Gustav Husak vs Iskander Mirza

Husak was appointed First Secretary after the Soviet-led invasion crushed the Prague Spring. He replaced Alexander Dubcek and began a period of 'Normalization' to reverse the reforms and restore hardline communist rule.

Husak's regime purged reformists from the Communist Party, reinstated censorship, and centralized the economy. Hundreds of thousands of people were expelled from the party or lost their jobs. The policy aimed to eliminate any traces of the Prague Spring.

A group of dissidents, including Vaclav Havel, issued Charter 77, a document criticizing the Husak government for human rights abuses. The regime responded with harassment and arrests of the signatories, but the charter became a symbol of opposition.

Facing economic stagnation and pressure from Gorbachev's reforms, Husak resigned as party leader. He remained as president until the Velvet Revolution in 1989, when he resigned from that post as well.

Iskander Mirza became the first President of Pakistan on March 23, 1956, when the country adopted its first constitution. He had previously served as the last Governor-General. His presidency was marked by political instability and factional infighting.

On October 7, 1958, Iskander Mirza abrogated the constitution, dissolved the government, and imposed martial law, appointing General Ayub Khan as Chief Martial Law Administrator. This ended Pakistan's first parliamentary experiment.

Within weeks of imposing martial law, Iskander Mirza was forced into exile by Ayub Khan on October 27, 1958. Ayub Khan took over as President, and Mirza lived the rest of his life in London, never returning to Pakistan.