Ayub’s performance in Sandhust was exemplary and he won several scholarships. After the completion of training, he got commissioned in the Indian army in 1928. He fought at different fronts during the Second World War, first as a Major and then Colonel. During the communal riots of 1947, he was assigned to assist Gen Pete Rees in the Punjab Boundary Force. At the time of independence, Ayub Khan opted to join Pakistan army. At that time, as a Brigadier, he was the senior most Muslim officer in Pakistan army. In 1951, he was raised to the status of a four star General and was appointed as the first local Commander in Chief of Pakistan Army.

First time Army was directly involved in the active politics of the country when Ayub Khan, the serving Commander in Chief, was inducted in federal cabinet led by Muhammad Ali Bogra in 1954 and was given the portfolio of Defence. As Commander-in-Chief and Defence Minister, Ayub Khan played a key role in negotiations concerning Pakistan''s entry into United States’ sponsored military alliances, CENTO and SEATO. On October 7, 1958, Iskander Mirza with the help of Ayub Khan enforced first Martial Law in Pakistan and designated Ayub Khan as the Chief Martial Law Administrator. However, the two leaders could not pull on together for very long and Ayub Khan snatched away all the powers of Iskander Mirza and assumed the charge as the President of Pakistan in addition to his role as Chief Martial Law Administrator. Later on he gave himself the rank of Field Marshall. Ayub Khan’s take over was welcomed by most of the people in Pakistan because they were sick and tired of the political instability in the country, since its birth in 1947. Immediately after assuming his new responsibilities, Ayub tried to crush corruption and to get rid of several social problems the country was facing. All these steps enhanced Ayub’s popularity among the masses. However, he was conscious of the fact that he could not rule under military cover for long and thus appointed a Constitutional Commission headed by Justice Shahabuddin. The report presented by the Commission on May 6, 1961 was examined by many committees appointed by Ayub Khan, and finally was given the shape of a Constitution.

On June 8, 1962 Marshal law was lifted from Pakistan and the new constitution was introduced. According to this new constitution, Presidential form of government was tried in the country and principle of basic democracy was introduced. Yet, the imposition of the 1962 constitution made no change in the powers of Ayub Khan and he remained president even under the new set up. Presidential elections were held in 1965. Combined Opposition Party nominated Fatima Jinnah as their candidate in the election but Ayub Khan managed to sweep the polls. His critics consider rigging as the chief cause of his victory as they think that Fitima Jinnah secured lesser votes than her popularity, which was quite visible during her public meetings before the election. However, one should not forget that the franchise was limited in the election and masses only had chance to turn up in the public meetings but had no right to vote.

Ayub Khan’s era is known for the industrialization in the country. He created an environment where private sector was encouraged to establish, medium and small-scale industries in Pakistan. This opened up avenues for new job opportunities and thus the economic graph of the country was on the rise. He also tried to raise the education standard of the country by introducing educational reforms. He was the first Pakistani ruler, who attempted to bring in Land reforms but the idea was not implemented properly. Labor, Law and Administrative reforms were also introduced during his regime. Ayub Khan also initiated Family laws in the country. He also planned a new city and changed the capital from Karachi to Islamabad in 1962. Every thing was moving in the right direction for Ayub Khan till the start of Indo-Pakistan War of 1965. Apparently the performance of Pakistani army was good but the war resulted in the rapid decline of the country’s economy. His critics also criticized his role at Tashkent Declaration. They consider as if he had converted the victory at the battlefield with a defeat on negotiation table. His right hand man, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, also turned against him and inaugurated a party, Pakistan Peoples Party, with the aim to remove him from the power. Awami League under Sheikh Mujeeb-ur-Rahman started propagating his rule as pro-West Pakistan era and termed that his policies had snatched away the right of Bengalis. Rest of the political parties formed an alliance, Democratic Action Committee, with one point agenda i.e. removal of Ayub Khan’s government. In addition Ayub’s policies of concentration of political power in his own hands, control over press and media, imposing state of emergency in the country, interference in religion were also responsible for his downfall. Adding insult to injury, Ayub Khan decided to celebrate a decade of his rule in 1968 and made exaggerated claims about the development in the country.