The vice president of Pakistan ( ur, ) was a political office which existed between 1971 and 1973. In practice, it was the second highest office in the country after the
president of Pakistan
The president of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=s̤adr-i Pākiṣṭān), officially the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is the ceremonial head of state of Pakistan and the commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Armed Forces.head of state
A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and ...
, and ranking first in the presidential line of succession. Established in December 1971, the post remained in effect until the
1973 Constitution of Pakistan
The Constitution of Pakistan ( ur, ), also known as the 1973 Constitution, is the supreme law of Pakistan. Drafted by the government of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, with additional assistance from the country's opposition parties, it was approved by ...
was promulgated in August 1973, under which it was formally abolished.
Nurul Amin
Nurul Amin ( bn, নুরুল আমিন; ur, ; 15 July 1893 – 2 October 1974) was a prominent Pakistani leader, and a jurist who served as the eighth prime minister of Pakistan and as the first and only vice president of Pakistan. H ...
remains the first and only officeholder in Pakistan's history to have occupied this position.
History
The office of vice president was established in December 1971. It followed the suspension of the 1962 constitution and the imposition of
martial law
Martial law is the imposition of direct military control of normal civil functions or suspension of civil law by a government, especially in response to an emergency where civil forces are overwhelmed, or in an occupied territory.
Use
Martia ...
earlier in March 1969 by general
Yahya Khan
General Agha Muhammad Yahya Khan , (Urdu: ; 4 February 1917 – 10 August 1980); commonly known as Yahya Khan, was a Pakistani military general who served as the third President of Pakistan and Chief Martial Law Administrator following his p ...
. Yahya also dissolved the parliament, dismissed civilian officials from Ayub's administration, and enforced law and order while declaring himself president and
Chief Martial Law Administrator
The office of the Chief Martial Law Administrator was a senior and authoritative post with Zonal Martial Law Administrators as deputies created in countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh and Indonesia that gave considerable executive authority and p ...
(CMLA). Because the post was created during martial law and was not specified in the preceding constitution, it did not have practical and legally defined functions. According to Rafi Raza, it had a symbolic significance in the sense that it would provide
East Pakistan
East Pakistan was a Pakistani province established in 1955 by the One Unit Policy, renaming the province as such from East Bengal, which, in modern times, is split between India and Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India and Myanmar, wi ...
representation in the
federation
A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government ( federalism). In a federation, the self-gover ...
's executive branch of government.
The vice president reserved the power to serve as acting president during the president's official absence or overseas trips. On 29 May 1972, Bhutto embarked on a 13-day
state visit
A state visit is a formal visit by a head of state to a foreign country, at the invitation of the head of state of that foreign country, with the latter also acting as the official host for the duration of the state visit. Speaking for the hos ...
to 14 countries across Africa and the Middle East, returning on 10 June. During this time, Amin stepped in as acting president. He is reported to have performed this duty on multiple occasions, participating in public events, conferences and site visits in presidential capacity.
Amin was of Bengali origin.
Amin was sworn in as vice president a second time on 23 April 1972, following the introduction of an interim constitution, which also required Bhutto to take oath again as president on 21 April. The interim constitution brought about the end of martial law under which the country had been operating, and conferred power to the new civilian government.
After the 1973 constitution, Bhutto assumed the role of Prime Minister. Under the new constitution, the president was largely a ceremonial figurehead whilst the Prime Minister was granted greater executive powers. The constitution was framed by members of the
National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...
and came into effect on 14 August 1973.
Under the current
line of succession
An order of succession or right of succession is the line of individuals necessitated to hold a high office when it becomes vacated such as head of state or an honour such as a title of nobility.Chairman of the Senate shall act as president in the event of the president's absence, resignation, removal or death, or if the president is unable to discharge official duties. The Speaker of the National Assembly stands second in the line of succession. The office of the acting president remains in force until a president is elected through the Electoral College, in accordance with Article 41(3) of the constitution.
Deputy Prime Minister of Pakistan
The Deputy Prime Minister of Pakistan, officially the Deputy Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, ) was the second most senior minister of the Republic of the Government of Pakistan. The main purpose of the post was to giv ...
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-la ...