View source for Governor-General of Pakistan

{{Short description|Representative of the Pakistani monarch (1947–1956)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}
{{Infobox official post
| post                    = Governor-General
| body                    = Pakistan
| native_name             = {{lang|ur|{{Nastaliq|گورنر جنرل پاکستان}}}}
| insignia                = Coat of arms of Pakistan.svg
| insigniasize            = 
| insigniacaption         = Coat of arms of Pakistan
| insigniaalt             =
| flag                    = 
| flagsize                = 
| flagalt                 =
| flagborder              = 
| flagcaption             = 
| image                   = Malik Muhammad.jpg
| imagesize               = 
| alt                     = 
| imagecaption            = '''Longest serving<br />[[Malik Ghulam Muhammad|Sir Ghulam Muhammad]]'''<br />17 October 1951 – 7 August 1955
| department              = 
| style                   = [[Excellency|His Excellency]]
| type                    = 
| status                  = Abolished
| abbreviation            = 
| member_of               = 
| reports_to              = 
| residence               = [[Governor's House (Karachi)|Governor-General's House]]
| seat                    = 
| nominator               = 
| appointer               = [[Monarch of Pakistan]]
| appointer_qualified     = 
| termlength              = 
| termlength_qualified    = 
| constituting_instrument = 
| formation               = 14 August 1947
| first                   = [[Muhammad Ali Jinnah]]
| last                    = [[Iskander Mirza]]
| abolished               = 23 March 1956
| unofficial_names        = 
| deputy                  = 
| salary                  = 
| website                 = 
| footnotes               =
}}

The '''governor-general'''<!--"governor-general" is uncapitalised here because it is preceded by the modifier "the", as per [[MOS:JOBTITLES]] bullet 3 and table column 2 example 1. Any proposal for modification to the guideline should be posted at its talk page, [[WT:MOSBIO]].--> '''of Pakistan''' ({{langx|ur|{{Nastaliq|گورنر جنرل پاکستان}}}}) was the [[Political representation|representative]] of the [[Monarchy of Pakistan|Pakistani monarch]] in the [[Dominion of Pakistan]], established by the [[Indian Independence Act 1947]]. The office of governor-general was abolished when Pakistan became an [[Pakistan|Islamic republic]] in 1956.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://cabinet.gov.pk/SiteImage/Downloads/presidents-dec-15(1).pdf |title=List Showing the Governors-General and Presidents of Pakistan Since Independence. |website=cabinet.gov.pk |access-date=11 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210426081407/https://cabinet.gov.pk/SiteImage/Downloads/presidents-dec-15(1).pdf |archive-date=26 April 2021 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{citation|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bCpYAAAAMAAJ|title=Chief Justice Muhammad Munir: His Life, Writings, and Judgements|year=1973|publisher=Research Society of Pakistan|pages=341}}</ref>

==Constitutional role==
[[File:Muhammad Ali Jinnah sitting on the Chair of Governer General wearing a Sherwani.jpg|thumb|left|[[Muhammad Ali Jinnah]], seated on the throne of Pakistan, carrying out official duties as the monarch's representative]]
In the first years after its independence, Pakistan was one of the [[Commonwealth realm|realms]] of the [[Commonwealth of Nations]] that shared the same person as sovereign and head of state. The Pakistani monarch was represented in the dominion by the governor-general of Pakistan, whom the monarch appointed on the advice of the Pakistani government.<ref>{{citation |last1=Kumarasingham |first1=Harshan |title=THE 'TROPICAL DOMINIONS': THE APPEAL OF DOMINION STATUS IN THE DECOLONISATION OF INDIA, PAKISTAN AND CEYLON, vol. 23 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/23726109 |pages=223 |year=2013 |publisher=Transactions of the Royal Historical Society |jstor=23726109}}</ref><ref>{{citation|title=Political development in Pakistan|isbn=9781400876389|year=1965|author=Karl Von Vorys|publisher=Princeton University Press|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1h_WCgAAQBAJ|page=272}}</ref>

The Pakistani monarch and the Federal Legislature of Pakistan constituted the Parliament of Pakistan. All executive powers of Pakistan rested with the sovereign. All laws in Pakistan were enacted only with [[royal assent]], granted by the governor-general on behalf of the sovereign. The governor-general was also responsible for summoning, [[Legislative session|proroguing]], and [[dissolution of Parliament|dissolving]] the Federal Legislature. The governor-general chose and appointed the Council of Ministers and dismissed them at his discretion. All Pakistani ministers of the Crown held office at the pleasure of the governor-general. The governor-general of Pakistan was also exempted from any proceedings against him in any Pakistani court.<ref name=ggp>{{citation|last1=Bin Sayeed|first1=Khalid|title=The Governor-General of Pakistan|journal=Pakistan Horizon| url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/41392177 |year=1955|volume=8|issue=2|publisher=Pakistan Institute of International Affairs|pages=330–339|jstor=41392177}}</ref><ref name=":0" />

Akhilesh Pillalamarri of ''[[The Diplomat (magazine)|The Diplomat]]'' wrote that during the reign of [[Elizabeth II]], Queen of Pakistan, "her governors-general were presidents of Pakistan in all but name."<ref name=Pillalamarriwhenqueen>{{Cite magazine|last=Pillalamarri|first=Akhilesh|title=When Elizabeth II Was Queen of Pakistan|url=https://thediplomat.com/2016/03/when-elizabeth-ii-was-queen-of-pakistan/|access-date=2021-08-27|magazine=[[The Diplomat (magazine)|The Diplomat]]|language=en-US}}</ref>

==Oath of office==
The governor-general of Pakistan was required to take an oath of allegiance to the Constitution of Pakistan and the Pakistani monarch before being permitted to assume his seat. The oath of allegiance taken by Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the first governor-general, was as follows:<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/783530/transfer-of-power-and-jinnah|title=Transfer of power and Jinnah |work=DAWN|date=4 February 2013|access-date=20 August 2021}}</ref>

{{blockquote|"I, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, do solemnly affirm true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of Pakistan as by law established and that I will be faithful to His Majesty King George VI, in the office of Governor General of Pakistan."}}

==List of governors-general of Pakistan==
The following is a list of people who served as governor-general of Pakistan.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
! rowspan="2" | {{Abbr|No.|Number}}
! rowspan="2" | Portrait
! rowspan="2" | Name<br /><small>(Birth–Death)</small>
! colspan="3" | Term of office
! rowspan="2" |Monarch<br /><small>(Reign)</small>
|-
!Took office
!Left office
!Time in office
|-
| 1
| [[File:Jinnah1945c.jpg|70px]]
| [[Muhammad Ali Jinnah]]<br />{{small|(1876–1948)}}
| <small>14 August</small><br />1947
| <small>11 September</small><br />1948
| {{ayd|1947|08|14|1948|09|11}}
| rowspan="3" style="background:#eaecf0" | [[File:King George VI LOC matpc.14736 (cleaned).jpg|54x54px]]<br />'''[[George VI]]'''<br /><small>(1947–1952)</small>
|-
| colspan="10"| ''Office vacant'' ({{Dts|format=dmy|1948|September|11}} – {{Dts|format=dmy|1948|September|14}})
|-
| 2
| [[File:Khawaja Nazimuddin.jpg|70px]]
| [[Khawaja Nazimuddin|Sir Khawaja Nazimuddin]]<br />{{small|(1894–1964)}}
| <small>14 September</small><br />1948
| <small>17 October</small><br />1951
| {{ayd|1948|09|14|1951|10|17}}
|- style="height:2ex"
| rowspan="2" |3
| rowspan="2" |[[File:Malik_Muhammad.jpg|70px]]
| rowspan="2" |[[Malik Ghulam Muhammad|Sir Ghulam Muhammad]]<br />{{small|(1895–1956)}}
| rowspan="2" |<small>17 October</small><br />1951
| rowspan="2" |<small>7 August</small><br />1955
| rowspan="2" |{{ayd|1951|10|17|1955|08|07}}
|-
| rowspan="2" style="background:#eaecf0" |[[File:Queen Elizabeth II official portrait for 1959 tour (retouched) (cropped) (3-to-4 aspect ratio).jpg|53x53px]]<br />'''[[Elizabeth II]]'''<br /><small>(1952–1956)</small>
|-
| 4
| [[File:Iskander_Mirza.jpg|70px]]
| [[Iskander Mirza]]<br />{{small|(1899–1969)}}
| <small>7 August</small><br />1955
| <small>23 March</small><br />1956
| {{ayd|1955|08|07|1956|03|23}}
|-
|}

==Flag of the governor-general==
<gallery class="center" widths="200px">
Flag of the Governor-General of Pakistan (1947-1953).svg|Flag used from 1947 to 1953
Flag of the Governor-General of Pakistan (1953-1956).svg|Flag used from 1953 to 1956
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[Governor-General of India]]
* [[List of presidents of Pakistan]]
* [[President of Pakistan]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Governors-General of Pakistan}}
{{Representatives of the monarch in Commonwealth realms and Dominions}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Governor-General Of Pakistan}}
[[Category:Governors-general of Pakistan| ]]
[[Category:Lists of governors-general|Pakistan]]
[[Category:Pakistan and the Commonwealth of Nations]]
[[Category:Lists of political office-holders in Pakistan]]
[[Category:Pakistan history-related lists]]