The One Unit scheme merged the four provinces of West Pakistan (Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) into a single administrative unit in 1955. This was done to counter the numerical domination of East Pakistan and diminish differences between the two wings of Pakistan that were separated by over 1,000 miles. However, the scheme was opposed by the Sindh assembly and criticized for being introduced through executive decree rather than legislation. The One Unit scheme remained in place until General Yahya Khan dissolved it in 1970.
The One Unit scheme merged the four provinces of West Pakistan (Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) into a single administrative unit in 1955. This was done to counter the numerical domination of East Pakistan and diminish differences between the two wings of Pakistan that were separated by over 1,000 miles. However, the scheme was opposed by the Sindh assembly and criticized for being introduced through executive decree rather than legislation. The One Unit scheme remained in place until General Yahya Khan dissolved it in 1970.
The One Unit scheme merged the four provinces of West Pakistan (Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) into a single administrative unit in 1955. This was done to counter the numerical domination of East Pakistan and diminish differences between the two wings of Pakistan that were separated by over 1,000 miles. However, the scheme was opposed by the Sindh assembly and criticized for being introduced through executive decree rather than legislation. The One Unit scheme remained in place until General Yahya Khan dissolved it in 1970.
The One Unit scheme merged the four provinces of West Pakistan (Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) into a single administrative unit in 1955. This was done to counter the numerical domination of East Pakistan and diminish differences between the two wings of Pakistan that were separated by over 1,000 miles. However, the scheme was opposed by the Sindh assembly and criticized for being introduced through executive decree rather than legislation. The One Unit scheme remained in place until General Yahya Khan dissolved it in 1970.
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One Unit Scheme
Even after eight years of existence, Pakistan was without a constitution.
The main reason was believed to be the fact that there were two unequal wings of Pakistan separated from each other by more than a thousand miles. To diminish the differences between the two regions, the Government of Pakistan decided that all the four provinces and states of West Pakistan should be merged into one unit. From 1947 to 1955, 22 provincial cabinets were dismissed or forced to resign sparking off the centre-province antagonism that shattered the dream of a decent democracy.One-Unit was the title of a scheme launched by the federal government of Pakistan to merge the four provinces and states of West Pakistan into one unit, as a counter balance against the numerical domination of the ethnic Bengalis of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). The rulers of Pakistan tried to solve the issue of disparity that was being faced by East Pakistan. The then Prime Minister Muhammad Ali Bogra brought the concept of one unit under discussion. The leaders of the viewed that the disparity and hopelessness of East Pakistan could be removed by merging all four units of West Pakistan into one unit and the campaign would have other development projects. In this way, equality between east and west would come to the surface. Prime Minister Muhammad Ali made the first official announcement on November 22, 1954, enumerating the benefits of having one unit or province.On 30th September, 1955 a bill was passed in the assembly in the favor of one unit. Furthermore, Lahore was declared the capital of one unit. The land of West Pakistan was controlled by three governors which became under a chief commissioner. Knowing the fact the one unit’s first governor was appointed as Mushtaque Ahmed Gurmani and the first chief minister was Dr. khan sahib. The question arises here whether the merging of all West Pakistan provinces was the consent of all the units of the provinces or not. The answer would be “NO” because when the campaign of one unit was initiated, firstly it was opposed by the Sindh assembly. It is clear as day that the center or federal government has been strong all the time. While the One Unit scheme in West Pakistan could be supported on various grounds, the method of its establishment was not free from criticism. The government wanted to introduce the One Unit Scheme by an executive decree, which it could not do. So the Central Government dismissed the Ministry in Punjab, Sindh and N. W. F. P. One Unit continued until General Yahya Khan dissolved it on July 1, 1970.