The unenviable history of governor’s rules in Pakistan

The Governor’s Rule was first imposed in Punjab on January 25, 1949, and remained enforced till April 5, 1951. Iftikhar Mamdot, the provincial chief minister of the time was removed and assemblies had to be dissolved.

History reveals when Premier Liaquat Ali Khan came to Lahore in January 1949, Chief Minister Mamdot informed him that he enjoyed a majority in the assembly. The premier noticed that the facts did not match Mamdot’s statement, so he advised the then Governor General to send the Chief Minister packing and enact Governor’s rule. Sir Francis Mudie was the Governor then.

Mudie, and later his successor, Abdul Rab Nishtar, controlled the provincial affairs from the beautiful 90-acre colonial building of the Governor’s House in Lahore till November 24, 1951.

In March 1951, Punjab Assembly elections were held and Mumtaz Daultana was elected chief minister. It is imperative to note that the land for the Governor’s House Lahore was purchased for a paltry sum of Rs 2,500 by the British and this place was utilized as a residence for the British Lieutenant-Governor of the province, chronicles of history reveal.

The second time Punjab came under Governor’s Rule was on October 12, 1999, when General Musharraf had taken over after ousting the-then Premier Nawaz Sharif. Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s tenure was hence cut short. He had headed the province for two years and 234 days by then. The Governor’s rule was lifted on November 23, 2002.

Between October 12, 1999, and November 23, 2002, three Governors—Messrs Zulfiqar Khosa, Lt General Safdar and Lt General Khalid Maqbool—spearheaded the proceedings from the Governor’s House Lahore, which was built around the tomb of Mohammed Kasim Khan (died 1635). Kasim Khan, as historians shed light, was a cousin of the Mughal Emperor Akbar.

The third time residents of Punjab witnessed the provincial governor reigning supreme was on February 25, 2009, when the then President, Asif Zardari, had imposed Governor’s Rule in Punjab for two months, making Governor Salman Taseer the head of the provincial set-up.

On the advice of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, and under Article 237 of the Constitution, the 2009 Governor’s Rule was enforced by the President shortly after the decision of the Supreme Court that had disqualified PML-N Chief Nawaz Sharif and his brother, Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif. Shahbaz Sharif’s second tenure as head of government was interrupted yet again. Interestingly, President Zardari did not suspend the provincial assembly, and only Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and his cabinet members were barred from holding offices. This Governor’s Rule could last till March 30, 2009, when Zardari signed a document, paving the way for the opposition PML-N to return to power in the politically crucial province.

In the case of Sindh, there were three direct instances of Governor’s Rule under Mian Aminuddin (1951-53), Lt. General Rahimud Din Khan (1988) and Lt. General Moinud Din Haider (1998). The provincial Chief Ministers of those times were removed and assemblies dissolved.

In 1998, the differences between the MQM and the Muslim League’s government had come out in the open, following the murder of renowned philanthropist and an ex-Governor, Hakim Said.

Premier Nawaz Sharif’s loud accusations against MQM severed his alliance with Altaf Hussain’s party. The MQM and PML-N were already nourishing grudges over the Shariat bill, Army operations against MQM, surging lawlessness and the poor governance in Sindh.

In Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa, there have been three Governor’s Rules from February 16, 1975, to May 3, 1975, from February 25, 1994, to April 24, 1994, and from October 12, 1999, to November 30, 2002.

In restive Balochistan, Governor’s Rule was also enacted three times: From February 13, 1973, to April 27, 1973, from December 31, 1975, to December 6, 1976, and from October 12, 1999, to December 1, 2002.