Mohammad Ayub Khan, (born May 14, 1907, Hazāra, India—died April 19, 1974, near Islāmābād, Pak.), president of Pakistan from 1958 to 1969, whose rule marked a critical period in the modern development of his nation.
After studying at Alīgarh Muslim University, in Uttar Pradesh, India, and at the British Royal Military College, at Sandhurst, Ayub Khan was commissioned an officer in the Indian army (1928). In World War II he was second-in-command of a regiment in Burma (Myanmar) and commanded a battalion in India. After the 1947 partition of British India he was rapidly promoted in the army of the new Muslim state of Pakistan: from major general (1948) to commander in chief (1951). In addition, Ayub became minister of defense (1954) for a brief period.
After several years of political turmoil in Pakistan, in 1958 President Iskander Mirza, with army support, abrogated the constitution and appointed Ayub as chief martial law administrator. Soon after, Ayub had himself declared president, and Mirza was exiled. Ayub reorganized the administration and acted to restore the economy through agrarian reforms and stimulation of industry. Foreign investment was also encouraged.
Ayub introduced the system of “basic democracies” in 1960. It consisted of a network of local self-governing bodies to provide a link between the government and the people. Primary governing units were set up to conduct local affairs; their members were elected by constituencies of 800–1,000 adults. A national referendum among all those elected confirmed Ayub as president. He was reelected under this system in 1965, against a strong challenge from an opposition united behind Fatima Jinnah, the sister of Mohammed Ali Jinnah, the creator of Pakistan.
When the United States began to rearm India after China’s invasion of northern India in 1962, Ayub established close relations with China and received substantial military aid from it. In the meantime, Pakistan’s dispute with India over Jammu and Kashmir worsened, culminating in the outbreak of war in 1965. After two weeks of fighting, both sides agreed to a UN-called cease-fire and came to a boundary settlement.
The failure to gain Kashmir, combined with student unrest over suffrage restrictions so intensified internal turmoil that at the end of 1968 Ayub announced he would not stand for reelection. Riots continued, and he resigned his office on March 26, 1969, to be succeeded by General Yahya Khan, commander in chief of the army.