West Pakistan covered the historical period of modern State of Pakistan when it was established by the One-unit program as an exclave province.
After gaining independence from British colonialism in 1947, the State of Pakistan was physically separated in two exclave parts, with the western and eastern wings physically separated from each other by the Republic of India. The western wing of Pakistan comprised three Governor’s provinces (North-West Frontier, West-Punjab and Sindh Province), one Chief Commissioner’s province (Baluchistan Province), and the Baluchistan States Union with several other independent princely states (notably Bahawalpur, Chitral, Dir, Hunza, Khairpur and Swat), the Federal Capital Territory (around Karachi), and the tribal areas. The eastern wing of the new country – East Pakistan – formed the single province of East Bengal (including the former Assam district of Sylhet).
West Pakistan adopted the stance that West Pakistan was the true Pakistan, with East Pakistan as a provincial dominion.[citation needed] The western wing was politically dominant; despite having over half of the population, East Pakistan had a disproportionately small number of seats in the Constituent Assembly. This inequality of the two wings and the geographical distance between them were believed to be delaying the adoption of a new constitution. To diminish the differences between the two regions, the government decided to reorganise the country into two distinct provinces under the One Unit policy announced by Prime Minister Chaudhry Muhammad Ali on 22 November 1954.
During most of the Cold War, Pakistan was a close ally of the United States, having an influential membership in the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) and the Central Treaty Organization (CENTO). Geographically divided into two wings, the western contingent, claiming the exclusive mandate for all of Pakistan, considered itself to be the reorganised continuation of the country in the United Nations. President Field Marshal Ayub Khan, who remained in office from 1958 until 1969, worked for a full alignment with the West rather than neutrality. He not only secured membership in SEATO but was also a proponent of agreements that developed CENTO.
West Pakistan emerged as one of South Asia’s largest economies and military powers. West Pakistan’s economy boomed and at its highest peak it was called the “West Germany of East.” Its economic progress was only limited to the western side, and the majority of promised funds for East Pakistan were never issued.
In 1970, a series of reforms – territorial, constitutional and military – were brought up by President General Yahya Khan. The provincial assemblies, state parliament, and current provisional borders of Pakistan’s four provinces gained their current status. On 1 July 1970, West Pakistan was devolved and renamed as “Pakistan” under an executive order (see LFO Order No. 1970), which dissolved the “One Unit” and removed the term “West”, simply establishing the country as “Pakistan”. The order had no effect on East Pakistan, which retained the geographical position established in 1955. The next year’s civil war, however, result in the secession of East Pakistan as the new country of Bangladesh.
july 1,1970 – General Yahya Khan abolishes One-Unit of West Pakistan