Historical Dictionary of Pakistan

CHRONOLOGY • xxviiment-owned Pakistan International Airlines. 16 June: The princelystates of Kalat, Lasbela, Makran, and Kharam were merged with theprovince of Balochistan. 22 September: The Constituent Assemblyadopted four amendments to the Government of India Act of 1935 (underwhich Pakistan was governed pending adoption of a constitution),sharply curtailing the powers of the governor-general. 24 October: In anationwide broadcast, Prime Minister Muhammad Ali Bogra announcedthat elections would be held as soon as possible, and that thenew representatives of the people would have a fresh mandate to framea constitution. Governor-General Ghulam Muhammad declared a stateof emergency, dissolved the Constituent Assembly and asked PrimeMinister Muhammad Ali Bogra to reconstitute the cabinet. GeneralAyub Khan joined the “Cabinet of Talent” as defense minister. 28 October:Dr. Khan Sahib, leader of the Khudai Khidmatgar (Servants ofGod) in the Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP), was sworn in as theninth member of the new cabinet, and was assigned the portfolio ofRefugee Rehabilitation and Kashmir Affairs. 2 November: The centralgovernment took over the administration of Bahawalpur State. The statecabinet was dismissed and the state Parliament dissolved on charges of“maladministration and inefficiency.” 8 November: The Sindh ProvincialCabinet of Abdus Sattar Pirzada was dismissed on charges of maladministration.Pirzada said dismissal resulted from his opposition tothe governor-general’s projected plan of merging the whole of WestPakistan into a single unit. 9 November: Muhammad Ayub Khuhro wassworn in as chief minister of Sindh province. 20 November: The CentralGovernment completed plans to dissolve all provincial and stategovernments in West Pakistan and assumed direct control of the areathrough the appointment of chief commissioners responsible to it. 20December: Hussain Shaheed Suhrawardhy, leader of the Awami MuslimLeague, was sworn in as minister of law, and said that he would begindrafting a constitution.1955 19 January: The Cabinet unanimously approved Pakistan’sparticipation in the Southeast Asian Defense alliance. 25 March: TheSupreme Court, in Tamizuddin Khan vs. the Government of Pakistan,upheld the constitutionality of the governor-general’s action terminatingthe Constituent Assembly. 30 September: West Pakistan’s fourprovinces were merged to form the single administrative unit of WestPakistan.