Pakistan History

Pakistan History studied as ; Seven Decades

Alternating as ; Democracy - Martial Law.
Decade of 50’s ( 1947-1958 ) Democracy under Govt. of India Act 1935
Constitution making delayed unrepresentative regimes/Unstable govts.
Decade of 60’s ( 1958 – 1969 ) M. L. Ayub Khan
Decade of 70’s (1970 – 1977 ) Democracy PPP Z.A. Bhutto
Decade of 80’s ( 1978 – 1989 ) M. L. Zia ul Haque
Decade of 90’s ( 1989 – 1999 ) Democracy alternating between
PPP / PML N
Decade of 21’st century ( 1999– 2007 ) M.L. Pervaiz Musharraf
1st Decade of 21’st century (2007 - 2017) Decade of Democracy. Full 2
terms of PPP and PML-N
 Martial Laws
Similarities :
• All the three periods , Commander in Chief of the Army, deposed a
democratic govt. Enforced a special Agenda: Ayub Modernising
Pakistan , Ziaul Haque, Islamisation and Musharraf bringing
Enlightened Moderation in the society
• All the three periods had a strong support from the Western Block
(USA)
• Argument: that Army is the most Modern institution and therefore is
suitable to modernize post colonial societies
• All three periods used democracy to establish an undemocratic
regime, by manipulating democratic Institutions (Dictatorship)
 Institution & Process
The Democratic Institutions are :
• Elections
• Political Parties
• Opposition
• Media ( free )
• Judiciary
 Process-Elections
• Elections: Basic democratic institution, because it includes people into
governance
• Two types of Elections:
- Direct Elections; on the principle of Adult Franchise
- Every adult votes for his govt.
- Adult defined on the basis of mental maturity attained at a
certain Age and a Sane mind.
• Pure Democracy
• Applied in the most powerful democratic institutions
 Process-Elections
Indirect Elections;
• On the basis of adult franchise votes are cast choosing an Electorate
Which will further vote for the basic institutions
Lesser Democratic method,
• Another form of voting is Referendum
• Ayub Khan introduced a system of Basic Democracies; 1960’s. Country
was divided in 80,000 geographic units of constituencies
• Each constituency would elect 1000 ( representatives ) called Basic
Democrats
• Who will become an Electorate for Referendum, for electing
Assemblies, and the President ( Head of the govt. )
• So he adopted Indirect Elections
 Ayub Era democracy
• This created an institution that alienated state and citizens
• Ayub held a Referendum to ( Modernise) the country. The purpose
was to legalise his agenda and regime
• Zia Ul Haque in 80’s, with a view to create political space for himself,
suspended the constitution
• Introduced the concept of Islamic State for Pakistan-Reforms towards
Islamisation
• Held a Referendum to (Islamize) Pakistan. The purpose was to legalise
his agenda and regime
• His Agenda was strengthened by Afghan War
 Democratic experiments
• Later in 1984 on public demand and political activism held elections
• Conscious of the unpopularity of his Agenda, the elections were rigged.
• Musharraf came , agenda “ Enlightened Moderation “
• That society of Pakistan is becoming too extremist , this wave should be
reversed
• Strengthened by 9/11 and War on Terror
• Held a Referendum 2002 April to legalise his agenda and regime
• Oct. 2002 held Elections heavily rigged. And won with creating a king’s
party the PML Q
• All three of them used democratic institution of Elections without
empowering the masses. And used them to empower them and their
system.
 Democratic experiments
• Ayub Khan banned political parties on Pretext that political parties are
causing instability
• Non party based elections i.e. without agendas
• Vote is given to an existing power center i.e. the feudal, tribal elder,
religious pir (traditional sources of power not modern, the people )
• Zia ul Haq-Banned political parties as being not the Islamic system rather
of the western democracy
• Empowered the existing power centres
• Musharraf did not ban political parties but the heads of three important
political parties were in exile
 Political Parties
Political Party: Another basic institution of democracy
• It is a training in democracy and is called Mini Democracy.
• Has a base of people sharing common political view point as the members
• Party activists as the street face of the Party.
• Party Leadership provide the required lead role as Head of the
Government
• The office bearers and the Head are elected by the members of the Party
• They are Not dynastic
• Their Agenda-Which documents their goals and line of action to enforce
their view point.
• This the power of a political party
 Role of Media
• Media; is the voice of the freedom of speech of the people, of the
opposition and of the information
• Media should be independent, and unbiased
• Is a strong tool of check and balance for the government
• Questions, criticizes the work of the govt. and acts as voice of the
opposition
• Ayub Khan, 1959, through the Martial Law Ordinance took over main
newspapers of the time, in the name security of State
• 1963, the Press Ordinance empowered the govt. to ban any publication
• National Press Trust was formed as a body to monitor media
 Role of Media
• Zia ul Haque was in the process of establishing a theocratic state in
Pakistan
• In the name of Islam curtailed freedom of speech
• Any other view point than his was against Islam and thus not allowed
• Journalists were treated as criminals under the sharia law and publicly
flogged. This became the face of Pakistani state in the foreign media
• Academia was not allowed to publish any view point critical of the
system
• Perviaz Musharraf to match his Agenda, coupled with the age of
information technology, allowed free media
• The first two M.L. regimes completely suffocated cultural and
intellectual capabilities of the society-Intelligencia suffocated. And
therefore Intellectual bankruptcy
 The Judiciary
• Judiciary is the Balancing Institution. It balances the powers among state, people
and state institutions
• Ayub controlled Judiciary by tempering the dynamics of
- Appointments
- Promotions and removal of Judges.
• He promoting Justice Muneer, a junior judge to the post of Chief Justice of
Supreme Court
• Who invoked “ Doctrine of Necessity “ from the Objectives resolution and
authenticated the M.L
• Appointment of Judges was to be done by final interviews with the Governor
(The Executive)
 The Judiciary
• Zia created parallel judiciary by establishing Military Courts and Sharea
Courts
• This curtailed the jurisdiction of democratic courts.
• Musharraf also tempered with the three processes to be subjugsted to the
executive
• First the promotion, and then the appointment and removal of Iftikhar
Chaudry as the chief justice
• Which led to the Lawyer’s movement and ultimately gaining
Independence of Judiciary