Fatima Mazhar is a 9th-semester law student at the International Islamic University, Islamabad. She is currently serving as the chairperson of the Law Students Council, Pakistan.

Mohammad Ayub Khan, born in a small town in Hazara, Pakistan, made a significant impact on the nation’s history. He studied at Aligarh Muslim University in Uttar Pradesh and later at the British Royal Military College at Sandhurst, where he was commissioned as an officer in the Indian Army in 1928. He served in World War II as the second-in-command of a regiment in Myanmar and later commanded a battalion in India. After the partition in 1947, Ayub Khan swiftly rose in rank—from major general in 1948 to commander-in-chief of the newly formed Pakistan Army in 1951.

Following the assassination of the first prime minister of Pakistan, Liaqat Ali Khan, in 1951, Iskandar Mirza assumed the presidency. At this time, the state, having only four years of history, faced political turmoil and unrest. Upon assuming the presidency, Iskander Mirza abrogated the 1952 constitution and appointed Ayub Khan as the chief martial law administrator. This move empowered Ayub Khan, and within months, he unexpectedly assumed the presidency and exiled Iskander Mirza to England. This marked the beginning of the eleven-year-long Ayub Khan Era, the effects of which are evident even today.

Ayub Khan held the office of president from 1958 to 1969. This period is also known as the era of modernization, as the Ayub Khan administration introduced policies to restore the nation’s economy. The Ayub Khan administration introduced a system of “basic democracy” in 1960. Under this system, primary governing units were set up in different areas of the country, responsible for local affairs. These governing units were also tasked with acting as a bridge between the government and the people, aiming to connect the administration to the grassroots level. Constituencies of up to 1,000 people voted for the........

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