West Pakistan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids West Pakistan
مغربى پاکستان
পশ্চিম পাকিস্তান |
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| 1947–1970 | |||||||||
 Flag
 Coat of arms
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 Area constituting West Pakistan shown in Red; Princley states and boundaries shown in light colour. |
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| Anthem | |||||||||
| Qaumī Tarāna National Anthem |
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| Capital | Karachi (1947–1955) Lahore (proclaimed) Islamabad (1965–1970) |
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| Government | |||||||||
| • Type | Parliamentarydominion (1947–58) Presidential republic (1960–69) Military government (1969–70) |
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| • Motto | "Unity, Discipline, Faith" | ||||||||
| Chief Ministers | |||||||||
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• 1955–1957
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Abdul Jabbar Khan | ||||||||
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• 1957–1958
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Abdur Rashid Khan | ||||||||
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• 1958
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Muzaffar Ali Kizilbax | ||||||||
| Administratora | |||||||||
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• 1960–1966
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Amir Mohammad Khan | ||||||||
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• 1966–1969
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Muhammad Musa | ||||||||
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• 1969–1970
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Nur Khan | ||||||||
| Legislature | Legislative Assembly High Court |
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| Historical era | Cold War | ||||||||
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• Independence of Pakistan Established
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14 August 1947 | ||||||||
| 22 November 1954 | |||||||||
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• Dissolution
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1 July 1970 | ||||||||
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| Today part of | Pakistan | ||||||||
| Under martial law. | |||||||||
West Pakistan was a large province that existed in the western part of Pakistan from 1955 to 1970. It was created by combining many smaller provinces, states, and tribal areas. Its main city, or capital, was Lahore.
At the same time, the eastern part of Pakistan, which was called East Bengal, was renamed East Pakistan. Its capital was Dacca. The main government of Pakistan moved from Karachi to Rawalpindi in 1959, and later to Islamabad.
Contents
Forming West Pakistan
West Pakistan was formed on October 14, 1955. The idea was to bring together different areas into one large province. People thought this would make the government work better and save money. It was also hoped that it would reduce disagreements between different regions.
Even though it was called "West Pakistan," the people living there were not all the same. They belonged to many different ethnic groups and spoke various languages.
Changes in Government
In 1958, there was a military takeover in Pakistan. This meant the army took control of the government. After this, the job of Chief Minister for West Pakistan was ended. The President of Pakistan then took over all the main powers for West Pakistan.
West Pakistan continued to exist until July 1970. At that time, President Yahya Khan decided to break it up into its original smaller parts.
The 1970 Election and Its Impact
In December 1970, a big election was held across Pakistan. A political party called the Awami League, led by Mujibur Rahman, won most of the seats in the national parliament. Almost all of their wins were in East Pakistan.
The Awami League wanted East Pakistan to have more autonomy (self-rule). However, the military government did not allow Mujibur Rahman to form a government. This caused a lot of tension between East and West Pakistan.
The Birth of Bangladesh
The disagreements led to a civil war starting on March 25, 1971. The Pakistani military tried to stop the people of East Pakistan from gaining more self-rule. This war involved the Pakistani military and a group called the Mukhti Bahini from East Pakistan.
Many people from East Pakistan had to leave their homes and become refugees. This situation led India to get involved. Eventually, the Pakistani Army surrendered. East Pakistan then became an independent country called Bangladesh on December 16, 1971. After this, the name "West Pakistan" was no longer used.
Images for kids
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Stamp showing both the East and west divisions of Pakistan Before the secession of Bangladesh.
Related pages
See also
In Spanish: Pakistán Occidental para niños
