| After succeeding the ailing Governor General, Ghulam
Muhammad in August 1955, Major General Iskander Mirza's appointment was confirmed in
October the same year. He was nominated by all fifty members of the League-United Front
for President. Following this imposition of the Constitution, the conflicts began to
appear on the surface thus enabling clever Iskander Mirza's influence to be
strengthened. Through the Republicans, President Iskander Mirza carried on his
policy of wire-pulling. He openly critcized the powers conferred on the Provincial
Assembelies. President Mirza promoted the
idea of a Revolutionary Council through his hand-tools, the Republicans. There emerged
differences between the coalition partners. When Prime Minister Hussain Shaheed Suhrawardy
carried out a campaign against the Republicans and supported the idea of a One-Unit
Pakistan, President Iskander Mirza asked him to tender his resignation, which he refused
on the grounds of a vast majority in the House. Anarchy, violence, widespread corruption,
smuggling, political instabiltity, lust and race for power were the results of the
selfishness demonstrated by the politicians after the death of Liaquat Ali Khan. All this
continued until October 7, 1958, when the Constitution was abrogated, and martial law was
imposed throughout the country.
President Iskander Mirza nominated Ayub Khan as Chief
Martial Law Administrator, and as usual he did not refrain from machinations and ordered
General Musa to arrest General Ayub Khan, whereby he sought to restore to his wire-pulling
capacity through causing rifts among the new rulers. Iskander Mirza was forced to resign
and was exiled from the country by the new man in power. |
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