Pakistani politician, statesman and military general (1899–1969)
Iskander Ali Mirza
CIE, OBE
ইস্কান্দার আলী মির্জা اسکندر علی مرزا
Mirza in 1956
1st President of Pakistan
In office 23 March 1956 – 27 October 1958
Preceded by
Position established
Succeeded by
Muhammad Ayub Khan
4th Governor-General of Pakistan
In office 7 August 1955 – 23 March 1956
Monarch
Elizabeth II
Prime Minister
Mohammad Ali Bogra (1955) Muhammad Ali (1955–56)
Preceded by
Malik Ghulam Muhammad
Succeeded by
Position abolished
4th Minister of Interior
In office 24 October 1954 – 7 August 1955
Prime Minister
Mohammad Ali Bogra
Preceded by
Mushtaq Ahmed Gurmani
Succeeded by
Fazlul Huq
Minister of States and Frontier Regions
In office 24 October 1954 – 7 August 1955
Prime Minister
Mohammad Ali Bogra
Governor of East-Bengal
In office 29 May 1954 – 23 October 1954
Governor General
Sir Ghulam Muhammad
Chief Minister
Abu Hussain Sarkar
Preceded by
Chaudhry Khaliquzzaman
Succeeded by
Muhammad Shahabuddin (Acting)
Secretary of Defence
In office 23 October 1947 – 6 May 1954
Prime Minister
Liaquat Ali Khan (1947–51) K. Nazimuddin (1951–53) Mohammad Ali Bogra (1953–54)
Minister
Liaquat Ali Khan
Preceded by
State established
Succeeded by
Akhter Husain
Vice-President of the Republican Party
In office 1955–1958
President
Sir Feroze Khan
Minister of Defence Acting
In office 16 October 1951 – 17 October 1951
Preceded by
L. A. Khan
Succeeded by
Khawaja Nazimuddin
Personal details
Born
Iskandar Ali Mirza
(1899-11-13)13 November 1899 Murshidabad, Bengal Presidency, British India (now, West Bengal, India)
Died
13 November 1969(1969-11-13) (aged 70) London, England
Cause of death
Cardiac arrest
Resting place
Imamzadeh Abdullah, Tehran, Iran
Citizenship
United Kingdom (1899–1947) (1958-1969) Pakistani (1947–1969)[1][failed verification]
Political party
Republican Party (1955–59)
Other political affiliations
Muslim League (1950–55)
Spouses
Rifaat Begum
(m. 1922–1953)
Nahid Mirza
(m. 1954–1969)
Children
6
Relatives
Nawabs of Bengal (paternal) Tyabji family (maternal)
Residence(s)
Dhaka, East Bengal London, England
Alma mater
Royal Military College Bombay University
Civilian awards
Nishan-i-Lmar Nishan-e-Pahlavi Order of the Indian Empire
Military service
Branch/service
British Indian Army Pakistan Army
Years of service
1920–1954
Rank
Major-General
Unit
Corps of Military Police
Commands
Corps of Military Police East Pakistan Rifles
Battles/wars
Waziristan War Indo-Pakistani War of 1947
Military awards
Order of the British Empire General Service Medal
Iskandar Ali Mirza[a] (13 November 1899 – 13 November 1969) was a Pakistani politician, statesman and military general who served as the Dominion of Pakistan's fourth governor-general of Pakistan from 1955 to 1956, and then as the Islamic Republic of Pakistan's first president from 1956 to 1958.
Mirza was educated at the University of Bombay before attending the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. After military service in the British Indian Army, he joined the Indian Political Service and spent the most of his career as a political agent in the Western region of British India until elevated as joint secretary at the Ministry of Defence in 1946. After the independence of Pakistan as a result of the Partition of India, Mirza was appointed as the first Defence Secretary by prime minister Liaquat Ali Khan, only to oversee the military efforts in the first war with India in 1947, followed by the failed secession in Balochistan in 1948. In 1954, he was appointed as the Governor of his home province of East Bengal by Prime Minister Mohammad Ali of Bogra to control the law and order situation sparked by the popular language movement in 1952, but was later elevated as Interior Minister in the Bogra administration in 1955.
Playing a crucial role in the ousting of Governor-General Sir Malik Ghulam, Mirza assumed his position in 1955 and was elected as the first President of Pakistan when the first Constitution was promulgated in 1956. His presidency, however, was marked with political instability which saw his unconstitutional interferences in the civilian administration that led to the dismissal of four prime ministers in a mere two years. Facing challenges in getting the political endorsements and reelection for the presidency, Mirza surprisingly suspended the writ of the Constitution by imposing martial law against his own party's administration governed by Prime Minister Feroze Khan on 8 October 1958, enforcing it through his army commander General Ayub Khan who dismissed him when the situation between them escalated, also in 1958. Mirza lived in the United Kingdom for the remainder of his life and was buried in Iran in 1969.
His legacy and image are viewed negatively by some Pakistani historians who believe that Mirza was responsible for weakening democracy and causing political instability in the country.
^Rahman, Syedur (2010). Historical Dictionary of Bangladesh. Plymouth, UK: Scarecrow Press. p. li. ISBN 978-0-8108-7453-4. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
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