Akmal Cheema
An overview !
General Zial ul Haq promised to hold elections in 90 days but didn’t do it even he died in 1988.
He orchestrated non party elections in 1985 which destroyed the ideological politics in Pakistan by producing electables & interest groups.
The period of Zia ul Haq in Pakistan from 1977 to 1988 was marked by a military coup, martial law, Islamization, economic reforms, and the involvement in the Afghan-Soviet war. Here is a brief overview of the main events and policies of his rule.
Zia ul Haq was the chief of army staff appointed by Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in 1976. In July 1977, he launched Operation Fair Play, a coup d’état that deposed Bhutto and suspended the constitution. He declared himself the chief martial law administrator and promised to hold elections within 90 days, but later postponed them indefinitely. He ruled Pakistan under martial law for eight years, from 1977 to 1985. He banned political parties, trade unions, and media outlets, and suppressed dissent and opposition. He also tried and executed Bhutto in 1979 on charges of murder and conspiracy, despite international outcry and protests.
Zia ul Haq implemented a series of policies to promote Islamization of Pakistan, such as enforcing Sharia law, introducing Hudood Ordinances that prescribed harsh punishments for crimes, imposing Zakat and Ushr taxes on Muslims, banning alcohol and gambling, and creating Islamic courts and councils. He also amended the constitution to declare Ahmadis as non-Muslims and to make the Quran and Sunnah the supreme sources of law.
He pursued a policy of economic liberalization and deregulation, with the support of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. He reduced government spending, privatized state-owned enterprises, encouraged foreign investment, and promoted exports and industrialization. He also initiated the Yellow Revolution to boost agricultural production, especially wheat. As a result, Pakistan’s economy grew at an average rate of 6.5% per year during his tenure.
Zia ul Haq played a key role in supporting the Afghan mujahideen against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. He received financial and military aid from the United States, Saudi Arabia, China, and other countries, and allowed millions of Afghan refugees to enter Pakistan. He also facilitated the training and arming of the mujahideen through the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). He hoped to create a pro-Pakistan Islamic government in Afghanistan that would counter India’s influence in the region.
Zia ul Haq died in a plane crash on August 17, 1988, along with several other senior officials and the US ambassador to Pakistan. The cause of the crash remains unclear, but some theories suggest it being a sabotage or assassination. He was succeeded by Ghulam Ishaq Khan as president and Benazir Bhutto as prime minister.
There are convergent opinions about him. However, along the road line, the criticism is on the rise on his tenure. Critics attribute his tenure as undemocratic, unconstitutional, autocratic & socially disruptive. They say that he divided the society on sectarian lines & imbibed extremism in a progressive society. Then, he destroyed the fabric of the progressive political culture in Pakistan, as alleged by his critics.
