{{Short description|Head of a military government}} {{morefootnotes|date=September 2024}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2024}} The office of the '''chief martial law administrator''' (CMLA) was a senior and authoritative post created in countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh and Indonesia that gave considerable executive authority and powers to the holder of the post to enforce martial law in the country in events to ensure the continuity of government. This office has been used mostly by military officers staging a ''coup d'état''. On some occasions, the office has been under a civilian head of state.
==Pakistan== {{Redirect-distinguish|Chief Executive of Pakistan|Prime Minister of Pakistan}} Some famous holders of this post in Pakistan include: {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" ! rowspan="2" |{{Abbr|No.|Number}} ! rowspan="2" |Portrait ! rowspan="2" |Name <small>(birth–death)</small> ! colspan="4" |Term of office |- !Took office !Left office |'''Note(s)''' !Time in office |- !1 |alt=A black and white portrait of Ayub Khan|166x166px |'''Ayub Khan'''<br />{{small|(1907–1974)}} |7 October 1958 |8 June 1962 |Field Marshal Ayub Khan held the post under President Iskandar Ali Mirza. |{{ayd|1958|10|07|1962|06|08}} |- !2 |112x112px |'''Yahya Khan'''<br />{{small|(1917–1980)}} |25 March 1969 |20 December 1971 |General Yahya Khan held the post simultaneously as the President of Pakistan. |{{ayd|1969|03|25|1971|12|20}} |- !3 |144x144px |'''Zulfikar Ali Bhutto'''<br />{{small|(1928– 1979)}} |20 December 1971 |14 August 1973 |Zulfikar Ali Bhutto became the first civilian to hold this post in Pakistan after the secession of East Pakistan. |{{ayd|1971|12|20|1973|08|14}} |- !4 |123x123px |'''Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq'''<br />{{small|(1924–1988)}} |16 September 1978 |17 August 1988 |General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq held this office under President Fazal Ilahi Chaudhry after overthrowing Prime Minister Bhutto. |{{ayd|1978|04|16|1988|08|17}} |- !5 |alt=A portrait of Pervez Musharraf|150x150px |'''Pervez Musharraf'''<br />{{small|(1943–2023)}} |12 October 1999 |21 November 2002 |General Pervez Musharraf held this office under President Muhammad Rafiq Tarar, although it was styled as "Chief Executive of Pakistan"<ref>{{cite news |date=23 May 2014 |title=A coup in Thailand |newspaper=Dawn |type=Editorial |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1108030/a-coup-in-thailand |access-date=23 May 2014}}</ref> |{{ayd|1999|10|12|2002|11|21}} |}
==Bangladesh== Some famous holders of this post in Bangladesh include: {{table alignment}} {| class="wikitable sortable col1center" |+ ! rowspan="2" class="unsortable"|{{Abbr|No.|Number}} ! class="unsortable" rowspan="2" |Portrait ! rowspan="2" |Name <small>(birth–death)</small> ! colspan="3" |Term of office ! rowspan="2" class="unsortable" |Notes |- !Took office !Left office !Time in office |- |1 | |'''Khaled Mosharraf'''<br>{{small|(1937–1975)}} |{{Date table sorting|1975|11|3|format=dmy}} |{{Date table sorting|1975|11|6|format=dmy}} |{{Age in years and days nts|3 November 2025|7 November 2025}} |Held this post in 1975 for four days after a bloodless coup only to be killed in a counter coup resulting from a popular uprising led by JSD leader retired Lt. Col. Abu Taher<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Bari |first=Md Ershadul |date=1985-01-01 |title=Martial Law in Bangladesh 1975-1979: A Legal Analysis. |url=https://soas-repository.worktribe.com/output/388252/martial-law-in-bangladesh-1975-1979-a-legal-analysis |language=en |doi=10.25501/SOAS.00033751}}</ref> |- |2 | |'''Abu Sadat Mohammad Sayem'''<br>{{small|(1916–1997)}} |{{Date table sorting|1975|11|6|format=dmy}} |{{Date table sorting|1976|11|29|format=dmy}} |{{Age in years and days nts|6 November 1975|29 November 1976}} |Held this post after Mosharraf's death while serving as the fifth president of Bangladesh.<ref name=":0" /> |- |3 |alt=|133x133px |'''Ziaur Rahman'''<br>{{small|(1936–1981)}} |{{Date table sorting|1976|11|29|format=dmy}} |{{Date table sorting|1979|04|06|format=dmy}} |{{Age in years and days nts|29 November 1976|6 April 1979}} |Succeeded to this post during Sayem's presidency until the withdrawal of martial law a year after being elected as president.<ref name=":0" /> |- |4 |alt=|136x136px |'''Hussain Muhammad Ershad'''<br>{{small|(1930–2019)}} |{{Date table sorting|1982|03|24|format=dmy}} |{{Date table sorting|1986|11|11|format=dmy}} |{{Age in years and days nts|24 March 1982|11 November 1986}} |Held this post after a bloodless coup overthrowing Abdus Sattar until withdrawal of martial law in 1986.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1986-11-11 |title=Martial Law Ends in Bangladesh |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1986/11/11/martial-law-ends-in-bangladesh/2be0301b-5fc2-4e63-93d8-ff368b939a3b/ |access-date=2025-09-19 |work=The Washington Post |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286}}</ref> |}
==Indonesia== In Indonesia, this post was briefly held by army chief Suharto, who seized power in 1966 and forced President Sukarno to resign in 1967. Sukarno had also enforced martial law during his tenure as President of Indonesia.
==See also== * Military coup * Military regime * Martial law * Military government * Military occupation * Military coups in Bangladesh * Military coups in Pakistan * Coups d'état in Sudan * Military coups in Nigeria * Military coups in Argentina
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{cite journal |last=Sayeed |first=Khalid B. |date=May 1959 |title=Martial Law Administration in Pakistan |journal=Far Eastern Survey |publisher=Institute of Pacific Relations |volume=28 |issue=5 |pages=72–79 |jstor=3024211 |doi=10.2307/3024211 }} * [http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+bd0004) Bangladesh (1975-77)] * [http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+bd0114) Martial law in Bangladesh]
Category:Heads of government Category:Government of Bangladesh Category:Presidents of Bangladesh Category:Political terminology in Pakistan Category:Military terminology of Pakistan Category:Continuity of government in Pakistan Category:Pakistani military appointments