Presentation on Election of 1970

Presented By: group 1

1.Md Roni (821)
2.kaniz Fatema (817)
3.Sakil khan (860)
4.Sadia Akter samia (839
5.Humaira jannat (861)
Presented to
Tasnova Jerin Ulfat
Lecturer
Basic science division.
 Contents

1.Introduon 4.Result

5.Historical
2.Backgroud significance

3.History
6.Conclusin
 Introduction

General elections were held in Pakistan on December 7, 1970 – 50 years ago

today – to elect members of the National Assembly. They were the first general
elections since the independence of Pakistan and ultimately the only ones held
prior to the independence of Bangladesh. Voting took place in 300
constituencies, of which 162 were in East Pakistan and 138 in West. The
elections were a fierce contest between two social democratic parties – the west-
based Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and the east-based
Awami League of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
 . The Awami League was the only major party in the east wing, while in the
west wing.
,
 Background

On 23 March 1956, Pakistan changed from being a Dominion of the British

Commonwealth and became an Islamic republic after framing its own constitution.
Although the first general elections were scheduled for early 1959, severe political
instability led President Iskander Mirza to abrogate the constitution on 7 October
1958. Mirza imposed martial law and handed power to the Commander-in-Chief of
the Pakistan Army, General Muhammad Ayub Khan. After assuming presidency,
President Ayub Khan promoted himself to the rank of Field marshal and appointed
General Muhammad Musa Khan as the new Commander-in-Chief.On 17 February
1960, President Ayub Khan appointed a commission under Muhammad
Shahabuddin, the Chief Justice of Pakistan, to report a political framework for the
country. The commission submitted its report on 29 April 1961, and on the basis of
this report, a new constitution was framed on 1 March 1962.
The new constitution, declaring the country as Republic of Pakistan, brought about a
presidential system of government, as opposed to the parliamentary system of
government under the 1956 Constitution. The electoral system was made indirect,
and the "basic democrats" were declared electoral college for the purpose of electing
members of the National and Provincial Assemblies. Under the new system,
presidential elections were held on 2 January 1965 which resulted in a victory for
Ayub Khan. As years went by, political opposition against President Ayub Khan
mounted. In East Pakistan, leader of the Awami League, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman,
was one of the key leaders to rally opposition to President Ayub Khan. In 1966, he
began the Six point movement for East Pakistani autonomy.In 1968, Sheikh Mujibur
Rahman was charged with sedition after the government of President Ayub Khan
accused him for conspiring with India against the stability of Pakistan. While a
conspiracy between Mujib and India for East Pakistan's secession was not itself
conclusively proven.
 it is known that Mujib and the Awami League had held secret meetings with Indian
government officials in 1962 and after the 1965 war. This case led to an uprising in
East Pakistan which consisted of a series of mass demonstrations and sporadic
conflicts between the government forces and protesters. In West Pakistan, Zulfikar
Ali Bhutto, who served as foreign minister under President Ayub Khan, resigned
from his office and founded the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) in 1967. The socialist
political party took up opposition to President Ayub Khan as well.Ayub Khan
succumbed to political pressure on 26 March 1969 and handed power to the
Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Army, General Agha Muhammad Yahya
Khan. President Yahya Khan imposed martial law and the 1962 Constitution was
abrogated. On 31 March 1970, President Yahya Khan announced a Legal
Framework Order (LFO) which called for direct elections for a unicameral
legislature.
 History

After becoming the President of Pakistan in 1969 General Yahya Khan announced
that very soon the free elections would be held in Pakistan on adult and party
basis to establish a democratic government in the country. For that purpose, a
three-member Election Commission was formed under the chairmanship of
Justice Abdus Sattar as the Chief Election Commissioner. The electoral rules were
printed both in Bengali and Urdu for East and West Pakistan respectively. The
elections which were initially due on 5 October 1970 for the National Assembly
and on 19 October for the provincial assemblies were postponed till December of
the same year because of the severe monsoon floods in the eastern wing in
August. The new dates announced were 7 December 1970. From 1 January 1970,
the political parties were allowed to start campaigning. A total of twenty-four
political parties participated in the elections. Mainly there were two types of
parties, religious and secular.
The religious parties included the convention Muslim League, Pakistan Muslim
League, Pakistan Democratic Party, Jamiat-ul-Ulama-e-Islam, Jamiat-ul-Ulama-e-
Pakistan, and Jamiat-e-Islam Party among many others. These religious parties
called for the Islamization of the country. Despite having a common attitude they
differed on certain points from one another and could not unite on a single platform.
Among the secular parties, the two most prominent and popular political parties that
received immense public support from the masses were the Pakistan Peoples Party
being led by Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and the Awami League of Sheikh Mujib-ur-
Rehman. Their prime focus was on economic issues. Both Bhutto and Mujib
possessed extraordinary and charismatic appeals in their personalities for people of
all ages and professions. However, the popularity of Bhutto and Mujib was restricted
within West Pakistan and East Pakistan respectively.
 Result

It was decided in the Legal Framework Order of 1970 that the National Assembly of
Pakistan will consist of 313 seats with 13 seats reserved for women. Out of these
313, 169 seats were reserved for East Pakistan, 85 for Punjab, 28 for Sindh, 19 for
NWFP, 5 for Baluchistan, and 7 seats were allotted to the tribal areas. It was decided
that the East Pakistan provincial assembly will have 400 members, Punjab 186,
Sindh 62, Baluchistan 21, and NWFP will have 42 members. The elections were
held peacefully and 60 percent of registered voters cast their votes.
The results, however, brought direct changes in the political setup of the country.
The religious parties were washed up because the public was more concerned with
their economic problems. The result was a victory for the Awami League, which
won an absolute majority of 160 seats, all of which were in East Pakistan. The PPP
won only 81 seats, all in West Pakistan.
 Historical significance

1. The 1970 Pakistani general elections marked the first direct elections in the
country's history, allowing citizens to elect their representatives directly.

2. Pakistan's elections resulted in the country being divided into East Pakistan and
West Pakistan, with the Awami League obtaining a majority of seats in East
Pakistan.

3. The Awami League's victory in East Pakistan legislated autonomy for the
Bengali-majority province, resulting in civil unrest and the 1971 Bangladesh
Liberation War, which resulted in East Pakistan's independence.
4. The election results revealed deep political splits in Pakistan, resulting in the rise
of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) under Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

5. The 1970 elections had a significant impact on Pakistan's constitutional reforms,

leading to the creation of the current constitution, which was based on lessons learnt
from the election events.
 Conclusion

The 1970 general elections in Pakistan exposed political divisions between East and
West Pakistan, with the Awami League's victory in East Pakistan leading to
Bangladesh's independence. The Pakistan Peoples Party's rise in West Pakistan
reshaped the nation's political landscape, influencing constitutional reforms and
illustrating democracy and national unity.