The First President of Pakistan: Iskander Mirza

Major-General Sahibzada Sayyid Iskander Ali Mirza, (13 November 1898 – 12 November 1969), was the first President of Pakistan, serving from 1956 until being forced out from the presidency in 1958.Prior to that, Mirza was the last Governor-General of Pakistan from 1955 until 1956.A great-grandson of the last Nawab of Bengal Mir Jafar,Mirza was the first president of Bengali origin from East-Pakistan, and a retired career army officer, having reached the prestigious higher rank of major-general in Pakistan Army.
Starting his career in the government, Mirza was employed by Prime minister Liaquat Ali Khan in the Ministry of Defence, being appointed as the first Defence Secretary (one of an apex bureaucratic post), overseeing the Indo-Pakistan war of 1947, and the Balochistan conflict in 1948.Serious disorder and civil unrest sparked in East Pakistan as a result of the Bengali Language Movement in 1952, prompting Prime minister Khawaja Nazimuddin to appoint him as the Governor of the province. He oversaw the success of the One Unit programme in East Pakistan in 1954, and succeeded Malik Ghulam as the Governor-General in 1955. After successfully promulgating the 1956 constitution, Mirza became the first president. But his presidency saw great political instability, challenges in foreign policy, and the ousture of four prime ministers in two years. He finally imposedmartial law in 1958 after suspending the constitution and dissolving democratic institutions, including the Pakistan Parliament. Mirza has the distinction of being the first to bring in military influence in national politics after he appointed his army chief as chief martial law administrator of the country.

Iskander Mirza

Problems with the Pakistan Armed Forces and the establishment escalated after relations with the United States deteriorated. Imposition of martial law only led to more civil unrest and political challenges, and also undermined Mirza's own position. After only twenty days of martial law, Mirza was forced out of the presidency by his Chief Martial Law Administrator Field Marshal Ayub Khan. He was exiled to London, where he resided until his death. When he died in 1969 after a long illness, President Yahya Khan denied him a burial in Pakistan. Out of respect, the Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi gave him a state funeral in Tehran, Iran.

1st President of Pakistan
In office                    23 March 1956 – 27 October 1958
Prime Minister         Chaudhry Muhammad Ali
                                  Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy
                                  Ibrahim Ismail Chundrigar
                                  Feroz Khan Noon
Preceded by              Position established
Succeeded by           Ayub Khan

Governor-General of Pakistan
In office                   7 August 1955 – 23 March 1956
                                 Acting: 7 August 1955 – 6 October 1955
Monarch                  Elizabeth II
Prime Minister       Chaudhry Muhammad Ali
Preceded by            Malik Ghulam Muhammad
Succeeded by          Position abolished

Minister of the Interior
In office                   24 October 1954 – 7 August 1955
Prime Minister       Muhammad Ali Bogra
Preceded by            Mushtaq Ahmed Gurmani
Succeeded by          Fazlul Huq

Governor of East Bengal
In office                  31 March 1950 – 31 March 1953
Chief Minister       Nurul Amin
Preceded by          Chaudhry Khaliquzzaman
Succeeded by        Muhammad Shahabuddin

1st Defence Secretary of Pakistan
In office                 23 October 1947 – 6 May 1954
Prime Minister      Liaquat Ali Khan
                               Khawaja Nazimuddin
                               Muhammad Ali Bogra
Succeeded by        Akhter Husain

Personal Details
Born                     13 November 1899
                             Murshidabad, Bengal Presidency, British India
                             (now in West Bengal, India)
Died                     12 November 1969 (aged 69)
                             London, England, United Kingdom
Political party      Republican Party
Spouse(s)             Rifa'at Begum (1922-1967) (her death)
                             Naheed Begum (1954-1969) his death
Children               6
Alma mater          Elphinstone College
                             Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
Religion               Islam

Military Service
Years of service   1920–1928
Rank                     Major General
Commands           Army Corps of Military Police
Battles/wars         Waziristan War
                              Indo-Pakistani War of 1947