LAHORE: Necessitated primarily by the doctrine of national security or compelled by the eruption of a sudden crisis, emergency and governor’s rule have been proclaimed in Pakistan at numerous junctures of its history, leading to the redistribution of legislative and executive powers between the federal government and the provinces.
Allegations of corruption, nepotism and maladministration against incumbent rulers of the time have also led to imposition of emergency and governor’s rule.Research shows all Pakistani provinces have been placed under an emergency or governor’s rule at one point or the other individually, or had to abide by more comprehensive orders from the federal capital that brought the whole country under such governance modes.
Here follows the chronology of emergency and governor’s rule in Pakistan:
The first governor’s rule in West Punjab was imposed on January 25, 1949, and lasted until April 1951. The then premier Liaquat Ali Khan dismissed chief minister’s Nawab Mamdot’s government, not believing his claim that he (Mamdot) enjoyed the confidence of majority MPAs in the provincial assembly.
The Assembly was consequently dissolved and former Punjab CM, Mumtaz Daultana, thus had the last laugh as he had pointed out discrepancies in his rival Mamdot’s majority assertions submitted to the Prime Minister.
