Iskander Mirza
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Iskander Mirza
سکندر مرزا |
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| In office 23 March 1956 – 27 October 1958 |
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| Prime Minister | Chaudhry Muhammad Ali Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy Ibrahim Ismail Chundrigar Feroz Khan Noon Ayub Khan |
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| Preceded by | Office created |
| Succeeded by | Ayub Khan |
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| In office 6 October 1955 – 23 March 1956 |
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| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Prime Minister | Chaudhry Muhammad Ali |
| Preceded by | Ghulam Muhammad |
| Succeeded by | Office abolished |
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| Born | 13 November 1899 Murshidabad, British India |
| Died | 12 November 1969 (aged 69) London, United Kingdom |
| Political party | Republican Party |
| Religion | Shi'a Islam |
Major-General Sahibzada Sayyid Iskander Ali Mirza, CIE, OBE (Urdu: اسکندر مرزا) (November 13, 1899 – November 12, 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).
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[edit] Early life
Sayyid Iskander Ali Mirza was born at Murshidabad, Bengal on 13 November 1899, the eldest son of Sahibzada Sayyid Muhammad Fateh Ali Mirza (1875-1948) and his first wife, Dilshad Begum (1879-1925). Muhammad Fateh Ali Mirza was 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 Deputy Commissioner at Hazara 1933-1936 & at Mardan 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.
[edit] 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.
[edit] 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.
[edit] 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. Unfortunately Shahab was wrong, Mirza in his speech in 1958 he did state that for the best interest of the country the army would remain in control at the shortest possible time, and later in his interview with Mr.Ispahany he did state this and defended himself, in his book 'From Plassey to Pakistan' by his sons all the false allegations have been quoted and proven wrong. The instabality in the country led to the 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. According to Ahmad Salim and The National Library of Karachi, The Martial law was the right thing to do, as the constitution needed literacy to be understood, unfortunately as Dr.Khan Sahab stated the literacy rate in the newly born state Islamic Republic of Pakistan was only 36-40% the rest of the country were undercoated therefore the new constitution led to the confusion of the people and government of Pakistan. For the first time after Jinnah's death, with the introduction of the Martial Law the government had become united and they were working towards establishing Pakistan, but unfortunately the CIA and the American's didn't want Pakistan to develop and Ayub Khan was ordered to replace Iskander Mirza for the best interest of the Americans, the documents are in a classified files in the British National Museum, in London. Ayub Khan sent commanders about midnight to the Presidential House and Mirza was threatened either to Resign or loose his life. The commanders seeing Mirza marrying Nahid and betraying his family they thought Ayub Khan was right and he would betray the Army and people of Pakistan by ordering Martial Law. 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.
[edit] Honours
- India General Service Medal (1936)
- King George V Silver Jubilee Medal-1935
- King George VI Coronation Medal-1937
- Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)-1939
- Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire (CIE)-1945
- Pakistan Independence Medal-1948
- Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal-1953
- Grand Collar of the Order of Pahlavi of the Empire of Iran-1956
- Order of the Supreme Sun, 1st Class of the Kingdom of Afghanistan-1958
[edit] 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.
[edit] 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.
[edit] Major-General Iskander Mirza Photo Gallery
 Iskander Mirza with British Officers. |
 The Head of British Naval Commands in the centre. Major-General Iskander Mirza on the left and one his officers and the right. |
 Major Syed Iskander Mirza First Indian Officer in Politics. Capt Syed Iskander Ali Mirza Cavalry Officer Poona horse. Major Iskander Mirza, First Indian Political Agent Khyber 1936-41 . Major Iskander Mirza with Sons. (From Left To Right .. Bottom: Left To right) |
 Copy Right Dawn News Paper |
 Major-General Iskander Mirza |
 Major-General Iskander Mirza's Family Crest |
 Major-General Iskander Mirza in army uniform.(1956). |
[edit] Excerpts From Major General Iskander Mirza's Letter to His Children
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This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2008) |
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 | ||
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| Preceded by Chaudhry Khaliquzzaman |
Governor of East Bengal 1954 – 1955 |
Succeeded by Muhammad Shahabuddin Acting |
| Preceded by Mushtaq Ahmed Gurmani |
Interior Minister of Pakistan 1954 – 1955 |
Succeeded by Abul Kashem Fazlul Huq |
| Preceded by Ghulam Mohammad |
Governor-General of Pakistan 1955 – 1956 |
Succeeded by Office abolished |
| Preceded by Office created |
President of Pakistan 1956 – 1958 |
Succeeded by Ayub Khan |
[edit] References
- Shahab, Qudrat-Ullah (2005 (21st Edition)). Shahabnama. Karachi: Sang-e-Meel. ISBN 969-35-0025-3.
- Mirza, Humayun (2002). From Plassey to Pakistan. Washington, D.C.: University Press of America. ISBN 978-0761815099.
[edit] See Also
- [1]Iskander Mirza's family tree.
[edit] See also
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