Showing in a Political Theatre in your neighboring country , the decelerating political scenario that threatens to recede the recuperating country and fetter it back,tightlly but in veil, into abyss of Army rule,yet again. The Pakistan aawam never saw a stable democracy and its politics has been a smorgasboard of Martial laws,Legal Framework Orders,Referndums & Constitutional amendments to vest the interests of opportunistic Leaders.Looking back in time its politics woefully smugs juggling of Constitution & the Judiciary with force.Malik Feroz Khan Noon, the last in the line of Prime Ministers under the first President Iskander Mirza & leader of the Republican group in the National Assembly, came to power by forging an alliance with five different political groups, Awami League, National Awami Party, Krishak Sramik Party, National Congress and the Scheduled Caste Federation.The Noon Cabinet was fortunate to have the support of the Bengali and Punjabi group of politicians, reaching an accord between them for the first time.
President Iskander Mirza was distressed by the alliance of Suhrawardy(Awami League) and Noon. He not only felt a serious threat to his office but also perceived that he had lost his grip over the politicians.At midnight between October 7 and 8, 1958, the President of Pakistan abrogated the Constitution and imposed Martial Law(under General Ayub Khan) ,bringing an end to the term of Noon, which lasted for less than a year.Events after that saw General Yahya Khan who on March 29, 1970, through an Ordinance, presented an interim Constitution, the Legal Framework Order.After stepping down of Ayub Khan,Army Chief Yahya Khan held Pakistan's first elections in December 1970.
The Awami League, under Sheikh Mujib-ur-Rahman, swept 160/162 seats allocated to East Pakistan. However, the party failed to get even a single seat from any province of the Western Wing while Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto's Pakistan Peoples Party emerged as the single largest party from Punjab and Sindh and managed to win 81 National Assembly seats, all from the Western wing.Both of them failed to reach an agreement regarding Head of State and use of army & paramilitary forces in East Pakistan led to a lost War with India in winter of 1971 and capturing of 90,000 soldiers(followed by The Simla Agreement,1972). Z.A.Bhutto became the first Democratically elected Prime minister.Coming years saw the rise of General Zia-ul-Haq(who allegedy got Z.A. Bhutto hanged). His death in 1988 lead to a pardigm shift to Democracy under Pakistan's first Woman leader Benzir Bhutto('88,'93) & a see-saw of power with Nawaz Sharif('90,'97)followed.Nawaz Sharif's 2nd tenure emboldened Pakistan's stand as a Nuclear power in May,1998. It was under the leadership of these two that the Terrorist acts against India were given Green signal.
After declaration of emergency,the day Pakistan carried out nuclear tests,Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif proposed amendments to The Constitution.The 15th Amendment allegedly made him more Powerful which led to his confrotation with Military following the resignation of General Jehangir Karamat on October 7, 1998 who was replaced by General Pervez Musharraf. The Kargil Operation further intensified the already weathered relations between the two which ultimately led to a bloodless coup by General Pervez Musharraf on October 12, 1999 and what followed is anything but a Democratic process.In June 2001, the Kamal Ataturk 's follower took charge of Pakistan officially becoming the President on June 20, 2001.Post 9/11 saw his rise as an avid fighter against the so called WAR ON TERROR on the International scenario.In order to legitimize and legalize his rule, General Pervez Busharraf held a referendum on April 30, 2002 thereby elected as President of Pakistan for duration of five years in agreement with MMA(Muttahida-Majlis-e-Amal) & avoided the question of leaving the Army uniform by Dec,2004 , time & again (as under the agreement).LFO, 2002 empowered the President to sack the prime minister, dissolve parliament and also recognize him as both head of the army and head of the state.Musharraf got the vote of confidence from both the Parliament & Four Provincial assemblies Musharraf got the right to hold office till 2007 .
Now, his two terms are over and quite thoughtfully under the pressuire from its "tight" Western ally (as Bush puts it) has agreed to take his Uniform off.Now the fact is that B(Musharraf minus uniform can contest 2 more terms( as a civilian) in the proposed 1st week of January.
The recall of Benazir Bhutto & formation of National Reconciliation Alliance(NRO) made Pakistani aawam scratch there heads in earlier one or 2 months with PPP leader Bhutto giving hints of a sophomoric agreement & Musharraf's plans of dropping all charges against her but that surely has evaporated.Recall of Nawaz Sharif by Justice Iftikaar Choudhary was the last nail in Musharraf's coffin(declaring his deportation as contempt of court) and sent him mounting off to declare EMERGENCY (or Martial Law,whatever it may be).It will be interesting to see what follows as Musharraf continues to hold the offices of Chief of Army Staff, and Chief of the Staff Committee.
Being an avid reader, Musharraf is well versed in Military History, his favorite subject but I guess he will stay long enough in Pakistan's politics to change it for good.
Field Marshall Ayub Khan: The Starter
General Yahya Khan :Held elections but mishandled East Pakistan situation leading to Separation
The Past & the Future:Zulfikar Ali Bhutto-Chequered Fate ; Prime Minister Indira Gandhi with PakPresident Z.A.Bhutto's daughter Benazir Bhutto at Simla.
General Zia-ul-Haq:Portraying despotism
Pakistan:A Nuclear Power,May 1998
(Site of explosions)
(Site of explosions)
Careful,this one's for you: Bloodless coup followed
