Timeline: 1857 to today
The main events in the making of Pakistan and its history since independence, grouped by era.
The main events in the making of Pakistan and its history since independence, grouped by era.
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87 of 87 events
10 May 1857
A revolt by Indian soldiers at Meerut spread across northern India. After it was crushed, the last Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar, was exiled to Rangoon (1858), ending Mughal rule. The British blamed Muslims most, and Muslims suffered heavily in the aftermath.
1 November 1858
The Government of India Act 1858 ended East India Company rule; Queen Victoria's proclamation placed India under the British Crown, governed by a Viceroy.
1867
Hindus in Banaras demanded Hindi in Devanagari script in place of Urdu in courts and offices. Sir Syed Ahmad Khan concluded that Hindus and Muslims could not work together as one nation, an early form of the Two-Nation Theory.
24 May 1875
Sir Syed founded the Madrasatul Uloom at Aligarh, which became the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental (MAO) College in 1877 and Aligarh Muslim University in 1920. Its graduates led Muslim politics for decades (the Aligarh Movement).
28 December 1885
Founded in Bombay by A. O. Hume, a retired British civil servant. Sir Syed advised Muslims to stay away from it, believing it would serve the Hindu majority.
1886
Sir Syed founded the conference to spread modern education among Muslims. Its 1906 session at Dhaka became the occasion for founding the All-India Muslim League.
16 October 1905
Viceroy Lord Curzon divided Bengal, creating the Muslim-majority province of Eastern Bengal and Assam with Dhaka as its capital. Muslims welcomed it, but Hindus launched a strong protest movement (Swadeshi).
1 October 1906
A delegation of 35 Muslim leaders led by Sir Aga Khan III met Viceroy Lord Minto at Simla and asked for separate electorates and weightage for Muslims. Minto gave a sympathetic reply.
30 December 1906
Founded at Dhaka at the session of the Muhammadan Educational Conference, on a resolution moved by Nawab Salimullah Khan; Nawab Viqar-ul-Mulk presided. Sir Aga Khan III became its first president.
1909
The Indian Councils Act 1909 expanded the legislative councils and, for the first time, granted Muslims separate electorates, a major success for the Muslim League.
12 December 1911
King George V announced at the Delhi Durbar that the partition of Bengal was cancelled and the capital would move from Calcutta to Delhi. Muslims felt betrayed by the British.
1913
Jinnah joined the Muslim League while remaining a member of Congress, working to bring the two parties together.
December 1916
The Congress and the League agreed on joint demands for self-government; Congress accepted separate electorates for Muslims. It was the high point of Hindu–Muslim unity.
13 April 1919
The Rowlatt Act allowed detention without trial. At Jallianwala Bagh, Amritsar, General Dyer's troops fired on an unarmed crowd, killing hundreds. The Government of India Act 1919 (Montagu–Chelmsford Reforms) introduced 'dyarchy' in the provinces.
1919–1924
Indian Muslims, led by the Ali brothers, campaigned to protect the Ottoman Caliphate after World War I and joined Gandhi's Non-Cooperation Movement. The 1920 Hijrat Movement saw thousands migrate to Afghanistan. It ended when Turkey abolished the Caliphate in March 1924.
February 1922
After a mob burned a police station at Chauri Chaura, killing policemen, Gandhi suddenly called off the Non-Cooperation Movement, disappointing Khilafat leaders.
November 1927
A British commission to review India's constitution, with no Indian members. It was boycotted by Congress and part of the League ('Simon, go back').
August 1928
Congress's proposed constitution, prepared by Motilal Nehru, rejected separate electorates and weightage for Muslims. Jinnah called it 'the parting of the ways'.
28 March 1929
Jinnah's reply to the Nehru Report set out minimum Muslim demands, including a federal system with residuary powers to provinces, separate electorates, one-third Muslim seats in the central legislature and Sindh's separation from Bombay.
1930–1932
Three conferences in London discussed India's future constitution. Muslim delegates included the Aga Khan, Jinnah, Iqbal and Maulana Muhammad Ali Jauhar, who died in London during the first conference.
29 December 1930
In his presidential address to the Muslim League session at Allahabad, Allama Iqbal proposed a consolidated Muslim state in north-western India (Punjab, NWFP, Sindh and Balochistan).
16 August 1932
British Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald announced separate electorates for Muslims and other minorities in the provincial legislatures.
28 January 1933
Chaudhry Rahmat Ali, a student at Cambridge, coined the name 'Pakstan' (later Pakistan) for the Muslim homeland, from Punjab, Afghania (NWFP), Kashmir, Sindh and Balochistan.
1935
Gave provinces autonomy with elected ministries and proposed an all-India federation (never formed). After 1947 it served, with changes, as Pakistan's interim constitution.
1937–1939
Congress formed governments in most provinces; the League did poorly. Muslim complaints about Congress rule (recorded in the Pirpur and Shareef reports) pushed many Muslims towards the League.
22 December 1939
When the Congress ministries resigned over India's involvement in World War II, Jinnah asked Muslims to celebrate a 'Day of Deliverance' from Congress rule.
23 March 1940
At the League's session at Minto Park, Lahore, A. K. Fazlul Huq moved the resolution demanding independent states for the Muslim-majority areas in the north-west and east of India. It was adopted on 24 March and soon called the Pakistan Resolution.
1942
Sir Stafford Cripps offered dominion status after the war, with the right of provinces to stay out; both parties rejected it. In August Congress launched the Quit India Movement and its leaders were jailed.
September 1944
Gandhi and Jinnah met in Bombay for nearly three weeks. Gandhi did not accept that Muslims were a separate nation, and the talks failed.
June–July 1945
Viceroy Wavell's conference on an Executive Council failed when Jinnah insisted that the League alone could nominate Muslim members.
1945–1946
The Muslim League won all 30 Muslim seats in the central legislature and most Muslim seats in the provinces, proving it represented Indian Muslims.
16 May 1946
A British mission proposed a united India with a weak centre and groups of provinces. The League accepted it, but withdrew after Nehru's statements suggested Congress would change it.
16 August 1946
The League called a day of protest to press for Pakistan. Communal riots broke out in Calcutta, killing thousands, and violence spread to other areas.
3 June 1947
The last Viceroy, Lord Mountbatten, announced the partition of India. Punjab and Bengal would be divided, Sindh and Balochistan would choose, and referendums would be held in NWFP and Sylhet.
18 July 1947
The British Parliament passed the Act creating two independent dominions, India and Pakistan, from 15 August 1947.
14 August 1947
Pakistan became independent with Quaid-e-Azam as Governor-General, Liaquat Ali Khan as Prime Minister and Karachi as capital. Partition was followed by mass migration and violence, with millions of refugees.
October 1947 – January 1949
Fighting broke out over Kashmir after its Maharaja acceded to India. A UN-arranged ceasefire took effect on 1 January 1949; Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan remained with Pakistan.
21 March 1948
In Dhaka, Jinnah declared that Urdu alone would be the state language of Pakistan, which upset many Bengalis.
11 September 1948
Jinnah died in Karachi, just over a year after independence. Khawaja Nazimuddin became Governor-General.
12 March 1949
The Constituent Assembly adopted Liaquat Ali Khan's resolution declaring that sovereignty belongs to Allah and setting the principles for future constitutions.
16 October 1951
The first Prime Minister was shot at a public meeting in Rawalpindi. Political instability followed, with frequent changes of government.
21 February 1952
Police fired on students in Dhaka demanding that Bengali be a state language. Bengali was recognized alongside Urdu in the 1956 constitution.
24 October 1954
Governor-General Ghulam Muhammad dissolved the first Constituent Assembly. In the Maulvi Tamizuddin case (1955) the Federal Court, under Justice Muhammad Munir, upheld it, a decision later linked to the 'doctrine of necessity'.
14 October 1955
The provinces and states of West Pakistan were merged into a single province, to create parity with East Pakistan. One Unit was dissolved in 1970.
23 March 1956
Pakistan's first constitution came into force and the country became the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, with Iskander Mirza as its first President.
7 October 1958
President Iskander Mirza abrogated the constitution and imposed martial law with General Ayub Khan as Chief Martial Law Administrator. Ayub removed Mirza on 27 October and took over as President.
1959
Ayub introduced a local government system of 80,000 'Basic Democrats', who also formed the electoral college for President.
19 September 1960
Signed with India under World Bank mediation, dividing the six rivers of the Indus basin. Construction of the new capital, Islamabad, began around the same time.
1 March 1962
Ayub's constitution introduced a presidential system with an indirectly elected President.
2 January 1965
Fatima Jinnah, the joint opposition candidate, challenged Ayub Khan. Ayub won through the Basic Democrats' votes, amid claims of rigging.
6 September 1965
India attacked across the international border towards Lahore and Sialkot. A UN ceasefire came on 23 September, followed by the Tashkent Declaration in January 1966.
February 1966
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman of the Awami League presented his Six Points in Lahore, demanding wide autonomy for East Pakistan.
25 March 1969
After mass protests, Ayub Khan resigned and handed power to army chief General Yahya Khan, who imposed martial law.
7 December 1970
The first elections based on adult franchise. The Awami League won 160 of 162 seats in East Pakistan, a national majority; the PPP led in West Pakistan. The transfer of power was delayed.
16 December 1971
After a military crackdown in March 1971, civil war and Indian intervention, Pakistani forces surrendered in Dhaka and East Pakistan became Bangladesh.
20 December 1971
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto became President and Chief Martial Law Administrator, the only civilian to hold that title.
2 July 1972
Bhutto and Indira Gandhi agreed to settle disputes bilaterally; the Line of Control replaced the ceasefire line in Kashmir.
14 August 1973
The present constitution, passed unanimously in April, came into force; Bhutto became Prime Minister.
22–24 February 1974
Pakistan hosted the second OIC summit, attended by leaders such as King Faisal and Colonel Gaddafi. Pakistan recognized Bangladesh during the summit.
7 September 1974
Parliament amended the constitution to define a Muslim and declared Ahmadis non-Muslims.
5 July 1977
After disputed elections and months of protests by the Pakistan National Alliance, army chief General Zia-ul-Haq removed Bhutto and imposed martial law.
1979
Bhutto was hanged on 4 April 1979 after a disputed trial. Zia introduced the Hudood Ordinances. In December the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, and Pakistan became a front-line state, hosting millions of refugees.
1985
After a 1984 referendum, Zia held non-party elections; Muhammad Khan Junejo became Prime Minister. The Eighth Amendment gave the President power to dissolve the National Assembly (Article 58(2)(b)). Martial law ended on 30 December 1985.
17 August 1988
Zia's C-130 crashed near Bahawalpur, killing him, senior officers and the US ambassador. Earlier that year, the Ojhri Camp explosion (April) and Junejo's dismissal (May) had shaken the country.
2 December 1988
After the November elections, Benazir Bhutto became the first woman to lead a Muslim-majority country. She was dismissed in 1990 under Article 58(2)(b).
November 1990
Nawaz Sharif became Prime Minister and began economic liberalization. He was dismissed in 1993, restored by the Supreme Court, then resigned along with the President under an army-brokered deal.
25 March 1992
Pakistan, captained by Imran Khan, beat England in the final at Melbourne to win its first Cricket World Cup.
October 1993
Benazir Bhutto returned as Prime Minister. President Farooq Leghari, from her own party, dismissed her government in November 1996.
February 1997
With a large majority, Nawaz Sharif removed the President's power to dissolve the Assembly (Thirteenth Amendment) and added an anti-defection clause (Fourteenth Amendment).
28 May 1998
In response to India's tests, Pakistan conducted nuclear tests in the Chagai Hills, Balochistan, becoming the first Muslim nuclear power.
1999
After the Kargil conflict (May–July), tension grew between Nawaz Sharif and army chief General Pervez Musharraf. On 12 October 1999 Musharraf removed the government and became Chief Executive.
September 2001
After the 9/11 attacks, Musharraf allied Pakistan with the USA against the Taliban and al-Qaeda. Musharraf had made himself President in June 2001.
8 October 2005
A magnitude 7.6 earthquake centred near Muzaffarabad killed more than 73,000 people in Pakistan and left millions homeless.
2007
The lawyers' movement began after Musharraf suspended Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry in March. Musharraf declared an emergency on 3 November. Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in Rawalpindi on 27 December 2007.
18 August 2008
The PPP won the February 2008 elections. Facing impeachment, Musharraf resigned, and Asif Ali Zardari became President in September.
April 2010
The Eighteenth Amendment restored parliamentary democracy and gave provinces more powers; NWFP was renamed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Massive floods that summer affected about 20 million people.
May 2013
For the first time, an elected government completed its term and handed power to another elected government; Nawaz Sharif became Prime Minister for a third time.
16 December 2014
Taliban gunmen killed more than 140 people, most of them schoolchildren, in Peshawar. The National Action Plan against terrorism followed, alongside Operation Zarb-e-Azb (launched June 2014).
20 April 2015
During Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit, agreements worth about US$46 billion were signed for the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor, linking Gwadar to Xinjiang.
28 July 2017
In the Panama Papers case, the Supreme Court disqualified Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif; Shahid Khaqan Abbasi replaced him.
2018
The Twenty-fifth Amendment merged the Federally Administered Tribal Areas into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (May). PTI won the July elections and Imran Khan became Prime Minister in August.
27 February 2019
After Indian air strikes at Balakot, the PAF shot down Indian aircraft and captured the pilot Abhinandan Varthaman, who was returned to India as a peace gesture.
10 April 2022
Imran Khan became the first Prime Minister removed through a no-confidence vote; Shehbaz Sharif replaced him. Monsoon floods that summer affected about 33 million people.
2023
Pakistan's seventh census, its first digital one, counted about 241.5 million people. The year also saw the 9 May riots after Imran Khan's arrest.
2024
After the February elections, Shehbaz Sharif became Prime Minister and Asif Ali Zardari President again; Maryam Nawaz became the first woman Chief Minister of any province. In October the Twenty-sixth Amendment changed how the Chief Justice is appointed and created constitutional benches.
10 May 2025
After the Pahalgam attack in April, India struck targets in Pakistan on 7 May. Pakistan responded with Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos; a ceasefire was agreed on 10 May. Army chief Asim Munir was promoted to Field Marshal.
November 2025
Parliament created a Federal Constitutional Court for constitutional cases and the post of Chief of Defence Forces, held by the army chief.