“RENEWING PAKISTAN: 1971-2005” PART-I: 1971-1988

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Lesson 6

"RENEWING PAKISTAN: 1971-2005"

PART-I: 1971-1988

In lectures number 6 and 7, we are examining a period of 34 years of Pakistan's history between 1971 and

2005. In part I, we are examining the period of 17 years i.e. from 1971 to 1988. The period of about 34 years

is marked by the same kind of extremities which were part of Pakistan's previous 24 years i.e. from 1947 to

1971.

By "extremities" we mean that there have been periods of our history where there have been abundant hope

and expectations of a new beginning which would be sustained for a long time to come. However, soon after

experiencing such high hopes, the actual turn of events proved to be different from the original expectations.

For example, with Independence in 1947, there was a general expectation that, despite the enormous

difficulties faced by Pakistan at its birth, the people would produce good leadership that would overcome

these problems and would create a lasting unity between East and West Pakistan. But within the first 11 years

of our history, as we saw in lectures number 2 and 3, the kind of actions taken and major mistakes made,

resulted in martial law being imposed in October 1958. In turn, with the commencing of a completely new

order under martial law, new hopes arose that the mistakes of the first 11 years would not be repeated. Yet, in

spite of some positive measures taken by the martial law government and the post-martial law government,

both led by President Ayub Khan, the situation deteriorated rapidly, leading to the disintegration of the

country in December 1971.

Similarly, when we view the period of 34 years from 1971 to 2005, there have been several stages at which

fresh new hopes arose and then after some time, those hopes proved to be ill-founded. In lecture no.6, we are

reviewing major features of approximately 17 years duration i.e. from 16 December 1971 to about 17 August

1988 when President Zia-ul-Haq died in an airplane crash in Bahawalpur. Broadly speaking, these 17 years

can be divided into two phases i.e. about 7 years in the first part, in which a new government under a civilian,

political, elected head, led the country. The second part of this period began on 5 July 1977 when the then

Chief of Army Staff (General Zia-ul-Haq) removed the civil, political, elected government, imposed martial

law and began the tenure in which he also became President and retained the office of both the President and

Chief of Army Staff till his death on 17 August 1988. Once again in this period, there was witnessed the

tendency towards extremes.

In the first part of this period i.e. 16 December 1971 to 5 July 1977, virtually all executive powers were

concentrated in the hands of the civilian, political, elected Prime Minister. So extreme was this extreme that,

as per the original version of the 1973 Constitution enforced from August 1973, the signature of the

President of Pakistan could only be accepted as being the authentic signature if it was countersigned by, or

accompanied by the signature of the Prime Minister of Pakistan! This kind of extremity which made the

President of Pakistan (President Chaudhry Fazal Elahi) virtually powerless is best reflected in a joke that

became widely quoted at that time. The joke went that a slogan had actually been painted on the walls of the

Presidency of Pakistan (at that time located in Rawalpindi), to the effect that: "Sadar Fazal Elahi ko reha

karo" ("release President Fazal Elahi from captivity").

At the same time, it was also necessary to refer to the fact that power could also be an illusion because the

exercise of power is often limited by a number of obstacles and realities which are not always taken into

account by those outside the power circle. For a revealing perspective on this aspect of power during the

tenure of Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, students are advised to read the complete book, or at least parts

of a book titled: "The mirage of power" by Dr. Mubashar Hassan, who served as Federal Minister in the

Cabinet of Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and who was also Secretary General of the Pakistan People's

Party. He was a first-hand witness of the limitations of power. Hence his choice of the concept of the word:

"mirage" to convey the limitations of power itself.

Be that as it may, on paper, as well as in practice, it is nevertheless true that this period i.e. 1971-1977 did

witness the use of power by a civilian government in a very arbitrary manner, followed by the even harsher,

arbitrary use of power and force by General Ziaul Haq.

The textbooks in schools and colleges fail to do justice to the realities of history in general. This is why the

second part of this handout reproduces an extremely profound and thought-provoking excerpt from a lecture

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delivered by one of the foremost historians of Pakistan, namely Professor Sharif al Mujahid, formerly of the

Quaid-e-Azam Academy, Karachi and the University of Karachi. In this lecture, the Professor pertinently

calls for a fundamental re-appraisal by Pakistani historians of how they represent and interpret the country's

history. Even though this lecture is primarily meant for highly qualified historians and specialists, it provides

students with a fascinating glimpse of the basic issues that shape how young people in particular can be

presented with imbalanced and inappropriate versions of history.

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