |
| In office 23 March 1956 – 27 October 1958 | |
| Prime Minister | |
| Preceded by | Position established (Himself as Governor General of Pakistan) |
| Succeeded by | Ayub Khan |
| 4th Governor-General of Pakistan | |
| In office 7 August 1955 – 23 March 1956 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Prime Minister | Mohammad Ali Bogra Chaudhry Muhammad Ali |
| Preceded by | Malik Ghulam Muhammad |
| Succeeded by |
|
| 4th Minister for Interior of Pakistan | |
| In office 23 October 1954 – 7 August 1955 | |
| Governor General | Malik Ghulam Muhammad |
| Prime Minister | Mohammad Ali Bogra |
| Preceded by | Moustaque Ahmead Gurmani |
| Succeeded by | A. K. Fazlul Huq |
| 1st Minister for Provinces and Frontiers Regions of Pakistan | |
| In office 23 October 1954 – 7 August 1955 | |
| Governor General | Malik Ghulam Muhammad |
| Prime Minister | Mohammad Ali Bogra |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| 4th Governor of East Bengal | |
| In office 15 May 1954 – 23 October 1954 | |
| Governor General | Malik Ghulam Muhammad |
| Chief Minister | A. K. Fazlul Huq |
| Preceded by | Chaudhry Khaliquzzaman |
| Succeeded by | Muhammad Shahabuddin (Acting) |
| 1st Secretary of Defence | |
| In office 23 October 1947 – 15 May 1954 | |
| Governors General |
|
| Prime Minister | Liaquat Ali Khan Khwaja Nazimuddin Mohammad Ali Bogra |
| Minister | Liaquat Ali Khan Himself (Acting) Khwaja Nazimuddin Mohammad Ali Bogra |
| Preceded by | State established |
| Succeeded by | Akhter Husain |
| Vice-President of the Republican Party | |
| In office 1956–1958 | |
| President | Feroz Khan Noon |
| Acting Minister for Defence of Pakistan | |
| In office 16 October 1951 – 17 October 1951 | |
| Preceded by | Md. L. A. Khan |
| Succeeded by | Khwaja Nazimuddin |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Iskandar Ali Mirza 13 November 1899 Murshidabad, Bengal Presidency, British India |
| Died | 13 November 1969 (aged 70) London, England |
| Resting place | Imamzadeh Abdullah, Tehran, Iran |
| Citizenship | British subject (India) (until 1947) Pakistan (1947–1958) United Kingdom (1958–1969) |
| Party | Republican Party (1956–1958) |
Other political affiliations | Muslim League (1955–1956) |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 6 |
| Relatives | Nawabs of Murshidabad (paternal) Tyabji family (maternal) |
| Education | Royal Military College, Sandhurst Bombay University |
Civilian awards |  Nishan-i-Lmar Nishan-e-Pahlavi Order of the Indian Empire |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service |  British Indian Army Pakistan Army |
Years of service | 1920–1954 |
| Rank |   Major-General |
| Unit | 17th Horse (Poona Horse) |
| Commands | Corps of Military Police East Pakistan Rifles |
| Battles/wars | Waziristan campaign (1936–1939) India–Pakistan war of 1947–1948 |
| Military awards |  Order of the British Empire General Service Medal |
Iskander Ali Mirza (13 November 1899 – 13 November 1969) was a Pakistani politician and military general who served as the fourth and last governor-general of Pakistan from 1955 to 1956, and as the first president of Pakistan from promulgation of the constitution in 1956 till his overthrow in a coup d'état in 1958. Declaring martial law and unilaterally abrogating the constitution on 7 October 1958, he appointed Ayub Khan as Chief Martial Law Administrator who later overthrew Mirza on 27 October 1958 and assumed the presidency.
Mirza was educated at the University of Bombay before attending the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. After military service in the British Indian Army, he joined the Indian Political Service and spent the most of his career as a political agent in the Western region of British India until elevated as Joint Secretary to the Government of India at the Ministry of Defence in New Delhi in 1946. Following the independence of Pakistan in 1947 as a result of the Partition of British India, Mirza was appointed the first Defence Secretary by prime minister Liaquat Ali Khan, only to oversee the military efforts in the first war with India in 1947, followed by the failed secession in Balochistan in 1948. In 1954, he was appointed the Governor of his home province of East Bengal by Prime Minister Mohammad Ali Bogra to control the law and order situation sparked by the popular language movement in 1952, but was later elevated as Interior Minister in the Bogra administration in 1955.
Playing a crucial role in the ousting of Governor-General Malik Ghulam Muhammad, Mirza assumed his position in 1955 and was elected as the first President of Pakistan when the first Constitution was promulgated in 1956. His presidency, however, was marked with political instability which saw his unconstitutional interferences in the civilian administration that led to the dismissal of four prime ministers in a mere two years. Facing challenges in getting the political endorsements and reelection for the presidency, Mirza surprisingly suspended the writ of the Constitution by imposing martial law against his own party's administration governed by Prime Minister Feroz Khan Noon on 8 October 1958, enforcing it through his army commander General Ayub Khan. Three weeks later, General Ayub ousted President Mirza when the situation between them escalated and sent him into exile. Mirza lived in the United Kingdom for the remainder of his life and was buried in Iran in 1969.
His legacy and image are viewed negatively by some Pakistani historians who believe that Mirza was responsible for weakening democracy and causing political instability in the country.