Military coups in Pakistan
Encyclopedia
Military coups in Pakistan began in 1958 and number three successful attempts. There have also been numerous unsuccessful attempts since 1949. Since its independence in 1947, Pakistan
has spent several decades under military rule (1958 - 1971, 1977 - 1988, 1999 - 2008).
and the government of Prime Minister Feroz Khan Noon
, appointing army commander-in-chief Gen. Ayub Khan as the Chief martial law administrator
. Thirteen days later, Mirza himself was deposed by Ayub Khan, who appointed himself president.
conducted at midnight on July 4, 1977 by the Pakistani military led by army chief Gen. Zia-ul-Haq against the government of then-Pakistani Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
. Near midnight on July 4, 1977 the army chief General Zia ordered the arrest of Bhutto, his ministers and other leaders of both the Pakistan People's Party and the Pakistan National Alliance. In a nationally televised address, General Zia announced that the National Assembly of Pakistan
and all provincial assemblies were dissolved, and that the Constitution of Pakistan
was suspended.
arrested prime minister Nawaz Sharif
and his ministers after thwarting the Sharif regime's attempt to dismiss Musharraf and prevent his plane from landing in Pakistan as he returned from a visit to Sri Lanka
.
in 1949 led by Maj. Gen. Akbar Khan
along with left-wing activists and sympathetic officers against the government of Liaquat Ali Khan
, Pakistan's first prime minister. Prominent poet-intellectual Faiz Ahmed Faiz
was suspected of involvement. In 1980, a plot by Maj. Gen. Tajammul Hussain Malik
to assassinate Zia-ul-Haq on Pakistan Day on March 23, 1980 was exposed and thwarted. In 1995, a coup attempt
against the government of Benazir Bhutto
led by Maj. Gen. Zahirul Islam Abbasi
with the support of Islamic extremists was foiled.
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
has spent several decades under military rule (1958 - 1971, 1977 - 1988, 1999 - 2008).
1958 coup
In 1958, the first Pakistani President Major General Iskander Mirza dismissed the Constituent Assembly of PakistanConstituent Assembly of Pakistan
The Constituent Assembly of Pakistan was formed to write Pakistan's constitution, and serve as its first parliament. It first convened on 11 August 1947, before the end of British rule on August 15, 1947. Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah was the first President of this Assembly until his death on...
and the government of Prime Minister Feroz Khan Noon
Feroz Khan Noon
Malik Sir Feroz Khan Noon, KCSI, KCIE, Kt was a politician from Pakistan.-Early life:Born on 18th of June 1893 at village Hamoka,tehsil Khushab, Punjab. He was educated at Aitchison College, Lahore....
, appointing army commander-in-chief Gen. Ayub Khan as the Chief martial law administrator
Chief Martial Law Administrator
The office of the Chief Martial Law Administrator was a senior government post created in countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh and Indonesia that gave considerable executive authority and powers to the holder of the post to enforce martial law in the country. This office has been used mostly by...
. Thirteen days later, Mirza himself was deposed by Ayub Khan, who appointed himself president.
Operation Fair Play
Operation Fair Play was the code-name for the coup d'etatCoup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
conducted at midnight on July 4, 1977 by the Pakistani military led by army chief Gen. Zia-ul-Haq against the government of then-Pakistani Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was 9th Prime Minister of Pakistan from 1973 to 1977, and prior to that, 4th President of Pakistan from 1971 to 1973. Bhutto was the founder of the Pakistan Peoples Party — the largest and most influential political party in Pakistan— and served as its chairman until his...
. Near midnight on July 4, 1977 the army chief General Zia ordered the arrest of Bhutto, his ministers and other leaders of both the Pakistan People's Party and the Pakistan National Alliance. In a nationally televised address, General Zia announced that the National Assembly of Pakistan
National Assembly of Pakistan
The National Assembly of Pakistan is the lower house of the bicameral Majlis-e-Shura, which also compromises the President of Pakistan and Senate . The National Assembly and the Senate both convene at Parliament House in Islamabad...
and all provincial assemblies were dissolved, and that the Constitution of Pakistan
Constitution of Pakistan
The Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is the supreme law of Pakistan. Known as the Constitution of 1973, it was drafted by the government of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and, following additions by the opposition parties, was approved by the legislative assembly on April 10, 1973...
was suspended.
1999 coup
In October, 1999 senior officers loyal to army chief Gen. Pervez MusharrafPervez Musharraf
Pervez Musharraf , is a retired four-star general who served as the 13th Chief of Army Staff and tenth President of Pakistan as well as tenth Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee. Musharraf headed and led an administrative military government from October 1999 till August 2007. He ruled...
arrested prime minister Nawaz Sharif
Nawaz Sharif
Mian Mohammad Nawaz Sharif is a Pakistani conservative politician and steel magnate who served as 12th Prime Minister of Pakistan in two non-consecutive terms from November 1990 to July 1993, and from February 1997 to October 12, 1999...
and his ministers after thwarting the Sharif regime's attempt to dismiss Musharraf and prevent his plane from landing in Pakistan as he returned from a visit to Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
.
Unsuccessful coup attempts
There have been numerous unsuccessful coup attempts in Pakistani history. The first noted attempt was the Rawalpindi conspiracyRawalpindi conspiracy
The Rawalpindi Conspiracy was an attempted coup d'etat against the government of Liaquat Ali Khan, the first Prime Minister of Pakistan in 1951. The conspiracy was the first of many subsequent coup attempts against elected governments in the history of Pakistan...
in 1949 led by Maj. Gen. Akbar Khan
Akbar Khan (Pakistan)
Major General Akbar Khan, DSO also known as Mohammed Akbar Khan, was a Pakistan Army officer who is most known as the Brigadier-in-Charge in Kashmir on the Pakistan side in Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. He also served as a commander of the Pakistan Army's division to stop the first Baloch insurgency...
along with left-wing activists and sympathetic officers against the government of Liaquat Ali Khan
Liaquat Ali Khan
For other people with the same or similar name, see Liaqat Ali Nawabzada Liaquat Ali Khan was a Pakistani statesman who became the first Prime Minister of Pakistan, Defence minister and Commonwealth, Kashmir Affairs...
, Pakistan's first prime minister. Prominent poet-intellectual Faiz Ahmed Faiz
Faiz Ahmed Faiz
Faiz Ahmad Faiz was a Pakistani intellectual, poet, and one of the most famous poets of the Urdu language. He was a member of the Anjuman Tarraqi Pasand Mussanafin-e-Hind and an avowed Marxist. In 1962, he was awarded the Lenin Peace Prize by the Soviet Union...
was suspected of involvement. In 1980, a plot by Maj. Gen. Tajammul Hussain Malik
Tajammul Hussain Malik
Major General Tajammul Hussain Malik is a senior and former 2-star rank general officer in the Pakistan army and the former General Officer Commanding of the 23rd Division of Pakistan Army, retiring with the rank of Major-General...
to assassinate Zia-ul-Haq on Pakistan Day on March 23, 1980 was exposed and thwarted. In 1995, a coup attempt
1995 Pakistani coup d'état attempt
The Pakistan coup attempt of 1995 was a secretive plot hatched by renegade military officers and against the government of Benazir Bhutto, the Prime Minister of Pakistan. The plotters aimed to overthrow the constitutional government and establish an Military Rule in Pakistan...
against the government of Benazir Bhutto
Benazir Bhutto
Benazir Bhutto was a democratic socialist who served as the 11th Prime Minister of Pakistan in two non-consecutive terms from 1988 until 1990 and 1993 until 1996....
led by Maj. Gen. Zahirul Islam Abbasi
Zahirul Islam Abbasi
Major General Zahirul Islam Abbasi , was a former commander and officer of the Pakistani Army and the Inter-Services Intelligence agency of the Pakistani Armed Forces. Serving in the Siachen region of the disputed territory of Kashmir, Abbasi planned and executed assaults on posts occupied by the...
with the support of Islamic extremists was foiled.