Iskander Mirza

Iskander Mirza was a Pakistani politician, statesman and military general who served as the first president of Pakistan from 1956 to 1958. He was also the last governor-general of Pakistan from 1955 to 1956. He was born in a feudal family of Bengal and was educated at the University of Bombay and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. He joined the British Indian Army and later the Indian Political Service, where he served as a political agent in the western region of British India. He became the joint secretary of the Ministry of Defence in 1946 and played a key role in the partition of India. He was appointed as the secretary of defence of Pakistan in 1947 and held various posts such as governor of East Bengal, minister of interior, minister of states and frontier regions, and vice-president of the Republican Party. He became the governor-general of Pakistan in 1955 and succeeded in abolishing the office of the prime minister. He became the first president of Pakistan in 1956 under the new constitution. However, he was dissatisfied with the political instability and corruption in the country and abrogated the constitution in 1958. He imposed martial law and appointed General Ayub Khan as the chief martial law administrator. He tried to consolidate his power by dismissing several politicians and civil servants, but he was eventually ousted by Ayub Khan in a bloodless coup. He was exiled to London, where he died of a cardiac arrest on his 70th birthday. He was buried in Tehran, Iran, as per his wishes. He was considered a controversial figure in Pakistani history, as he was seen as a dictator who undermined democracy and the rule of law.