Ghulam Muhammad

governor general of Pakistan

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June 29, 2026

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Ghulam Muhammad served as the governor-general of Pakistan from 1951 to 1955. He was a Punjabi who consolidated power by forming a coalition of civil and military forces in the central government. During his tenure, he dismissed Prime Minister Khwaja Nazimuddin in 1953 and later dissolved the entire constituent assembly in 1954. In 1955, he left office, and Maj. Gen. Iskandar Mirza took over as governor-general, under whom East Bengal was renamed East Pakistan.1

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2 Britannica Sources

Chaudhri Mohammad Ali
history of Bangladesh - East Bengal as a Pakistani province, 1947–71

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Bangladesh
The Pakistani period, 1947–71
…as prime minister and installed Ghulam Mohammad, a Punjabi, as governor-general. Ghulam Mohammad consolidated a coalition of civil and military forces in the central government and secured a virtual transfer of power from the politicians to the coalition, first by dismissing Nazimuddin (who still had a majority in the legislature)…
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…as prime minister and installed Ghulam Mohammad, a Punjabi, as governor-general. Ghulam Mohammad consolidated a coalition of civil and military forces in the central government and secured a virtual transfer of power from the politicians to the coalition, first by dismissing Nazimuddin (who still had a majority in the legislature)…
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Pakistan
Political decline and bureaucratic ascendancy
…premiership on Liaquat’s death, and Ghulam Muhammad took his place as the governor-general. Ghulam Muhammad, a Punjabi, had been Jinnah’s choice to serve as Pakistan’s first finance minister and was an old and successful civil servant. The juxtaposition of these two very different personalities—Nazimuddin, known for his piety and reserved…
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…premiership on Liaquat’s death, and Ghulam Muhammad took his place as the governor-general. Ghulam Muhammad, a Punjabi, had been Jinnah’s choice to serve as Pakistan’s first finance minister and was an old and successful civil servant. The juxtaposition of these two very different personalities—Nazimuddin, known for his piety and reserved…
Read More