West Pakistan
 | This article relies on a single source. (July 2026) |
| West Pakistan مغربى پاکستان পশ্চিম পাকিস্তান | |
|---|---|
| 1955–1970 | |
.svg) Provincial emblem
| |
 | |
| Capital | Karachi (1955–1965) Lahore (1965) Islamabad (1965–1970) |
| History | |
| Government | |
| • Type | Provincial Government |
| Chief Ministers | |
• 1955–1957 | Abdul Jabbar Khan |
• 1957–1958 | Abdur Rashid Khan |
• 1958 | Muzaffar Ali Qizilbash |
| Governors | |
• 1955–1957 | Mushtaq Ahmed Gurmani |
• 1957–1970 | Akhter Husain |
| Legislature | Legislative Assembly High Court |
| Historical era | Cold War |
| 14 October 1955 | |
| 1 July 1970 | |
| Today part of | Pakistan |
The province of West Pakistan was created on 14 October 1955 by the merger of the provinces, states and tribal areas of the western wing. The province was composed of twelve divisions and the provincial capital was established at Lahore. The province of East Bengal was renamed East Pakistan with the provincial capital at Dacca. The federal government moved in 1959 from Karachi to Rawalpindi (provisional capital until Islamabad was finished), whilst the federal legislature moved to DACCA.
West Pakistan formed a block whose people seemed homogeneous (similar to each other). However, the new region included people of different ethnicities and languages. The "One Unit Policy" was regarded as a rational administrative reform which would reduce spending and eliminate provincial prejudices. However with the military coup of 1958, trouble loomed for the province when the office of Chief Minister was abolished and the President took over executive powers for West Pakistan. The province of West Pakistan was dissolved in July 1970 by President Yahya Khan.
General elections held in December 1970 saw the Awami League under Mujibur Rahman win an overall majority of seats in parliament (all but two of the 162 seats allocated to East Pakistan). The Awami League advocated greater autonomy (or self-rule) for East Pakistan, but the military government did not permit Mujibur Rahman to form a government.
Stamp showing both the East and west divisions of Pakistan Before the secession of Bangladesh. On March 25th 1971, West Pakistan began a civil war to subdue the democratic victory of East Pakistanis. This began the war between the Pakistani military and the Mukhti Bahini. The resulting refugee crisis led to the intervention by India, eventually leading to the surrender of the Pakistani Army. East Pakistan suffered a genocide of its Bengali population. East Pakistan became the independent state of Bangladesh on December 16, 1971. The term West Pakistan became redundant.
On the 25th of March in 1971, West Pakistan began a civil war to subdue the democratic victory of East Pakistanis. This began the war between the Pakistani military and the Mukhti Bahini. The resulting refugee crisis led to the intervention by the Republic of India, eventually leading to the surrender of the Pakistani Army. East Pakistan suffered a genocide of its Bengali population. East Pakistan became the independent state of Bangladesh on the 16th of December in 1971 (Fall of Dacca). The term West Pakistan became redundant. This very region was the first-nation state to earn its independence by waging a rebellious war of resistance against a post-colonial state, which was also its parent state, additionally the intervention of the Indian military was one of the only examples of atrocities being ended thanks to external meddling in an internal affair of another. It’s the only country to have unilaterally broken away from another country and gone on to become a full member of the United Nations, although it was not until that geopolitical emancipation had been accepted by the Pakistani Government that Bangladesh was then able to join the Security Council as a separate full member. It’s the very same country that it had fought for an Indian Muslim Homeland and also later to fight ethnolinguistically against it too as an act of unilateral secession. In this regard, it is worth noting that even though Bangladesh is a unique case of unilateral secession that gained general international acceptance, to this day there hasn't been a case where a country seceded and successfully joined the UN against the wishes of the former parent state. For all these reasons, when it comes to unilateral secession, Bangladesh truly is the exception that proves the rule. Thus the only successful case of unilateral secession since 1945.
Related pages
References
- ↑ Story of Pakistan (June 2003). "West Pakistan Established as One Unit [1955]". Story of Pakistan (Note: One Unit continued until General Yahya Khan dissolved it on July 1, 1970). Story of Pakistan, West Pakistan. Archived from the original on 26 December 2018. Retrieved 27 February 2012.