Firsts of Pakistan
Pakistan's 'firsts' in government, law, the armed forces, science, sport and culture, and the women who broke barriers.
Pakistan's 'firsts' in government, law, the armed forces, science, sport and culture, and the women who broke barriers.
Practice modes
Languages & Literature
Pakistan
World & History
49 of 49 firsts
1882
First university in present-day Pakistan
Founded in 1882; one of the oldest universities in South Asia.
Culture & media1947
First Prime Minister
Served from 1947 until his assassination in Rawalpindi on 16 October 1951.
Government & politics1947
First person to preside over the Constituent Assembly
Chaired the opening session on 10 August 1947 as temporary chairman; he also became Pakistan's first Law Minister. Jinnah was elected the Assembly's President on 11 August.
Government & politics1947
First Foreign Minister
Argued Pakistan's case on Kashmir at the UN; later President of the UN General Assembly (1962) and of the International Court of Justice (1970–73).
Government & politics1947
First Finance Minister
Later became the third Governor-General (1951–55).
Government & politics1947
First stock exchange
Set up in September 1947; merged with the Lahore and Islamabad exchanges in 2016 to form the Pakistan Stock Exchange.
Economy & infrastructure1947
First Governor-General
Took oath on 15 August 1947 and served until his death on 11 September 1948.
Government & politics1948
First Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan
The State Bank was inaugurated by Jinnah on 1 July 1948.
Economy & infrastructure1948
First Nishan-e-Haider
Martyred in the Uri sector of Kashmir on 27 July 1948; Nishan-e-Haider is Pakistan's highest gallantry award.
Armed forces1949
First Chief Justice of Pakistan
First Chief Justice of the Federal Court of Pakistan (1949–54); as Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court he had administered the oath to Jinnah as Governor-General in 1947.
Judiciary & law1951
First Pakistani Commander-in-Chief of the Army
Took over from the last British commander, General Sir Douglas Gracey, in January 1951.
Armed forces1951
First census
Counted about 75 million people in East and West Pakistan together.
Government & politics1951
First British Open squash title
Began Pakistan's long dominance of world squash, later continued by Jahangir Khan and Jansher Khan.
Sports1952
First Test match
Played in October 1952 under captain Abdul Hafeez Kardar; Pakistan won its first Test soon after at Lucknow, led by Fazal Mahmood's bowling.
Sports1954
First official performance of the national anthem
Broadcast on 13 August 1954; lyrics by Hafeez Jalandhari, music by Ahmed Ghulamali Chagla.
Culture & media1955
First national airline
Formed by merging Orient Airways (founded 1946) into a state airline.
Economy & infrastructure1956
First Olympic medal
Pakistan won its first Olympic gold in hockey at Rome in 1960.
Sports1956
First President
Became President under the 1956 constitution; he abrogated it in 1958 and was removed by Ayub Khan weeks later.
Government & politics1956
First constitution
Came into force on 23 March 1956, making Pakistan the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
Government & politics1958
First Chief Martial Law Administrator
Appointed by President Iskander Mirza on 7 October 1958.
Armed forces1959
First Field Marshal
Promoted himself to Field Marshal in 1959; General Asim Munir became the second in 2025.
Armed forces1960
First individual Olympic medal
Won at the Rome Olympics.
Sports1962
First Pakistani President of the UN General Assembly
Presided over the 17th session of the UN General Assembly.
Government & politics1962
First rocket launch
Launched from Sonmiani on 7 June 1962, making Pakistan one of the first countries in Asia to launch a rocket into space.
Science & space1964
First television station
Began broadcasting on 26 November 1964.
Culture & media1970
First general elections on adult franchise
Held on 7 December 1970 under Yahya Khan; the Awami League won a majority.
Government & politics1972
First nuclear power plant
Built with Canadian help; inaugurated in November 1972.
Science & space1973
First woman Governor
Governor of Sindh, 1973–76; founder of APWA.
Women1977
First Pakistani to climb K2
Summited with a Japanese expedition in August 1977.
Sports1979
First Pakistani Nobel laureate
Physics, for the electroweak theory.
Science & space1988
First woman Prime Minister
Also the first woman to lead a Muslim-majority country; she served two terms (1988–90 and 1993–96).
Women1990
First satellite
Launched from China on 16 July 1990.
Science & space1992
First Cricket World Cup win
Beat England in the final at Melbourne on 25 March 1992.
Sports1997
First motorway
Opened in November 1997; it was the first motorway in South Asia.
Economy & infrastructure1998
First nuclear tests
Conducted on 28 May 1998 in the Ras Koh hills of Chagai, Balochistan.
Science & space2000
First Pakistani to climb Mount Everest
Reached the summit on 17 May 2000.
Sports2008
First woman Speaker of the National Assembly
Also the first woman Speaker in the Muslim world.
Women2012
First Pakistani Oscar winner
Won for the documentary Saving Face (2012) and again for A Girl in the River (2016).
Culture & media2013
First Pakistani woman to climb Mount Everest
From Hunza; she later also climbed K2 (2022).
Women2013
First woman combat fighter pilot
Became the first woman in the PAF qualified to fly fighter jets in combat.
Women2013
First metro bus
Opened in February 2013 on Ferozepur Road.
Economy & infrastructure2020
First woman Lieutenant General
An army doctor; became Surgeon General of the Pakistan Army.
Women2020
First metro train
Began operating in October 2020, built under CPEC.
Economy & infrastructure2022
First woman judge of the Supreme Court
Sworn in on 24 January 2022.
Judiciary & law2022
First Prime Minister removed by a no-confidence vote
Voted out by the National Assembly on 10 April 2022.
Government & politics2024
First individual Olympic gold
Won at the Paris Olympics with an Olympic record throw of 92.97 m.
Sports2024
First lunar mission
A small satellite built by the Institute of Space Technology, carried to lunar orbit by China's Chang'e-6 mission in May 2024.
Science & space2024
First woman Chief Minister
Became Chief Minister of Punjab in February 2024.
Women2024
First woman Chief Justice of a High Court
Became Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court in July 2024.
Judiciary & law