Pakistan's Firsts

Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah became Pakistan's first Governor-General on 14 August 1947. As the founder of Pakistan and leader of the All India Muslim League, he was the supreme authority over the new nation. He held this role until his death on 11 September 1948 — only 13 months into Pakistan's existence.

Iskander Mirza became Pakistan's first President in March 1956 when the first constitution transformed Pakistan from a Dominion into an Islamic Republic. He was a military man-turned-politician who had served as Defence Secretary and Governor-General. His presidency ended abruptly when General Ayub Khan imposed martial law in October 1958 — Mirza himself had initially backed the coup but was exiled to London within weeks.

Liaquat Ali Khan, titled "Quaid-e-Millat" (Leader of the Nation), was Pakistan's first and longest-serving Prime Minister. A close associate of Jinnah, he was the architect of Pakistan's first budget and the Objectives Resolution of 1949. He was assassinated on 16 October 1951 at a public gathering in Rawalpindi's Company Bagh (renamed Liaquat Bagh in his honour). The murder remains officially unsolved.

At independence, Pakistan required immediate establishment of its judicial and legislative institutions. Sir Abdul Rashid was appointed the first Chief Justice of the Federal Court of Pakistan in 1947 — the highest court before the Supreme Court was created under the 1956 Constitution. Maulvi Tamizuddin Khan became the first Speaker of the Constituent Assembly, a role that proved controversial when Governor-General Ghulam Muhammad dissolved the Assembly in 1954.

Pakistan inherited British officers at the top of its armed forces at independence in 1947. The transition to Pakistani command happened gradually. The most significant milestone was General Ayub Khan becoming the first Pakistani Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Army in January 1951 — a moment that foreshadowed his later rise to political power as Pakistan's first military dictator (1958).

Benazir Bhutto made history not once but twice — she was the first female Prime Minister of Pakistan (1988–1990) and also the first woman to head a government in a Muslim-majority country anywhere in the world. Daughter of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, she returned from exile to lead the PPP to victory. She served a second term (1993–1996). She was assassinated on 27 December 2007 in Rawalpindi while campaigning for a third term.

Dr. Fehmida Mirza of the PPP was elected Speaker of the National Assembly in March 2008, becoming the first woman to hold this position in Pakistan's history, and also the first female Speaker in any Muslim-majority country. She served a full five-year term (2008–2013).

Hina Rabbani Khar became Pakistan's youngest and first female Foreign Minister in July 2011, aged 34. A PPP member representing Dera Ghazi Khan, she served until March 2013. She later served as Minister of State for Foreign Affairs in the coalition government (2022).

Pakistan has two landmark "firsts" in law and global recognition. Malala Yousafzai won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014 — the youngest Nobel laureate ever — for her advocacy for girls' education after surviving a Taliban assassination attempt. Justice Ayesha Malik was sworn in as Pakistan's first female Supreme Court judge in January 2022.

Pakistan has produced remarkable female firsts in military and sports as well. Ayesha Farooq became the first female war-ready fighter pilot of the Pakistan Air Force. Shahida Raza was the first Pakistani woman to compete at the Olympics, representing the country in Taekwondo at the 2000 Sydney Games.

Iran was the first country in the world to formally recognise Pakistan after independence in August 1947, a fact that reflects the deep historical and cultural ties between the two Muslim nations. Consequently, Pakistan's very first embassy abroad was established in Tehran, Iran. Iran and Pakistan share a long border and strong fraternal relationship dating to ancient times.

Pakistan joined the United Nations in September 1947, just weeks after independence. Sir Muhammad Zafarullah Khan played the most distinguished international role of any early Pakistani diplomat — he argued Pakistan's case at the UN Security Council over Kashmir and later became the first Pakistani to preside over the UN General Assembly (1962). Muhammad Ali Bogra, Pakistan's first ambassador to the USA, later became Prime Minister.

The Objectives Resolution of March 1949 was Pakistan's first major constitutional document — it declared sovereignty of Allah and outlined the principles of an Islamic democratic state. It still forms the Preamble of the 1973 Constitution. The first full constitution came in 1956, declaring Pakistan an "Islamic Republic." It was abrogated just two years later when Ayub Khan imposed martial law.

Pakistan's first martial law came in 1958 — just 11 years after independence. Iskander Mirza and Ayub Khan jointly proclaimed it, but Ayub quickly sidelined Mirza and became sole ruler. Pakistan had to wait until 1970 for its first general elections based on adult franchise (one person, one vote). Those elections produced a historic result — the Awami League swept East Pakistan — that ultimately led to the 1971 crisis and the creation of Bangladesh.

On 28 May 1998, Pakistan conducted five simultaneous underground nuclear tests at Ras Koh Hills in the Chagai district of Balochistan — codenamed Chagai-I. Two more tests followed on 30 May (Chagai-II). Pakistan became the 7th nuclear-armed state in the world and, critically, the first Muslim-majority country to possess nuclear weapons. The tests were a response to India's Pokhran-II tests of May 1998. Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan (A.Q. Khan) is credited as the "Father of the Islamic Bomb."

Pakistan has developed notable indigenous defence capabilities. The Hatf series of ballistic missiles (started 1989) marked Pakistan's first steps in domestic missile development. The JF-17 Thunder, a joint Pakistan-China project, is Pakistan's first (and only) domestically developed and partly manufactured combat aircraft — inducted into the PAF in 2007 and now the backbone of Pakistan's air force.

Dr. Abdus Salam was the first Pakistani to win a Nobel Prize — awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1979 alongside Sheldon Glashow and Steven Weinberg for their work on the electroweak unification theory (explaining that electromagnetism and the weak nuclear force are aspects of a single force). Despite his achievement, his legacy in Pakistan was complicated by his Ahmadiyya faith, which was declared non-Muslim in the 1973 Constitution. He founded the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) in Trieste, Italy.

Pakistan has notable firsts in broadcasting and space. Radio Pakistan broadcast on the very first day of independence (14 August 1947) — before the government was even fully formed. Pakistan Television (PTV) launched in 1964 from Lahore. Pakistan's first satellite, Badr-1, was launched in 1990 — making Pakistan the first Muslim country and third developing country to develop and launch a satellite.

Pakistan won its first Olympic gold medal in field hockey at the 1960 Rome Olympics — the beginning of a golden dynasty. Pakistan went on to win three consecutive Olympic gold medals (1960, 1968, 1976) and four Hockey World Cup titles (1971, 1978, 1982, 1994). Field hockey is Pakistan's national sport and the era 1960–1984 is considered Pakistan's "Golden Age" of hockey. Pakistan's first individual Olympic medal was a bronze in boxing at Seoul 1988 by Husain Shah.

Pakistan won the Cricket World Cup in 1992 under Imran Khan — its only World Cup title. Pakistan also dominated world squash for decades: Hashim Khan won the British Open Squash Championship in 1951 (the sport's most prestigious title at the time), launching a dynasty that included Jahangir Khan (world champion for a record 555 weeks unbeaten, 1981–1986) and Jansher Khan (8 World Open titles).

Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy became the first Pakistani to win an Academy Award (Oscar) — winning Best Documentary Short Subject for "Saving Face" (2012), a film about acid attack survivors. She won a second Oscar in 2016 for "A Girl in the River" — making her the first person to win two Academy Awards for Pakistan. The very first Pakistani feature film was "Teri Yaad" (1948), released just one year after independence.

Dawn is Pakistan's oldest and most influential English-language newspaper. It was founded by Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah in Delhi in 1941 as a mouthpiece for the Muslim League — and naturally became Pakistan's first major newspaper at independence. Pakistan's first Urdu national newspaper was Jang, also established pre-independence. Both continue to be published today.

The State Bank of Pakistan was inaugurated by Quaid-e-Azam himself on 1 July 1948 — one of his last major public acts before his death in September. Pakistan's first federal budget was presented in 1947 by Finance Minister Ghulam Muhammad. Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), established in 1955 from Orient Airways, operated Pakistan's first international route to London that year.

Pakistan's capital has moved twice. Karachi served as the original capital (1947–1958). Islamabad was purpose-built as a new capital by Greek planner Konstantinos Doxiadis and officially became the capital in 1966. The Warsak Dam (1960) was the first major dam built in independent Pakistan. KANUPP (Karachi Nuclear Power Plant), commissioned in 1972, was the first nuclear power plant in Pakistan and in the entire Muslim world.