What is One Unit Scheme?
'''One-Unit''' was the title of a scheme launched by the federal [[government of Pakistan]] to merge the four [[Former subdivisions of Pakistan|provinces]] of [[West Pakistan]] into a singular unit, as a counterbalance against the numerical domination of the ethnic Bengalis of [[Bangladesh#History|East Pakistan]] (now [[Bangladesh]]). The One Unit scheme was announced by [[Prime Minister of Pakistan|Prime Minister]] [[Muhammad Ali Bogra]] on 22 November 1954. On 5 October 1955 Iskander Mirza (Acting Governor General of Pakistan) passed an order unifying all of West Pakistan in what became known as the 'One Unit Scheme'. ==History== The province of [[West Pakistan]] was created on 30 October 1955 by the merger of the provinces, states and [[Federally Administered Tribal Areas|Tribal Area]]s of the western wing. The province was composed of twelve [[Division (military)|division]]s and the provincial capital was established at [[Lahore]]. The province of [[Bangladesh#History|East Bengal]], (now [[Bangladesh]]) was renamed East Pakistan with the provincial capital at [[Dacca]]. The federal government moved the country's capital in 1959 from [[Karachi]] to [[Rawalpindi]] (serving as provisional capital until [[Islamabad]] was finished), whilst the federal legislature moved to [[Dacca]]. [[West Pakistan]] formed a single and united political entity but with marked linguistic and ethnic distinctions. The One Unit policy was regarded as an administrative reform that would reduce expenses and help eliminate ethnic and narrow-sighted prejudices. People hated this as they felt stripped of their identity, and with the military coup of 1958, trouble loomed for the province when the office of [[Chief Minister]] was abolished on July 1, 1970 by President [[General officer|General]] [[Agha Muhammad Yahya Khan]]. [[Category:Politics of Pakistan]]