LAHORE - After the announcement of verdict in Panama Papers case by the five-member bench of the Supreme Court which disqualified Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the fact was established that no prime minister in Pakistan could complete his term during its 70-year history.
Nawaz Sharif was the 18th prime minister of the country. Not a single one of these prime ministers completed his term.
Liaquat Ali Khan who became the first prime minister of Pakistan in 1947 was assassinated in 1951. Khawaja Nazimuddin who replaced him in 1951 had to quit when Governor General Malik Ghulam Muhammad deposed him in 1953. He remained in office for two years.
In August 1955, Governor General Malik Ghulam Muhammad was forced to resign due to ill health and Maj-Gen Iskander Mirza was made acting governor general. Iskander Mirza dismissed Muhammad Ali Bogra on August 8, 1955.
Ch Muhammad Ali who took the charge of PM’s slot in 1955 tendered resignation in 1956 due to differences with Iskander MIrza. After his resignation, Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy who was leader of Awami League became PM on September 12, 1956. He was deposed in 1957 as a result of his differences with Iskander Mirza.
After the resignation of Suhrawardy, Ibrahim Ismail Chundrigar was chosen by Iskander Mirza as the prime minister. He remained in office for almost two months and resigned from the post in December 1957.
On December 16, 1957, Feroz Khan Noon became PM and remained in office for almost one year until he was dismissed after imposition of martial law in October 1958.
The era of civilian prime ministers came to an end with the dismissal of Feroz Khan Noon. After him, Ayub Khan became the interim prime minister after the 1958 coup d’état. He remained on this post for a few days until he forced Mirza to resign and stepped over as President. There was no prime minister of Pakistan from 1958 to 1971.
Popular statesman of Pakistan, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, was sworn in as PM on August 14, 1973. He was deposed on July 5, 1977, when General Ziaul Haq imposed martial law and subsequently hanged him on 1979. There was no prime minster of Pakistan from April 4, 1977 to 1985. Muhammad Khan Junejo became prime minster on March 24, 1985. He was deposed by Ziaul Haq on May 29, 1988. Benazir Bhutto became PM as a result of general elections in 1988 and remained in office from December 1988 to August 1990. She was the first woman prime minister of Pakistan.
Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi became caretaker prime minister for two months in 1990. Nawaz Sharif took the charge of the PM’s office as a result of general elections in 1990 and ruled the country from November 6, 1990, to April 18, 1993. Balakh Sher Mazari was appointed as caretaker prime minister who enjoyed this position from April 18, 1993, to May 26, 1993. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was restored by the Supreme Court and remained in power from May 26, 1993, to July 18, 1993.
Later, Moeen Qureshi was appointed as caretaker prime minster from July 18 to October 19, 1993. As a result of general elections, Benazi Bhutto was elected for a second term from October 19, 1993, to November 5, 1996. She was dismissed by President Farooq Leghari in November 1996 and Malik Meraj Khalid was made caretaker prime minister.
Nawaz Sahrif was re-elected as PM after the 1997 elections and enjoyed this slot from February 1997 to October 1999 until General Pervez Musharraf imposed martial law.
During the presidency of Pervez Musharraf, Zafarullah Khan Jamali, Shujaat Hussain and Shaukat Aziz remained in office one after the other.
In 2008, Yousaf Raza Gillani of PPP was elected as PM after the general elections. He was disqualified by the Supreme Court in April 2012 and Raja Pervez Ashraf assumed the post of prime minister.
On June 5, 2013, Nawaz Sharif took the charge of the PM’s office for a third term. On July 28, 2017, he was disqualified and removed from office by the Supreme Court of Pakistan and history repeated that no civilian PM completed his five-year tenure in office in Pakistan.