Dominion of Pakistan

Pakistan
پاکستان (Urdu)
পাকিস্তান (Bengali)
1947–1956[1]
Anthem: Qaumi Taranah (1954–56)
Land controlled by the Dominion of Pakistan shown in dark green; land claimed but not controlled shown in light green
Land controlled by the Dominion of Pakistan shown in dark green; land claimed but not controlled shown in light green
CapitalKarachi
Official languagesEnglish[i]
Recognised national languagesUrdu[ii], Bengali[iii]
Demonym(s)Pakistani
GovernmentFederal parliamentary constitutional monarchy
Monarch 
• 1947–1952
George VI
• 1952–1956
Elizabeth II
Governor-General 
• 1947–1948
Muhammad Ali Jinnah
• 1948–1951
Sir Khawaja Nazimuddin
• 1951–1955
Sir Ghulam Muhammad
• 1955–1956
Iskander Mirza
Prime Minister 
• 1947–1951
Liaquat Ali Khan
• 1951–1953
Sir Khawaja Nazimuddin
• 1953–1955
Mohammad Ali Bogra
• 1955–1956
Chaudhry Mohammad Ali
LegislatureConstituent Assembly
History 
14 August 1947[2]
23 March 1956
Area
• Total
1,030,373 km2 (397,829 sq mi)
CurrencyIndian rupee (1947–1948)
Pakistani rupee (1948–1956)
Preceded by
Succeeded by
British Raj
Islamic Republic of Pakistan
Today part ofPakistan
Bangladesh
India[a]
  1. ^ Official Language: 14 August 1947
  2. ^ First National Language: 23 February 1948
  3. ^ Second National Language: 29 February 1956

The Dominion of Pakistan, officially Pakistan,[not verified in body] was an independent federal dominion in the British Commonwealth of Nations, which existed from 14 August 1947 to 23 March 1956. It was created by the passing of the Indian Independence Act 1947 by the British parliament.

The new dominion consisted of those presidencies and provinces of British India which were allocated to it in the Partition of India. Until 1947, these regions had been ruled by the United Kingdom as a part of the British Empire.

The Dominion's status as a federal dominion within the British Empire ended in 1956 with the completion of the Constitution of Pakistan, which established the country as a republic. The constitution also administratively split the nation into West Pakistan and East Pakistan. Until then, these provinces had been governed as a singular entity, despite being separate geographic exclaves. Eventually, the East became Bangladesh and the West became Pakistan.

During the year that followed its independence, the new country was joined by the princely states of Pakistan, which were ruled by princes who had previously been in subsidiary alliances with the British. These states acceded to Pakistan one by one as their rulers signed Instruments of Accession. For many years, these states enjoyed a special status within the dominion and later the republic, but they were slowly incorporated into the provinces. The last remnants of their internal self-government were lost by 1974.[not verified in body]

  1. ^ Timothy C. Winegard (29 December 2011). Indigenous Peoples of the British Dominions and the First World War (1st ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 2. ISBN 978-1107014930. Archived from the original on 17 January 2023. Retrieved 11 August 2013.
  2. ^ Singh Vipul (1 September 2009). Longman History & Civics Icse 10. Pearson Education India. pp. 132–. ISBN 978-81-317-2042-4. Archived from the original on 17 January 2023. Retrieved 9 November 2015.


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