Muslim League (1947–1958)
Muslim League | |
|---|---|
| Urdu name | مسلم لیگ |
| Bengali name | মুসলিম লীগ |
| Abbreviation | ML |
| Leader | Liaquat Ali Khan Ch. Khaliquzzaman Khwaja Nazimuddin |
| President | Abdur Rab Nishtar (1958) |
| General Secretary | Qazi Muhammad Isa (1958) |
| Chief Whip | Mahmud Husain |
| Founded | 15 December 1947 |
| Dissolved | 7 October 1958 |
| Preceded by | AIML |
| Succeeded by | See List of Muslim League breakaway groups |
| Headquarters | Karachi, Pakistan |
| Newspaper | Dawn |
| Ideology | Pakistani nationalism Islamic modernism Capitalism Factions: Islamic socialism[1] |
| Political position | Big tent |
| Colors | Green |
| Party flag | |
 | |
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|---|
.svg)
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 Pakistan portal |
The Muslim League was the original successor of the All-India Muslim League that led the Pakistan Movement to achieve an independent nation with a numerical majority seats in the parliament of British India.[2]
Five of the country's Prime Ministers have been affiliated with the Muslim League, namely Liaquat Ali Khan, Khwaja Nazimuddin, Mohammad Ali Bogra, Chaudhry Muhammad Ali, and Ibrahim Ismail Chundrigar.[2]
The Muslim League was defeated in the 1955 elections to the Constituent Assembly by a political alliance known as the United Front. However, Prime Minister Chaudhry Mohammad Ali and later Prime Minister Ibrahim Ismail Chundrigar were appointed to lead a minority government. The party was dissolved in 1958 after the declaration of Martial Law by General Muhammad Ayub Khan, the Commander-in-Chief of Pakistan Army.[3]
History
[edit]
On the foundation of Pakistan, the president of the All-India Muslim League, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, became the new nation's Governor-General, and the secretary general of the Muslim League, Liaquat Ali Khan became Prime Minister.[3] The All-India Muslim League was disbanded in December 1947 and succeeded by two organisations, the Muslim League and the Indian Union Muslim League, the first being its original successor in Pakistan. Muhammad Ali Jinnah resigned as the president of the Muslim League on 17 December 1947 and the two Muslim Leagues respectively elected Chaudhry Khaliquzzaman as President of the Muslim League (Pakistan) and Muhammad Ismail as the president for Indian Union Muslim League in post-independence India.
Ideology
[edit]The party remained the chief governing party for the early years after the partition of 1947.[2]
According to Dawn newspaper, a major English-language newspaper of Pakistan:
"Jinnah in his first address described Pakistan as a modern Muslim-majority state but where the state would remain religiously neutral and where citizens would transcend their personal faiths to become Pakistanis".[2]
Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, died in 1948. The in-fighting within the Muslim League started right away after his death and the party factions began to emerge.[2]
Under the premiership of Liaquat Ali Khan, the Muslim League government successfully drafted the Objectives Resolution. Although Liaquat Ali Khan was a progressive, he introduced constitutional reforms in line with religious values and principles. The party however adopted a conservative platform under Khwaja Nazimuddin. Khwaja Nazimuddin opposed equal minority rights and thus, the party lost the support of much of the progressive elite. However, much of his policies were repealed by his successors like Mohammad Ali Bogra and Chaudhry Muhammad Ali, who promoted all sorts of liberties and personal freedom for individuals.
The party's economic policies were pro-capitalist. Prime Ministers like Liaquat Ali Khan and Mohammad Ali Bogra were keen supporters of a Western-style economy and promoted economic liberalism and fiscal conservatism.[citation needed] In the 1950s, Pakistan signed the pro-Capitalist pacts like Central Treaty Organization (CENTO) and Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO), quenching any possible chance of communist influence in the country. Despite the Muslim League's support for Islam, the party did not take any action against the Usury payments, attracting criticism from religious parties.
End of the party
[edit]Muhammad Ali Jinnah died in September 1948 and Liaquat Ali Khan was assassinated in October 1951. Robbed of its two senior leaders, the Muslim League began to disintegrate. By 1953, dissensions within the Muslim League had led to the formation of several different political parties. Liaquat Ali Khan was succeeded by Khawaja Nazimuddin, a Bengali, who was forced out of office in April 1953. Pakistan was racked by riots in 1953, and in the first national elections in May 1955 (held by a system of indirect voting) the Muslim League was heavily defeated. Iskander Mirza, a veteran Muslim League leader, first became the fourth Governor General and then the President of Pakistan in 1956.[3][2]
In October 1958, the Pakistan Army seized power and the martial law regime of Muhammad Ayub Khan banned all political parties. The Muslim League ceased to exist and was dissolved.[2]
Officials
[edit]President
[edit]| Name | Assumed office | Left office | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Muhammad Ali Jinnah | 1947 | 1947 | |
| Chaudhry Khaliquzzaman | 1948 | 1950 | |
| Khawaja Nazimuddin | 1950 | 1953 | |
| Mohammad Ali Bogra | 1953 | 1955 | |
| Chaudhri Muhammad Ali | 1955 | 1956 | |
| Abdur Rab Nishtar | 1956 | 1958 |
General Secretary
[edit]| Name | Assumed office | Left office | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yusuf Haroon | 1956 | 1958 |
State leaders
[edit].svg){kind=small} President of Pakistan | |||
| Name | Term in office | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Iskander Mirza | 1955–1956 | ||
 Prime Minister of Pakistan | |||
| Name | Term in office | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Liaquat Ali Khan[3] | 1947–1951 | ||
| Khawaja Nazimuddin[3] | 1951–1953 | ||
| Muhammad Ali Bogra | 1953–1955 | ||
| Chaudhri Muhammad Ali | 1955–1956 | ||
| I. I. Chundrigar | 1957 | ||
 Chief Minister of East Bengal | |||
| Name | Term in office | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Khwaja Nazimuddin | 1947–1948 | ||
| Nurul Amin | 1948–1954 | ||
| Chief Minister of North-West Frontier Province | |||
| Name | Term in office | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Abdul Qayyum Khan | 1947–1953 | ||
| Abdur Rashid Khan | 1953–1955 | ||
| Sardar Bahadur Khan | 1955 | ||
| Chief Minister of Punjab | |||
| Name | Term in office | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Iftikhar Hussain Khan | 1947–1949 | ||
| Mumtaz Daultana | 1951–1953 | ||
| Feroz Khan Noon | 1953–1955 | ||
| Abdul Hamid Khan Dasti | 1955 | ||
| Chief Minister of Sindh | |||
| Name | Term in office | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Muhammad Ayub Khuhro | 1947–1948 | ||
| Pir Ilahi Bux | 1948–1949 | ||
| Yusuf Haroon | 1949–1950 | ||
| Qazi Fazlullah Ubaidullah | 1950–1951 | ||
| Muhammad Ayub Khuhro | 1951 | ||
| Pirzada Abdul Sattar | 1953–1954 | ||
| Muhammad Ayub Khuhro | 1954–1955 | ||
Electoral history
[edit]Pakistan National Assembly elections
| Election | Party leader | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Position | Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1947 | Muhammad Ali Jinnah | 59 / 69
|
 14
|
1st
|
Government | ||
| 1955 | Mohammad Ali Bogra | 25 / 72
|
34
|
1st
|
Coalition |
East Pakistan Provincial Assembly elections
| Election | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Position | Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 | 9 / 237
|
104
|
2nd
|
Opposition |
North-West Frontier Province Provincial Assembly elections
| Election | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Position | Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | 67 / 85
|
 50
|
1st
|
Government |
Punjab Provincial Assembly elections
| Election | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Position | Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | 143 / 192
|
70
|
1st
|
Government |
Sindh Provincial Assembly elections
| Election | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Position | Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 | 78 / 111
|
50
|
1st
|
Government |
West Pakistan Provincial Assembly elections
| Election | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Position | Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | 245 / 310
|
245
|
1st
|
Opposition |
Legacy
[edit]Other parties by the same name
[edit]The name still held great reputation, however, and Ayub Khan later formed a new party, the Convention Muslim League. The opposition faction became known as the Council Muslim League. This latter group joined a united front with other political parties in 1967 in opposition to the regime.
In 1977, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was removed by General Zia-ul-Haq in the 1977 Pakistani military coup.[1] A new party the Pakistan Muslim League (J) was formed.[3] After the death of General and later the President Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq in 1988. Nawaz Sharif formed his own Pakistan Muslim League (N) in 1992, but it had no connection with the original Muslim League. Nawaz Sharif was prime minister from 1990 to 1993 and again from 1997 to 1999, when he was ousted in the 1999 Pakistani coup d'état. At the controversial elections held by the military regime of Pervez Musharraf in October, five different parties using the name Muslim League contested seats. The largest of these, the Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid-e-Azam), won 69 seats out of 272, and the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), loyal to Nawaz Sharif, won 19 seats. After the elections in 2008, Pakistan Muslim League (Q) was in the ruling coalition and Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League (N) sat in opposition. In the 2013 elections, Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) emerged as the largest party in the country; the party formed its government at the center and Nawaz Sharif was re-elected for third term as Prime Minister of Pakistan.[2][3]
Current factions of re founded party
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b Nadeem F. Paracha (21 February 2013). "Islamic Socialism: A history from left to right". Dawn newspaper. Archived from the original on 15 March 2021. Retrieved 30 November 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Nadeem F. Paracha (26 January 2017). "The Muslim League: A factional history". Dawn newspaper. Archived from the original on 26 January 2017. Retrieved 30 November 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g "The Muslim League (history of the party)". Islamopedia Online. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 30 November 2025.