The Premier of the Punjab was the head of government and the Leader of the House in the Legislative Assembly of Punjab Province in British India. The position was dissolved upon the Partition of India in 1947.

History The office was created under the Government of India Act 1935. The Unionist Party was the principal legislative force in the province. It received support from legislators of the Punjab Muslim League, the Indian National Congress and the Sikh Akali Dal at various periods. The Unionist government implemented agrarian reforms in Punjab by using legal and administrative measures to relieve farmers and peasants of crippling debt. Similar steps were taken by the Prime Minister of Bengal. The Unionists opposed the Quit India movement and supported the Allies during World War II.Ahmad, Syed Nesar (1991). Origins of Muslim Consciousness in India: a world-system perspective. Greenwood Press. p. 179. . The Unionists were constitutionalists who favored cooperation with the British to achieve independence from the Raj.

The Unionists signed the Lucknow Pact with the All India Muslim League (AIML) in 1937.Stanley Wolpert, Jinnah of Pakistan, Karachi: Oxford University Press, 1999, pp. 150–151. The Punjab premier supported the drafting of the Lahore Resolution in 1940. In 1941, the premiers of Punjab and Bengal joined the Viceroy's defence council against the wishes of the AIML. The second Punjab premier joined the Paris Peace Conference in 1946.

Premiers of the Punjab (1937-1947) No Name Birth - Death Image Took office Left office Term Party Election (Assembly) Appointed by1 Sir Sikandar Hayat Khan 5 June 1892 – 26 December 1942 5 April 1937 26 December 1942 Unionist Party 1937 (1) Sir Herbert Emerson 2 Sir Malik Khizar Hayat Tiwana 7 August 1900 – 20 January 1972 30 December 1942 5 February 1946 - (1) Sir Bertrand Glancy (i) Governor Rule (Sir Bertrand Glancy) 5 February 1946 21 March 1946 - - Viscount Wavell (2) Sir Malik Khizar Hayat Tiwana 7 August 1900 – 20 January 1972 21 March 1946 2 March 1947 Unionist Party 1946 (2) Sir Bertrand Glancy (ii) Governor Rule (Sir Evan Jenkins) 2 March 1947 15 August 1947 - - Earl Mountbatten

Legacy The office was succeeded by the Chief Minister of Punjab (Pakistan) and Chief Minister of Punjab (India).

See also Legislatures of British India

References