Suhrawardy Administration

The Suhrawardy government also called the Suhrawardy administration was the sixth government and cabinet of Pakistan which was formed by Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy on 12 September 1956 after the resignation of Chaudhry Muhammad Ali.

The government was dominated by Bengali politicians from East Pakistan and members of the ruling All-Pakistan Awami League. The Awami League joined a coalition with the Republican Party to form the government. Growing animosity between West and East Pakistan as well as between Suhrawardy’s coalition partners and his own party members led to Suhrawardy’s resignation and succession by the Chundrigar government in October 1957.

History

Policies

On 12 September 1956, the government led by HS Suhrawardy was established. A significant conflict emerged between this administration and major business interests over maritime commerce between East and West Pakistan. The Ministry of Commerce and Industry proposed the creation of a public Shipping Corporation to manage coastal trade, which was controlled by a few shipping tycoons. This proposal aimed to address problems such as the black-market sales of shipping space by the Shipping Space Allocation Board and the significant foreign currency costs incurred by chartering foreign vessels due to the insufficient capacity of private ships to handle the entire coastal trade.

The Economic Appraisal Committee of the Central Government and the First Five Year Plan drafters had both recommended the establishment of a Shipping Corporation. However, when the proposal was advanced, it faced strong opposition from the Pakistan Ship-owners' Association and the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industries, supported by industrialist Yusuf Haroon, a member of the National Assembly. In contrast, traders and industrialists from East Pakistan generally supported the initiative.

The opposition escalated as the Pakistan Ship-owners' Association conducted a campaign against the proposed National Shipping Corporation, labeling it as monopolistic through advertisements in major national newspapers. These ads questioned the move's implications for a free society. The sustained opposition contributed to Suhrawardy's resignation, as influential business groups and Republican landlords persuaded President Iskander Mirza to demand and accept his departure from office.

Issues and collapse

The government was originally founded when the President, Iskander Mirza who himself was from the Republican Party, invited the Awami League to form the central government that appointed Huseyn Suhrawardy as the Prime Minister. Despite Mirza and Suhrawardy both being Bengalis and hailing from West Bengal, the two leaders had very different views of running the central government and both leaders were in brief conflict, causing harm to the unity of the nation. Prime Minister Suhrawardy found it extremely difficult to govern effectively due to the issue of One Unit, alleviating the national economy, and President Mirza's constant unconstitutional interference in the Suhrawardy’s administration.

President Mirza demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Suhrawardy and turned down his request to seek a motion of confidence in the National Assembly. Threatened by President Mirza's dismissal, Prime Minister Suhrawardy tendered his resignation on 17 October 1957 and was succeeded by I. I. Chundrigar but he too was forced to resign in a mere two months.

Cabinet

Federal ministers

Ministers of State

References

{{Pakistani federal governments

Pakistani federal ministries
Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy