Mohammad Khan Junejo[a] (18 August 1932 – 18 March 1993) was a Pakistani politician and statesman who served as the tenth Prime Minister of Pakistan from 1985 to 1988 under president Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq.

[2][3][4] His inquiries into the Ojhri Camp Disaster, appointment of Aslam Beg as VCOAS, various Corps Commanders, growing control over senior military promotions, forays into international politics, rejecting Zia appointments in his cabinet, stance against martial law, austerity policies and purported spying on Zia through the civilianized Intelligence Bureau all contributed to the souring in their relation.

He gained public notice when he joined the Ayub administration and subsequently held cabinet portfolio of railways, health, communications and labour from 1963 to 1969.

[7] Despite strong resistance and fierce opposition from President Zia-ul-Haq, Junejo authorized his Foreign Minister Zain Noorani to sign and ratify the Geneva Accords in 1988.

[8][9] On 29 May 1988, Prime Minister Junejo was dismissed by President Zia over charges on incompetence and economic stagflation and immediately called for new general elections.

[22] Junejo was successful in defending his constituency from the Sanghar District and was known to be a religiopolitical missionary of Pir Pagara who had been leading his own political faction in Sindh.

[23] Two days after the promulgation of the RCO (Revival of Constitution 1973 Order) on 2 March 1985, President Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq held a meeting with the Martial Law Administrators (MLAs) to select a prime minister.

[4] President Zia hand-picked and appointed Junejo as prime minister through an invitation to form the civilian government in accordance with the Revival of Constitution Order (RCO).

[27] According to General Khalid Mahmud Arif, Junejo neither expressed happiness or thanked Zia after news of his appointment as prime minister.

[28]: 381  Anwar Zahid, a civil servant posted by Zia as the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister was replaced by Junejo by Captain Usman Ali Isani, which whom he was more comfortable.

[3] Prime Minister Junejo's social policies led to the political independence when he was appointed as the President of Pakistan Muslim League.

[2] The Prime Minister also had an interest in foreign relations, meeting with President Ronald Reagan in 1986,[33]: 383  Rajiv Gandhi at the 1987 SAARC Summit in Kathmandu, and the Emperor of Japan, Hirohito the same year.

The Prime Minister then spent the next two days on the phone with members of the National Assembly identifying issues in proposed tax changes which were causing problems.

[34] When Junejo made the announcement in parliament in June 1987 he added generals to the austerity list, which received widespread media coverage and editorial praise.

[2] Junejo continued to speak publicly about reducing the perks and privileges of senior military officers, at one point threatening to remove their large staff cars and putting them in domestically produced Suzuki mini-cars.

This evoked a response from (Retired) Lt. Gen. Ejaz Azim on the newspaper The Muslim on 28 June 1987, who according to Shuja Nawaz was encouraged by Zia to write an article that defended the senior leadership of the army.

Its eleven-resolution manifesto published on 2 July promised economic reforms for the rural and urban poor, even of Junejo lacked the political base to do so.

Against Zia's wishes Junejo authorized his Foreign Minister Zain Noorani to ratify the Geneva Accords that allowed the Russian retreat from Afghanistan.

[40] Following the massive explosion near the hidden Ojhri camp facility in Rawalpindi Cantonment that resulted in more than 100 lives lost, Prime Minister Junejo announced to call for a parliamentary inquiry to overlook the incident.

[41][42] After ordering an initial inquiry under Gen Imran Ullah Khan he changed his stance over fears of cover up and constituted another committee under Aslam Khattak, Qazi Abdul Majeed Abid, Ibrahim Baloch and Rana Naeem.

[36]: 284 In 1986 he re-asserted civilian control over the Intelligence Bureau (IB), replacing a serving major general, Agha Nek Mohammad with police officer Mian Aslam Hayat.

According to General Arif, the President ordered the head of Signal Corps to confiscate all the recording equipment of the IB following the dismissal of Junejo.

[28]: 384 On 28 May 1988, DG ISPR Brigadier Siddique Salik informed Prime Minister Junejo of President Zia holding the press conference the next day in this regard, terming it "very important."

"[5] Journalist Shaikh Aziz called Junejo a "calm person" who never showed "high ambitions", when he was in communications with Ayub Khan.

"[48]: General Zia's Exit Salman Faruqui, a former civil servant writing in Dawn claimed due to his farming background, Junejo was often able to foresee rough weather and gathering storms and would move accordingly.

"[2] Ian Talbot in Pakistan: A Modern History stated that "Even on apparently trivial matters of protocol, Junejo sought to do everything possible to raise the dignity of the Prime Minister's office.