Iskander Ali Mirza | |
|---|---|
ইস্কান্দার আলী মির্জা اسکندر علی مرزا | |
 Mirza in 1956 | |
| 1st President of Pakistan | |
| In office 23 March 1956 – 27 October 1958 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Muhammad Ayub Khan |
| 4th Governor-General of Pakistan | |
| In office 7 August 1955 – 23 March 1956 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Prime Minister | Mohammad Ali Bogra (1955) Muhammad Ali (1955–56) |
| Preceded by | Malik Ghulam Muhammad |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| 4th Minister of Interior | |
| In office 24 October 1954 – 7 August 1955 | |
| Prime Minister | Mohammad Ali Bogra |
| Preceded by | Mushtaq Ahmed Gurmani |
| Succeeded by | Fazlul Huq |
| Minister of States and Frontier Regions | |
| In office 24 October 1954 – 7 August 1955 | |
| Prime Minister | Mohammad Ali Bogra |
| Governor of East-Bengal | |
| In office 29 May 1954 – 23 October 1954 | |
| Governor General | Sir Ghulam Muhammad |
| Chief Minister | Abu Hussain Sarkar |
| Preceded by | Chaudhry Khaliquzzaman |
| Succeeded by | Muhammad Shahabuddin (Acting) |
| Secretary of Defence | |
| In office 23 October 1947 – 6 May 1954 | |
| Prime Minister | Liaquat Ali Khan (1947–51) K. Nazimuddin (1951–53) Mohammad Ali Bogra (1953–54) |
| Minister | Liaquat Ali Khan |
| Preceded by | State established |
| Succeeded by | Akhter Husain |
| Vice-President of the Republican Party | |
| In office 1955–1958 | |
| President | Sir Feroze Khan |
| Minister of Defence Acting | |
| In office 16 October 1951 – 17 October 1951 | |
| Preceded by | L. A. Khan |
| Succeeded by | Khawaja Nazimuddin |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Iskandar Ali Mirza 13 November 1899 Murshidabad, Bengal, British India |
| Died | 13 November 1969 (aged 70) London, England |
| Cause of death | Cardiac arrest |
| Resting place | Imamzadeh Abdullah, Tehran, Iran |
| Citizenship | United Kingdom (1899–1947) (1958-1969) Pakistani (1947–1969)[1][failed verification] |
| Political party | Republican Party (1955–59) |
| Other political affiliations | Muslim League (1950–55) |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 6 |
| Relatives | Nawabs of Murshidabad (paternal) Tyabji family (maternal) |
| Residence(s) | Dhaka, East Bengal London, England |
| Alma mater | Royal Military College Bombay University |
| Civilian awards | _-_ribbon_bar.gif){kind=small} Nishan-i-Lmar.gif){kind=small} 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 | Corps of Military Police |
| Commands | Corps of Military Police East Pakistan Rifles |
| Battles/wars | Waziristan campaign Indo-Pakistani War of 1947 |
| Military awards | _Ribbon.png){kind=small} Order of the British Empire General Service Medal |
Sahibzada Iskandar Ali Mirza, CIE, OBE[a] (13 November 1899 – 13 November 1969) was a Pakistani politician, statesman and military general who served as the Dominion of Pakistan's fourth and last governor-general of Pakistan from 1955 to 1956, and then as the Islamic Republic of Pakistan's first president from 1956 to 1958.[citation needed]
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 at the Ministry of Defence in 1946. After the independence of Pakistan as a result of the Partition of India, Mirza was appointed as 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 as the Governor of his home province of East Bengal by Prime Minister Mohammad Ali of 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 Sir Malik Ghulam, 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 Feroze Khan on 8 October 1958, enforcing it through his army commander General Ayub Khan who dismissed him when the situation between them escalated, also in 1958. 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.
- ^ Rahman, Syedur (2010). Historical Dictionary of Bangladesh. Plymouth, UK: Scarecrow Press. p. li. ISBN 978-0-8108-7453-4. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).