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Why Pakistan?PAKISTAN, had been a dream with the millions of Indian Muslims since 1858 after the invading British forces could conquered the red fort in Delhi and took over the raj of the entire subcontinent from the Muslim king Bahadur Shah Zafar. Being ruling India for the last five hundred years of time, the Muslims were hardly compromising on the presence of English or Farhangi as the ordinary folks called them. Hence a struggle emerged to be continued for the liberation of India and restoration of the Crown. During all this era the English rulers under the commands of the Emperor in London were doing what they were supposed to do. While on the other hands their presence and services of the Churchmen in India could bring about a lot many changes on each social dimension in India. This resulted into the enlightens of the rationally oppressed classes and particularly Hindus who were now being exposed to modern learning and freedom of thinking. And that was how the entire Indian political horizon could be soon polarized on the Hindus versus Muslims concept, called two nations theory. The knowledge of modern governance and statehood under the occupying English rulers could leave the Hindus with a little interests for the restoration of the Indian monarchy that had ruled them for more than five centuries. Instead they wished for democracy on the basis of one-man one vote. To Muslims this meant that in the liberated India they were to live in as a minority on the population basis, a feeling that led to the invention of the idea of partition of mother India. This idea in the beginning was emotionally not liked by many Indians as to them India was a holly sole unit and museum of many religions, cultures, races and people. Such a logical and historical approach was equally justified and popular with the English too but during the first two decades of the 20 the century, Muslims in India could turn the tables on the very axiom. Later the continued politicking in the sub continent helped Mahatma Gandhi and Mohammad Ali Jinnah to emerge as the two giant leaders, responsible to crusade for the independence of India. The difference of approaches, styles and needs for future security finally led both, the parties i.e. the Indian national congress and Indian Muslim League, to counter each other on the communal issue. This made the English rulers conclude that partition was the only possible solution to help transfer powers to their Indian subjects before they quit India once for all. Thus on August 14th 1947, Pakistan could come into being after the federal Indian legislature decided for the partition of mother India. No doubt the achievement of Pakistan was a mission impossible, accomplished by Mohammad Ali Jinnah, who was called by the Indian Muslim Quaid Azam or great leader. AFTER THE EMERGENCE OF PAKISTAN During the next four years, the country under went a continued political chaos and anarchism as an ugly tug of war initiated amongst the politicians. Khwaja Nazimudin, a respectable freedom fighter and trusted Muslim-leaguer, who had become the Governor General of the Dominion of Pakistan after the death of Quid Azam was pleased to become the country’s Prime Minister after the assassination of Liaqat Ali Khan. His descent to Primer ship ascended Ghulam Mohammad, a career bureaucrat to the office of Governor General. This was the beginning of the behind the curtain politics in Pakistan and sooner the emergence of a non-political entity into the highest hierarchy of the country unveiled an unbelievable scenario. The Governor General Ghulam Mohammad invoking the constitutional powers vested in him by virtue of Independence Act and the act of 1935 dissolved the federal legislature. Later new elections were held and the new legislature could finally come with the first constitution in 1956. Again this was made possible under Prime Minister Chaudhry Mohammad Ali, a bureaucrat turned politician. The enforcement of a constitution resulted into the emergence of the republic of Pakistan, where upon Major General Iskander Mirza, an army bureaucrat took over as the first President of the country. The political rivalries, antagonism, and dishonesty amongst the then leaders could be imagined from the facts that till October 1958, H.S.Shurwardi, Mohammad Ali Bogra, and Feroz Khan Nun, could become prime ministers one after the other. Further as the new constitution was based upon the concept of parity between the East and West Pakistan, therefore an artificial one united Province in the name of West Pakistan of created after merging the provinces of Punjab, Sindh, N.W.F.P., and Balochistan. This gesture created a popular unrest amongst the general public. In October 1958,General Ayub Khan took over all power after a bloodless successful coup. He blamed the political leaders for their continued failure to run the country towards the achievement of progress and development. Under the martial laws about two dozen of politicians were debarred from politics for the next ten years and those coming against the very rule were condemned to prisons. The country’s first military government soon felt itself amongst the masses as a continued pace of development, construction and industrialization was initiated. In 1962, Gen. Ayub Khan could bring about his own constitution with the characteristics of introduction of Local Bodies system called BD system. This system led the country into a presidential type of governance where under the entire country was to have 80,000 Basic democracy members elected directly at their local bodies constituencies. They were to elect the President, the members of the National and Provincial Assemblies by virtue of being an electoral college. And locally in their capacity of BD members were to run the local government having some administrative and executive powers. Under the very system Pakistan was soon transformed into a developing nation, as hundreds of industrial units were build around the country. According to the scheme industries established and run under the public sector were later handed over to the private sector that introduced a boom in the economy. On the agriculture side, reforms were introduced so that no body would have access to unlimited land. Further agriculture help was scientifically ensured to the farmers, which turned into the country a green revolution. And soon in1968, as the government was celebrating its decade in power, the state controlled press aired the news of the come back into politics’ of those political figures debarred for a period of ten years in 1958. Further, the 1965 September war with India that was finally ended with the Taskand declaration through Soviet active diplomatic efforts had already left negative influences upon the general public mind. A close alley of Ayub Khan, serving in his cabinet as foreign minister since 1958, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, had, also become dissident beside certain other big guns like Gen.Azam Khan and Air Marshal Asghar Khan had also developed differences with the regime. Hence in October 1958, a fierce anti government movement was unleashed in the country with students, labor leaders, lawyers and other circles of intelligentsia leading the revolt. This brought to stand still all the economic and financial activities in the country, which visibly moved President Ayub Khan, and as such he decided to negotiate all the national issues with the opposition parties that had conglomerated itself on one single platform with the name of Democratic Action Committee (DAC) under the leadership of Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan. The very revolt finally forced Ayub Khan to resign as his successor General Yahya Khan took over in March 1969,imposing Martial Law, through out the country. Gen.Yahya Khan’s era— Pakistan’s 2nd martial law Zia’s martial law----Pakistan’s 3rd Martial Law Gen. Musharaf’ era—Pakistan 4th Martial law Previous | Next
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