Timeline of Major Political Events in Pakistan-1947 to date

Most Repeated Pakistan Study MCQs in Exams

Major events of Pakistan movement history (1857-1947)

Pakistan's political landscape has witnessed numerous fluctuations since its independence in 1947, with power struggles between civilian and military leaders shaping the country's political dynamics. Only three governments have completed their full terms.

Pakistan headed to the polls on July 25 for the second democratic transition of power in seven decades. The South Asian nation has been under military rule for about half of its history since independence in 1947. As we approach this historic election, let's review some significant events that have shaped Pakistan's politics.

August 14, 1947 - Muslim League leader Mohammad Ali Jinnah, known as Quaid-e-Azam (Father of the Nation), is sworn in as the first governor-general of Pakistan after the division of British India into two independent states – the Muslim-majority Pakistan (comprising East and West wings) and Hindu-majority India. Liaquat Ali Khan becomes the first prime minister.

October 16, 1951 - Liaquat Ali Khan, who drafted the Objectives Resolution – a preamble to the current constitution – is assassinated in Rawalpindi.

1951-1954 - Several prime ministers are dismissed due to conflicts over drafting the constitution and defining the role of various governing institutions.

March 23, 1956 - Military strongman Iskander Mirza, who played a crucial role in the ousting of Governor-General Sir Malik Ghulam, is sworn in as the first president and approves Pakistan's first constitution.

October 7, 1958 - Iskander Mirza declares martial law.

October 27, 1958 - Army Commander General Ayub Khan dismisses Mirza in the first successful coup of the country.

January 2, 1965 - Ayub Khan defeats Fatima Jinnah, sister of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, and is re-elected as president in an election marred by allegations of political rigging by the powerful military.

March 25, 1969 - Ayub hands over power to Army Chief General Yahya Khan, who imposes martial law for the second time and dissolves all assemblies after protests led by politician Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

December 7, 1970 - The first general elections are held, resulting in the victory of East Pakistani leader of the Awami League, which raises tensions with the country's West wing.

March 26, 1971 - Tensions between East Pakistan and West Pakistan over the election outcome lead to a war, resulting in one of the heaviest setbacks for the Pakistan military. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the founder of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), assumes power as the country's only civilian martial law administrator after Indian intervention in Bangladesh leads to separation.

December 20, 1971 - Zulfikar Ali Bhutto is elected president.

August 14, 1973 - The new constitution comes into effect, transferring the power of decision-making to the prime minister and rendering the president as a figurehead. Bhutto, who formulated the constitutional change, becomes the prime minister, and Fazal Ellahi is appointed president.

March 7, 1977 - General elections see a victory for Bhutto's party amid allegations of rigging.

July 5, 1977 - Bhutto is deposed by then army chief General Ziaul Haq and arrested on charges of authorizing the murder of a political opponent. Zia declares martial law.

April 4, 1979 - Bhutto is hanged in Rawalpindi after a controversial trial on charges of corruption and extrajudicial killings.

February 28, 1985 - General elections were held on a non-party basis. Zia became president, while Muhammad Khan Junejo was appointed prime minister. The new national assembly ratified Zia's actions over the last eight years.

August 17, 1988 - Zia died, along with 31 others, including the US ambassador, in a plane crash.

November 16, 1988 - Benazir Bhutto, daughter of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, won the elections, becoming the country's first female prime minister.

August 6, 1990 - President Ghulam Ishaq Khan sacked Benazir's government on charges of corruption.

October 24, 1990 - Nawaz Sharif became prime minister after the Islami Jamhoori Ittehad (IJI), a coalition of religious parties and the Pakistan Muslim League widely believed to have been engineered by the military, won the elections.

April 19, 1993 - Ghulam Ishaq Khan dismissed Sharif's government on charges of corruption.

July 18, 1993 - Ghulam Ishaq Khan and Sharif resigned.

October 6, 1993 - Benazir was elected prime minister once again.

November 14, 1993 - Farooq Leghari was elected president.

November 5, 1996 - Leghari dismissed Benazir's government on corruption charges.

February 3, 1997 - Sharif became the prime minister for the second time after his party won a landslide in general elections.

October 12, 1999 - Chief of Army Staff General Pervez Musharraf staged a coup to topple the civilian government of Sharif.

May 13, 2000 - Supreme Court justices who took their oath under a Provisional Constitutional Order validated the military coup in the country.

June 20, 2001 - General Musharraf became president while holding the post of chief of army staff.

April 30, 2002 - Musharraf held a referendum on staying on as president for another five years and won the majority.

October 10, 2002 - General elections were held under Musharraf's military government. The Pakistan Muslim League-Q won the most seats, and Zafarullah Khan Jamali was sworn in as prime minister.

August 28, 2004 - Shaukat Aziz, then the finance minister, replaced Jamali as prime minister.

October 18, 2007 - A bomb blast targeted a PPP reception rally for Benazir as she returned to the country for an election bid after an eight-year exile and a reconciliation deal with Musharraf.

December 27, 2007 - Benazir was assassinated in a gun and bomb attack after addressing a campaign rally in Rawalpindi.

February 18, 2008 - Yousuf Raza Gilani was elected prime minister as the PPP won general elections.

September 6, 2008 - Asif Ali Zardari, the widower of Benazir Bhutto, was elected president.

April 8, 2010 - Zardari handed over power to dissolve assemblies to the prime minister, shifting the country from a semi-presidential system to a complete parliamentary system.

June 19, 2012 - Pakistan Supreme Court disqualified Gilani from his post after finding him in contempt of court.

June 22, 2012 - Raja Parvez Ashraf of the PPP was sworn in as prime minister.

May 11, 2013 - General elections were held, and Sharif became prime minister after his PML-N won the polls.

July 28, 2017 - Sharif resigned from office after the Supreme Court disqualified him in a corruption case related to the ownership of luxury flats in London.

August 1, 2017 - Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, a member of the PML-N, became the new prime minister.

May 24-27: The Parliament of Pakistan and the Provincial Assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) approved the twenty-fifth amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan, leading to the merger of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas into the Province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

July 14, 2018 - Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz were arrested upon their return to Lahore from London, where they were attending to Sharif's ailing wife and mother, Kulsoom Nawaz.

July 25, 2018 - Elections were scheduled to be held in Pakistan.

February 26, 2019: Pakistan officially rejected Indian claims of the Balakot airstrike.

February 27, 2019: The Pakistan Air Force shot down two Indian warplanes in a skirmish and captured Indian pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman.

March 2, 2019: Pakistan released Abhinandan Varthaman and returned him to India in a simple ceremony via the Wagah border.

August 5, 2019: India revoked Article 370 of the constitution and divided the state of Jammu and Kashmir.

December 14, 2019: Pakistan was named the top holiday destination for travelers in the year 2020 by the United States-based luxury and lifestyle publication Conde Nast Traveler.