Governor of Balochistan, Pakistan
The Governor of Balochistan is the head of the province of Balochistan, Pakistan. The post was established on 1 July 1970, after the dissolution of West Pakistan province and the end of One Unit. Under Pakistan's current parliamentary system, the governorship is a ceremonial position, as a symbol of the federation. The governor is appointed by the centre, whereas the principal head of the provincial government remains the elected Chief Minister of Balochistan.
| Governor of Balochistan | |
|---|---|
| Style | The Honorable (formal) |
| Reports to | President of Pakistan |
| Residence | Governor House |
| Seat | Quetta |
| Nominator | Prime Minister of Pakistan |
| Appointer | President of Pakistan |
| Constituting instrument | Constitution of Pakistan |
| Formation | 1 July 1970 |
| First holder | Riaz Hussain |
| Website | governorbalochistan |
Despite this, Balochistan has seen several periods of martial law or governor's rule where, in the absence of a chief minister, the governor exercised broad powers. As of March 2023, [[Malik Abd-ul-Wali Kakar] is serving as acting governor after the resignation of Syed Zahoor Ahmad Agha on 04 March 2023.[1]
The first governor of the province was Riaz Hussain (1970–1971). The longest-serving governor was Rahimuddin Khan (1978–1984).
Periods of governor's rule
After the dissolution of One Unit in 1970, Balochistan attained the status of a full province, administered by its first governor, General Riaz Hussain, pending general elections, which were held the same year. The left-wing National Awami Party (NAP) secured the highest number of votes in the province, whereas the ruling party at the centre, the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) under Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, secured none. The NAP ministry was however dismissed by Bhutto in 1973, and its senior leaders were imprisoned. Bhutto imposed governor's rule under Akbar Bugti, and military operations against tribal insurgents commenced in 1973.
After the Bhutto regime was overthrown in a military coup by General Zia-ul-Haq in 1977, the NAP leaders were released and the Chief Justice of the Balochistan High Court, Khuda Bakhsh Marri, became governor; the other chief justices also became governors of their corresponding provinces. Marri was replaced by General Rahimuddin Khan, who announced a general amnesty, ending military action in the province.
Governor's rule returned under military ruler Pervez Musharraf, who dissolved the provincial government in 1999, and for a brief period under the fourth PPP ministry in 2013, culminating in the dismissal of the provincial government under Aslam Raisani amid rising sectarian violence.[2]
Governor House
The seat of the Governor is located at Governor House, Quetta, constructed in 1888 during the British Raj. It was heavily damaged during the 1935 Quetta earthquake, but was repaired by the Viceroy of India, Lord Willingdon.
The Governor House was opened to the public in 2018, by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government.[3]
Government
The province was administered by a Chief Commissioner appointed by the Federal Government. Although there was no elected legislature the Chief Commissioner could consult the Shahi Jirga, an assembly of tribal leaders.
The province is composed of three groups of areas – the settled districts, the political agencies, and the tribal area. The settled areas were mainly the district around Quetta and Jaffarabad. The agencies were the Zhob agency to the north of Quetta and the Chagai agency to the west, which had a tenuous land link with the rest of the province. The tribal areas were the Bugti and Marri tribal agencies which would later become Provincially Administered Tribal Areas in the new Balochistan province.
| No. | Chief Commissioner of Balochistan[4] | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sir Geoffrey Prior | 15 August 1947 – 3 October 1947 |
| 2 | Sir Ambrose Dundas Flux Dundas | 3 October 1947 – 8 April 1948 |
| 3 | Cecil Arthur Grant Savidge | 9 April 1948 – 18 January 1949 |
| 4 | Sahibzada Mohammad Kursheed | 19 January 1949 – 16 July 1949 |
| 5 | Mian Aminuddin | 16 July 1949 – 18 November 1952 |
| 6 | Unknown | 18 November 1952 – 13 February 1953 |
| 7 | Qurban Ali Khan | 13 February 1953 – 8 November 1954 |
| 8 | Sardar Bahadur Khan | 8 November 1954 – 19 July 1955 |
| 9 | R.A.F. Hyride | 19 July 1955 – 25 July 1955 |
| 10 | R.A.M. Shaker | 26 July 1955 – 14 October 1955 |
| Province abolished | 14 October 1955 |
see List of Chief Commissioners of Baluchistan
Governors of West Pakistan
| No. | Governor of West Pakistan[4] | Portrait | Tenure | Party Background | Form of Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Mushtaq Ahmed Gurmani | 14 October 1955 – 27 August 1957 | Muslim League | Democratic government | |
| 12 | Akhter Husain | September 1957 – 12 April 1960 | Independent | Military government | |
| 13 | Amir Mohammad Khan | 12 April 1960 – 18 September 1966 | Muslim League | Military government / Civilian authority | |
| 14 | General (retired) Muhammad Musa | 18 September 1966 – 20 March 1969 | Independent | Civilian Authority | |
| 15 | Yusuf Haroon | 20 March 1969 – 25 March 1969 | Civilian Government | Civilian Authority | |
| No. | Martial Law Administrator | Tenure Term | Type of Government | Service in effect | |
| 16 | Lieutenant-General Attiqur Rahman (first term) | 25 March 1969 – 29 August 1969 | Military Government | Pakistan Army | |
| 17 | Lieutenant-General Tikka Khan | 29 August 1969 – 1 September 1969 | Military Government | Pakistan Army | |
| 18 | Air Marshal Nur Khan | 1 September 1969 – 1 February 1970 | Military Government | Pakistan Air Force | |
| (16) | Lieutenant-General Attiqur Rahman (second term) | 1 February 1970 – 1 July 1970 | Military Government | Pakistan Army |
List of governors of Balochistan
| Term | Portrait | Name | Took office | Left office | Tenure | Affiliation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riaz Hussain | 1 July 1970 | 25 December 1971 | 1 year, 177 days | Military | ||
| 2 | Ghous Bakhsh Raisani | 26 December 1971 | 29 April 1972 | 125 days | Pakistan People's Party | ||
| 3 | Ghaus Bakhsh Bizenjo | 30 April 1972 | 14 February 1973 | 290 days | National Awami Party | ||
| 4 | Akbar Bugti | 15 February 1973 | 31 December 1973 | 319 days | Jamhoori Watan Party | ||
| 5 | Ahmad Yar Khan (Khan of Kalat) | 1 January 1974 | 5 July 1977 | 3 years, 185 days | Independent | ||
| 6 | Khuda Bakhsh Marri | 6 July 1977 | 18 September 1978 | 1 year, 74 days | Independent | ||
| 7 | Rahimuddin Khan | 19 September 1978 | 21 March 1984 | 5 years, 184 days | Military | ||
| 8 | F. S. Lodhi | 22 March 1984 | 7 July 1984 | 107 days | Military | ||
| 9 | K. K. Afridi | 18 November 1984 | 30 December 1985 | 1 year, 42 days | Military | ||
| 10 | Musa Khan | 30 December 1985 | 12 March 1991 | 5 years, 72 days | Independent | ||
| 11 | Gul Mohammad Khan Jogezai | 13 July 1991 | 18 July 1993 | 2 years, 5 days | Independent | ||
| 12 | Sardar Abdur Rahim Durrani | 19 July 1993 | 18 May 1994 | 303 days | Independent | ||
| 13 | Imran Ullah Khan | 19 May 1994 | 10 April 1997 | 2 years, 326 days | Pakistan People's Party | ||
| 14 | Miangul Aurangzeb | 22 April 1997 | 17 August 1999 | 2 years, 117 days | Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) | ||
| 15 | Sayed Muhammad Fazal Agha | 18 August 1999 | 12 October 1999 | Independent | |||
| 16 | Amir-ul-Mulk Mengal | 25 October 1999 | 31 January 2003 | Independent | |||
| 17 | Abdul Qadir Baloch | 1 February 2003 | 10 August 2003 | Independent | |||
| 18 | Owais Ahmed Ghani | 11 August 2003 | 5 February 2008 | Independent | |||
| 19 | Zulfikar Ali Magsi | 28 February 2008 | 9 June 2013 | 5 years, 101 days | Pakistan People's Party | ||
| 20 | Muhammad Khan Achakzai | 14 June 2013 | 9 October 2018 | 5 years, 87 days | Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party | ||
| 21 | Amanullah Khan Yasinzai | 4 October 2018 | 7 July 2021 | Independent | |||
| 22 | Syed Zahoor Ahmad Agha | 9 July 2021 | 13 April 2022 | 278 days | Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf | ||
| Mir Jan Muhammad Khan Jamali (Acting) | 13[citation needed] April 2022 | 03 March 2023 | 324 Days | Balochistan Awami Party | |||
| 23 | Abdul Wali Kakar[5] | 03 March 2023 | Balochistan National Party (Mengal) | ||||
See also
References
- ^ Shah, Syed Ali (2022-04-13). "Zahoor Ahmed Agha steps down as Balochistan governor". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 2022-07-28.
- ^ Butt, Qaisar; Zafar, Mohammad (2013-01-13). "Balochistan emergency: Governor's rule imposed". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 2022-07-28.
- ^ Zafar, Muhammad. "Balochistan Governor House opens doors to public". Express Tribune. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
- ^ a b "Pakistan Provinces". www.worldstatesmen.org. Retrieved 2022-08-23.
- ^ "President Alvi appoints Abdul Wali Kakar governor Balochistan". The Express Tribune. 2023-03-03. Retrieved 2023-03-03.
External links
- Official website