Provincial Assembly of West Pakistan

Provincial Assembly of West Pakistan
Type
Type	Unicameral
History
Founded	1956 (1956)
Disbanded	1969 (1969)
Leadership
Governor	Mushtaq Ahmed Gurmani (first) Attiqur Rahman (last)
Speaker	Fazal Ilahi Chaudhry (first) Anwar Bhinder (last)
Chief Minister	Khan Abdul Jabbar Khan (first) Nawab Muzaffar Ali Khan Qizilbash (last)
Seats	310 (3rd & 4th Assembly) 155 (5th & 6th Assembly)
Elections
Voting system	First-past-the-post (3rd & 4th Assembly) Indirect via Basic Democrats (5th & 6th Assembly)
Last election	19 January 1956 (3rd/4th Assembly) June 1962 (5th Assembly) June 1965 (6th Assembly)
Meeting place
Lahore, West Pakistan
Website
www.pap.gov.pk
Footnotes
Succeeded by the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab, Sindh Assembly, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, and Balochistan Assembly after the dissolution of the One Unit in 1970.

The Provincial Assembly of West Pakistan, also known as West Pakistan Provincial Assembly, or West Pakistan Legislative Assembly, was the unicameral legislature of the province of West Pakistan from 1956 to 1969. It was established under the Establishment of West Pakistan Act, 1955, which merged the four western provinces of Pakistan Punjab, Sindh, the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP), and Balochistan along with several princely states, tribal areas, and the Karachi Federal Capital Territory, into a single province under the One Unit Scheme.

The assembly was formally constituted as the West Pakistan Legislative Assembly in 1956, when the 1956 constitution of Pakistan came into force, and was dissolved for the final time in 1969, when General Yahya Khan imposed the martial law. Following the promulgation of the Legal Framework Order of 1970 on 30 March 1970, the One Unit scheme was dissolved effective in 1970, and the separate provincial assemblies of Punjab, Sindh, NWFP, and Balochistan were reconstituted in their place.

Background

The One Unit system

Main article: One Unit Scheme

See also: West Pakistan

Following Pakistan's independence in 1947, the western wing comprised three Governor's Provinces (the North-West Frontier, West Punjab, and Sind), one chief commissioner's Province (Baluchistan), the Baluchistan States Union, several princely states including Bahawalpur, Khairpur, Chitral, Dir, Hunza, and Swat, the Karachi Federal Capital Territory, and autonomous tribal areas adjoining the NWFP.

To address the political imbalance between the two wings, East Pakistan held over half the national population, giving it numerical dominance in any population-based legislature. Prime minister Mohammad Ali Bogra announced the One Unit policy in 1954, merging all western territories into a single province called West Pakistan. The Second Constituent Assembly passed the bill to create West Pakistan in 1955, and the province came into being in 1955, with Mushtaq Ahmed Gurmani appointed as its inaugural governor and Khan Abdul Jabbar Khan as its first chief minister.

Establishment Act and Interim Assembly

Further information: 1956 West Pakistan Interim Assembly election

Section 11 of the Establishment of West Pakistan Act, 1955, read with the Act's Second Schedule, provided that until a provincial legislature was constituted for West Pakistan under the Government of India Act, 1935, an interim provincial legislature would be formed, comprising the governor of West Pakistan and a legislative assembly of 310 members, 10 general seats, 290 seats for Muslims, and 10 seats reserved for women. The Act also stipulated that Punjab's representation would not exceed 40 per cent of the total membership of the legislature of West Pakistan for a period of ten years from its commencement. The interim assembly was to stand dissolved eighteen months from the Act's commencement, unless dissolved earlier for the purpose of enforcing a new constitution.

The election for the interim assembly was held on 19 January 1956, with results notified on 29 January 1956. The Pakistan Muslim League (PML) secured a decisive majority, winning 245 of 310 seats. On 19 May 1956, the first session of what had by then become the West Pakistan Provincial Assembly was convened in Lahore.

Formation

Under the constitution of 1956

Further information: 1956 Constitution of Pakistan

Before the interim assembly could hold its first sitting, the constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan was enacted in 1956 and came into force in the same year. Article 76 of this constitution provided for a permanent provincial legislature for West Pakistan comprising 300 members, with ten additional seats reserved for women for a period of ten years. Under the temporary and transitional provisions of Part XIII of the 1956 constitution, article 225 stipulated that until a proper provincial assembly for West Pakistan had been constituted, the already-elected interim assembly would exercise the powers and perform the duties of the Provincial Assembly of West Pakistan. Accordingly, the interim assembly was formally declared the West Pakistan Legislative Assembly with effect from March 1956.

The 1956 constitution established a parliamentary system in which executive authority was vested in a cabinet collectively responsible to the legislature. The prime minister was head of government, with the president as head of state. The federal structure divided legislative subjects between federal, provincial, and concurrent lists; in cases of conflict between federal and provincial legislation on the concurrent List, federal law prevailed.

Under the constitution of 1962

Further information: 1962 Constitution of Pakistan

Following the imposition of martial law on October 1958 by president Iskander Mirza, who dissolved the national and provincial assemblies, abrogated the 1956 constitution, and appointed General Ayub Khan as Chief Martial Law Administrator, no legislature functioned until 1962. Khan, after deposing Mirza in October 1958, promulgated the constitution of 1962 in March 1962, which came into force in June 1962.

The 1962 constitution established a presidential system in which all executive authority vested in the president, and the provincial governors were appointed directly by him. The legislature, both central and provincial was unicameral. The electoral system was made indirect: 40,000 Basic Democrats in West Pakistan (and 40,000 in East Pakistan, for a total of 80,000 nationwide) served as the Electoral College for the election of the president and the national and provincial assemblies.

Article 70 of the 1962 constitution provided that the provincial assembly of West Pakistan would comprise 155 members for a term of five years; however, article 230 stipulated that the first assembly under this constitution would serve a term of three years. The 155 members consisted of 150 elected from single-member constituencies by the Basic Democrats, and 5 seats reserved for women.

Legislative history

Third Interim Assembly (1956)

The Third Assembly, which served as the interim legislature under the Establishment of West Pakistan Act, 1955, was elected in January 1956 and transformed into the West Pakistan Provincial Assembly in March 1956. It was composed of 310 members. The PML, which had won an absolute majority, elected Sardar Bahadur Khan as its parliamentary leader in April 1956. In the same month, Khan Abdul Jabbar Khan formed the Pakistan Republican Party (RP), drawing significant membership from the PML, which thereby lost its absolute majority in the assembly.

Fourth Assembly (1956–1958)

The Fourth Assembly held its first sitting in May 1956 and its last session from 25 to 28 August 1958. It was dissolved in October 1958 when president Iskander Mirza abrogated the 1956 constitution and imposed martial law, simultaneously dissolving the National Assembly and all provincial assemblies and appointing General Ayub Khan as chief martial law administrator.

During this Assembly's tenure, in 1957, G.M. Syed and Ghulam Muhammad Khan Bhurgri moved a resolution in the West Pakistan Assembly to dissolve the One Unit scheme. The resolution passed with support from Republican Party members from Punjab, while Muslim League members abstained. The Assembly also passed a bill in October 1957 recommending the dissolution of One Unit, which contributed to the fall of prime minister Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy's cabinet and the dismissal by the central government of provincial ministries in Punjab, Sindh, and NWFP. Both president Mirza and General Ayub Khan declared publicly they would not allow One Unit to be undone.

No general elections were held during this period, meaning the assembly that was dissolved in 1958 was the same interim assembly converted into a permanent assembly under the 1956 constitution that had been elected in January 1956.

Interregnum: martial law (1958–1962)

Between October 1958 and June 1962, no provincial legislature functioned in West Pakistan. General Ayub Khan introduced the concept of basic democracy through the Basic Democracy Order, 1959. The first Basic Democrats elections, electing 40,000 representatives each from East and West Pakistan, were held in December 1959. On 14 February 1960, these Basic Democrats authorised Ayub Khan to promulgate a constitution. He did so in March 1962, with the new constitution taking effect in June 1962.

Fifth Assembly (1962–1965)

The Fifth Assembly, the first under the 1962 constitution, was constituted in June 1962 and comprised 155 members elected indirectly by the 40,000 Basic Democrats of West Pakistan. Its term of three years (under Article 230 of the 1962 constitution) expired in June 1965. The assembly held 218 sittings over 7 sessions, with the final session running from 21 December 1964 to 31 January 1965.

The first speaker, Mubin-ul-Haq Siddiqui, was elected unopposed in June 1962 but was removed from office in July 1963 following a successful no-confidence motion against him. He was succeeded as speaker by Anwar Bhinder.

Sixth Assembly (1965–1969)

The Sixth Assembly was constituted in June 1965 under the same constitutional provisions 155 members, indirectly elected by Basic Democrats and served a full five-year term under Article 70 of the 1962 constitution. It met for 248 sittings across multiple sessions, functioning for 3 years, 9 months, and 17 days before being dissolved in March 1969, when General Yahya Khan imposed the second martial law and abrogated the 1962 constitution.

Dissolution and aftermath

Yahya Khan assumed power in March 1969 after Ayub Khan, under mounting political pressure, relinquished the presidency. Khan imposed martial law, dissolved the national and provincial assemblies, and promised to hold direct elections and transfer power to elected representatives.

In March 1970, Khan promulgated the Legal Framework Order, 1970 (LFO) as President's Order No. 2 of 1970. The LFO established the framework for pakistan's first direct general elections based on adult franchise and, critically, dissolved the One Unit scheme in West Pakistan effective July 1970, re-establishing the four provinces of Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, and the North-West Frontier Province.

In July 1970, all authority was transferred to the four restored provinces, the provisional assemblies of Punjab, Sindh, NWFP, and Balochistan were re-established, and the Provincial Assembly of West Pakistan formally ceased to exist. General elections were held in December 1970, Pakistan's first direct elections on the basis of adult franchise followed by provincial elections ten days later.

Governors

Further information: West Pakistan § Governors of West Pakistan

No.	Governor	Period
1	Mushtaq Ahmed Gurmani	14 October 1955 – 27 August 1957
2	Akhter Husain	September 1957 – April 1960
3	Nawab of Kalabagh (Malik Amir Muhammad Khan)	June 1960 – September 1966
4	General Muhammad Musa	September 1966 – 20 March 1969
5	Yusuf Haroon	20 March 1969 – 25 March 1969
6	Lt. General Attiqur Rahman	25 March 1969 – 1 July 1970

Members

Third/Interim assembly

Post	Name	Constituency/District	Remarks
Chief Minister	Dr. Khan Sahib	Swat State	First chief minister of West Pakistan; independent, later Republican Party; appointed October 1955.

Fourth assembly

Chief Ministers

Further information: West Pakistan § Chief ministers of West Pakistan

Name	Party	Period	Notes
Khan Abdul Jabbar Khan	Republican Party	14 October 1955 – 16 July 1957	First chief minister of West Pakistan; assassinated 9 May 1958
Sardar Abdur Rashid Khan	Republican Party	16 July 1957 – 18 March 1958	Second Chief Minister of West Pakistan
Nawab Muzaffar Ali Khan Qizilbash	Republican Party	18 March 1958 – 7 October 1958	Last chief minister before martial law

Speakers

Main article: List of speakers of the West Pakistan Legislative Assembly

Name	Period	Notes
Chaudhri Fazl-e-Elahi	20 May 1956 – 7 October 1958	Elected from Gujrat District; first speaker of the West Pakistan Assembly

Deputy speakers

Name	Period	Notes
Sardar Bahadur Khan	20 May 1956 – 7 October 1958	Elected from Lahore District; also PML parliamentary leader
Syed Mehr Ali Shah Bokhari	21 September 1957 – 7 October 1958	Elected from Thatta District

Ministers

Name	Constituency/District	Portfolio
Dr. Khan Sahib	Swat State	Chief Minister; S&GAD, Tribal Affairs, Home, Excise and Taxation, Forests, Game and Prisons
Abdur Rasheed Khan	Peshawar District	Minister (Dr. Khan Sahib Ministry); later chief minister Jul 1957–Mar 1958
Nawab Muzaffar Ali Khan Qizilbash	—	Industries, Labour and Commerce, Village Aid (during Dr. Khan Sahib ministry); chief minister Mar–Oct 1958
Agha Ghulam Nabi Dur Muhammad Khan Pathan	Sukkur District	Games and Forests
Arbab Nur Muhammad Khan	Peshawar District	Excise and Taxation
Chaudhri Abdul Ghani Ghuman	Sialkot District	Excise and Taxation
Col. Syed Abid Hussain Shah	Jhang District	—

Members (partial list)

The fourth assembly comprised 310 members. A partial list of members as documented by the Punjab Assembly is as follows:

Name	Constituency/District	Party	Notes
Chaudhri Abdul Ghani Harl	Sheikhupura District	—
Abdul Khaliq Khan Kakar	Areas of the Pishin District (excl. Municipal/Cantonment areas of Quetta)	—
Mian Abdul Latif	Sheikhupura District	—
Abdul Majid Khan Karim Bakhsh Khan Jatoi	Dadu District	—
Mir Abdul Qayyum	Lyallpur District	—
Khan Abdul Qiyum Khan	Peshawar District	—
Ahmad Saeed Kirmani	Lahore District	—
Aidan Singh Nagji Sodho	Tharparkar District	—
Begum Aisha Muhammad Abdul Aziz Arain	Sukkur District	—	Seat reserved for Women
Ali Bakhsh Khan (Allah Dad Khan Talpur)	Tharparkar District	—
Ali Khan Dombki	Upper Sind Frontier District	—
Ali Gohar Khan Haji Khan Mahar	Sukkur District	—
Ali Gauhar Khuhro	Larkana District	—
Sardar Bahadur Khan	Lahore District	PML	Later deputy speaker; May 1956 – Oct 1958
Fazal Elahi Chaudhry	Gujrat District	PML / Conv. ML	Speaker; May 1956 – Oct 1958
Syed Mehr Ali Shah Bukhari	Thatta District	—	Later deputy speaker; Sep 1957 – Oct 1958

Fifth assembly

Speakers

Name	Period	Notes
Mubin-ul-Haq Siddiqui	12 June 1962 – 4 July 1963	Elected from Karachi-VII; elected unopposed; removed by no confidence motion on 4 July 1963
Anwar Bhinder	16 July 1963 – 12 June 1965	Elected from Gujranwala-III; also functioned as parliamentary secretary for Law, Information and Parliamentary Affairs till 16 July 1963

Deputy speakers

Name	Period	Notes
Muhammad Ishaq Khan Kundi	12 June 1962 – 12 June 1965	Elected from D.I. Khan-II
Syed Zafar Ali Shah	12 June 1962 – 12 June 1965	Elected from Nawabshah-II

Ministers

Name	Constituency	Portfolio	Period
Sheikh Masood Sadiq	Rawalpindi-I	Excise and Taxation	6 December 1962 – 8 June 1965
Begum Mahmooda Salim Khan	Peshawar-II (D.I. Khan Division)	Education	—
Khan Pir Muhammad Khan	Mardan-II	Revenue and Rehabilitation	—
Malik Qadir Bakhsh	Muzaffargarh-II	Food and Agriculture, Irrigation and Power	—

Sixth assembly

Speakers

Name	Period	Notes
Anwar Bhinder	12 June 1965 – 25 March 1969	Elected from Gujranwala-III; elected unopposed; re-elected from Fifth Assembly

Deputy speakers

Name	Period	Notes
Umar Jan Khan	12 June 1965 – 5 February 1966	Elected from Bannu-I; elected unopposed
Ahmed Mian Soomro	5 February 1966 – 23 May 1966	Elected from Jacobabad-II
Syed Yousaf Ali Shah	26 May 1966 – 25 May 1969	Elected from Peshawar-I

Leaders of the house

Under the 1962 constitution, no formal chief minister existed; the leader of the house ran internal assembly affairs under the governor's guidance.

Name	Portfolio	Period
Khan Habib Ullah Khan	Revenue, Land Utilization, Colonies, Land Reforms and Rehabilitation	9 June 1965 – 25 September 1966
Malik Khuda Bakhsh Bucha	Irrigation & Power, Education, Food, Agriculture and Co-operation	25 September 1966 – 25 March 1969

Ministers

Name	Portfolio
Alhaj Jam Mir Ghulam Qadir Khan	Auqaf and Jails
Begum Zahida Khaliq-uz-Zaman	Health and Social Welfare
Makhdum Hamid-ud-Din	—
Ahmed Mian Soomro	Deputy speaker (Jun 1965 – Feb 1966 and May 1966 – Mar 1969)

See also

• West Pakistan
• Provincial Assembly of East Pakistan
• One Unit
• List of speakers of the West Pakistan Legislative Assembly

Further readings

• "National Assembly of Pakistan". na.gov.pk. 1947-07-26. Archived from the original on 2026-02-13. Retrieved 2026-05-14.