The Monarchy of Pakistan (the Pakistani monarchy) was the system of government in which a hereditary monarch was the sovereign of the Dominion of Pakistan from 1947 to 1956. Pakistan shared the Sovereign with the other Commonwealth realms. The monarch's constitutional roles were mostly delegated to the Governor-General of Pakistan. The royal succession was governed by the English Act of Settlement of 1701.
The monarchy was abolished in 23 March 1956, when Pakistan became a republic within the Commonwealth. Pakistan left the Commonwealth in 1972 over the issue of the former East Pakistan province becoming independent but rejoined in 1989, then suspended from the Commonwealth twice: first 18 October 1999 to 22 May 2004 and 22 November 2007 to 22 May 2008.
History
The Monarchy of Pakistan was created by the Indian Independence Act 1947 which divided British India into the independent sovereign constitutional monarchies of India and Pakistan. Before 1947, Pakistan was part of the non-independent British India in right of which the Monarch of the United Kingdom was styled Emperor of India. Pakistan adopted a new constitution in 1956 which abolished the monarchy.
List of monarchs
Titles
Visits
The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh visited Pakistan, after the abolition of its monarchy, in 1961 and 1997.
See also
- President of Pakistan
- Governor-General of Pakistan