Pakistan's Political Crisis Author(s): Rehman Sobhan Reviewed work(s): Source: The World Today, Vol. 25, No.

5 (May, 1969), pp. 203-211 Published by: Royal Institute of International Affairs Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/40394271 . Accessed: 26/11/2011 05:08
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settled. from militarythe The pressures is But thematter farfrom haveonly industrial justbegunto system lobbyto expandtheSafeguard have not yet American talkson armscontrol emerge;and the Sovietthat at is Evenmoredisturbing themoment thelikelihood there started. in the is an inadequate concerning delicate appreciation thePentagon thereis betweennuclear-weapons policyand diplomacy. relationship from for survive inparticular, cannot ever ColdWarrhetoric the Dtente, the of establishments either UnitedStatesortheSovietUnion. military Is cause worry for scepticism. itworth and real Thereis,therefore, for the climate shared maybe- thepolitical by slight risk risking however inorder guard to to that RussiaandAmerica is essential endthearms race, that to a possibility theSovietUnionwouldtry developa against remote more inIt of seemsso intheabsence much first-strike capability? hardly and the formation has beenmadeavailable, without UnitedStates' than of to this first the trying roadofnegotiation prevent direprospect hostile in context Viewed this Soviet intentions becoming from political reality. in the armsrace and in at the onlyone thatreallymatters thispoint to relations theSafeguard ABM system SovietAmerican promises do muchmoreharm thangood.

Pakistan's political crisis

REHMAN SOBHAN in The immediate to to background thecrisis Pakistan be traced the may in Ali of of Zulfiquar Bhutto theurbancentres political speaking-tour West PakistanduringOctoberof last year.At thatstage President formidable Localgatherings theruling looked of position Ayub's enough. MuslimLeague party already had that begunto pass resolutions asking he declare candidacy thePresidential his for election theend of 1969, at andas part thebuild-up theelections Information the of to had Ministry launched country-wide a to the publicity programme celebrate achieveof Decade ofDevelopment'. ments a * Within this perspectiveof unshakeableofficial self-confidence, tourpromised Bhutto's little.His newlylaunchedPeople's Partywas
at Mr Sobhan,formerly Readerin Economics the University Dacca, has of for at beendoingresearch thepasttwoyears theLondonSchoolofEconomics ; of author Basic Democracies and in , Works Programme, RuralDevelopment East Pakistan (London,O.U.P., 1969). 203

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This weak on organizationally and rested heavily theleader'scharisma. ever hadmadesomeimpact the of amongst students WestPakistan since hisimpassioned the as declarations Foreign during warwith Secretary his India in 1965. His publicstatements particularly emotionally and him a before Security the identified with miliCouncil speeches charged tant towards of India and in favour theliberation Kashmir's of posture from closedependence Muslims Indianhegemony. move The awayfrom with China,the on the United Statesand towardscordialrelations to U.S.S.R., and theThirdWorldwas attributed him.The Tashkent had the declaration, restoring status antein Kashmir, beentheoccaquo in sionfor riots thetowns. Thishadbeenputdownbya firm widespread who for of forces were show force fear itsspreading infect armed of to the was Bhutto believed to overtheceasefire thought be restive agreement. from Government the to haveopposedthesettlement hisdeparture and his with ideathat the afterwards currency this to view, along shortly gave of was departure thepricedemanded theU.S. forresumption aid.1 by intothe ranksof opposition this, Notwithstanding his eventual entry becauseofhis association was politics metwithconsiderable scepticism a with regime sinceitsinception 1958.He had,however,ready the ever in was and socialistic students hisparty's constituency programme amongst to designed widenhis base. on attacks the It was not surprising, that therefore, his articulate in Whatwas surprising shouldattract audiences thetowns. regime large was the factthatthe commonplace of Section 1442by the local use A in administration notcontain could thesedemonstrations his favour. month suchmeetings demonstrations of and on culminated 8 November in in thepolicefiring a particularly of boisterous on assembly students tour. in of who Bhutto thecourse hispolitical Rawalpindi weretoreceive in The firing off of demonstrationssympathy all those triggered student areas previously visitedby Bhuttoand in othertownsbesides,until in urban was in. centre WestPakistan drawn The Governvirtually every hierment WestPakistan of Bhutto and his party reacted arresting by on on of the archy 13 November the ground fermenting disturbances his utterances. through highly provocative The factthattheleadership theNational AwamiParty of (NAP) in less WestPakistan made thisparticular was also arrested justification but in West The NAP was an ostensibly plausible. party, left-wing Pakistan mainbase was in Sind,theNorthits WestFrontier Province, andBaluchistan, where had identified with demandfora reitself the it of assertion theprovincial of This had beenin personality these regions. into eversinceWestPakistan's had been integrated a eclipse provinces
1See the inaugural issue of Pakistan published thePakistan LeftReview, by he where of for with Society, University LondonUnion, an interview Mr Bhutto gavehisownviewson these reports. 2An old-established invoked banning law for publicgatherings.
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in to province 1955underwhatwas believed be Punjabi singleunitary dominance the polity.8 East Pakistan's of to Wali pressure neutralize some Khan, the leader of the NAP, and his partyhad been making the that one unitofWestPakistan demand withtheir be impact popular for established allitscomponent broken andautonomy provinces. up in werean integral ofGovernment The arrests with part policy coping tobe adequate contain to and unrest were such normally thought political actedas a provocation On and developments. thisoccasionrepression no where daypassedwithout to intensified thepoint theagitation reports of or in ofprotest one urbancentre another WestPakistan beingpubwas lishedin thepress.Whathad beena student monopoly nowjoined middle-class and teachers, other Lawyers, journalists, groups. by other the for through streets addingdemands better groups beganto march demand constitutional to for conditions theuniversal wagesand service ran thatresentment deep against conreform. becameapparent It the and influences thesystem thepossibility it could perof that stricting The fear and occasional of or itself. practice closure prosecution petuate of where criticism no had ofnewspapers4 led to a system self-censorship The oftheregime allowed surface. wealth hostility found was to of thus no conventional direct on outlet Most apartfrom agitation thestreets. to middle-class citizenswere reluctant face the baton chargesand arrests which of attended suchforms expression. whenthestudents But demonstrated a capacity withstand to these more this pressures generated in of confidence other who to segments thepopulation, wereencouraged articulate diverse their for time concerns thefirst ina decade. were who Many of the demonstrations led by theJamaat-e-Islam identified in themselves theirattacks Government on family-planning clinics.They were highly and in disciplined the best organized party WestPakistan. an early At constagethey beganto comeintomilitant frontation with Bhutto'ssocialist-sounding who studentsupporters, weredriven identify to Islamwith of socialism fear beingoutflanked for Jamaat. bythe The arrest Bhuttoand the NAP leaderscreated of of something a in vacuum theranks theopposition of LeadersoftheCouncil leadership. MuslimLeague,5theAwamiLeague,and theNizatn-e-Islam part were ofthepre-Ayub menofsomewealth for whohad no stomach a order, of the in behind repetition their experience jail. Theywereconsiderably of theferment. did nothesitate takeadvantage it in of to tempo They
* See KhalidBin Houghton Sayeed,ThePolitical of (Boston, System Pakistan and and Mifflin, London,Allen& Unwin,1967),pp. 76-9,fora discussion documentation thishypothesis. of 4 The Pakistan over Timesthecountry's had , English daily, beentaken leading in the bytheGovernment in 1959andmore Bengali early recently, 1966, leading the was daily, Ittefaq, closeddown. * Oneiaction the of party independence. of
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but and concerned processions weresomewhat meetings leading holding had to which begun manifest atthetouch violence of itself. Someofthem the had earlier Democratic joined withtheJamaatto form Pakistan which to Movement gavea jointplatform theassociated (PDM), parties intheir to various causesbutwere Theyespoused opposition theregime. for elections Parliament. to in united a demand direct the Theyreflected of that system indirect the where franchise the elections, feeling general of in was vested an electoral college 80,000BasicDemocrats (BDs), was the It for that these responsible perpetuating Ayubregime. was believed in BDs had beengivena vestedinterest thesystem wouldsupport and in all the the regime against comers orderto protect groupprivileges The in invested them theAyubConstitution. lastPresidential election, by Miss FtimaJinnah, beendefeated whentheopposition had candidate, evidence popular of inspite visible of was of support, evidence theefficacy ofthe ofthesystem. Reaffirmation bias oftheBDs was provided the by in majorities overwhelming theygave to the regime the Centraland and legislatures in subsequent by-elections. provincial November moretraditional the werejoined on the During figures C.-in-C.of Khan,a former by opposition platform AirMarshal Asghar thevaunted Force.He was reputed be thearchitect thisprestiAir to of arm for and giousservice andwasrespected hisability personal integrity. His presence theopposition in to thebelief that ranks the gavecurrency ofthearmy bureaucracy themselves and were divided their in to loyalties The AirMarshalwas joined by GeneralAzam Khan and theregime. a Chief of AzamKhanhad Murshed, recent Justice Justice EastPakistan. beenone ofAyub'sintimates thetime hisseizure power at of and had of beena vigorous in first Minister hisCabinet then popular and a Governor ofEastPakistan. Murshed built an image judicialindehad of Justice up histenure office. three of All pendence during gavean imageofnovelty and respectability the opposition to ranks.Their public appearances arousedconsiderable enthusiasm it was perhaps recollection and of the thiswhicheventually Khan to stepdirectly the into pursuaded Asghar arenaandtoform Justice his in political Party Marchthisyear. Few observers that a wouldfailto invite firm thought the agitation President on wideresponse. Ayub'sbroadcast 1 Decemberpromising concessions thestudents to therefore as something a surcame of spread timethepossibility insecure of the within prise.For the first loyalties and Establishment particularlythearmy in became One apparent. theory the traced President's to in illness earlier theyear response hisexhausting andsuggested he hadnever that recovered erstwhile his really authority. His reaction was thought be thatof a sickman,and its ambiguity to infected onlythe agitation also his own supporters not but who were Even though ruling the gradually ceasingto makepublicappearances. MuslimLeague claimedconsiderable numerical its strength, political 206

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Most of its members weremoreinterested werelimited. in resources and for as advancement, in thefaceof usingtheparty a vehicle personal weresingularly the incapableof promoting regime's popularagitation the before public. image this of that It was following manifestation uncertainty thePresident in The agitation as yetnot had visited East Pakistan mid-December. Eversincethearrest Mujibur of Rahman his totheEastwing. and spread in lieutenants theAwamiLeaguein mid1966,political agitation against had of theregime beenata lowebb.The aftermaththewarwith Indiahad in a from intheWest the that ; response theEastwing produced different defencelessness accentuated feeling neglect had the of senseofmilitary Mujib had soughtto capitalizeon this by the CentralGovernment. his mood by launching six-point for programme complete provincial The for EastPakistan. Awami autonomy Leaguehadfor longbeenidentified with movefor the which widely was provincial autonomy supported middleclassesofEast Pakistan. The limited bythearticulate scopefor andemployment, advance addedtotheuniversal economic selfurgefor UndertheAyubregime, rule,gavethisdemandconsiderable potency. in where upper the political powerhad becomeconcentrated theCentre and ranksof the bureaucracy army weremonopolized West Pakiby stanis. The primary in was political authority theprovince theGovernor, and was essentially creature thePresiwholackedelective a of support creation. politically A dent,as in turnthe Cabinetwas the Governor's weak legislature to gave littlescope forEast Pakistan's problems be morethanthegoodwill theCentral on of Governdependent anything ment. concentrating revenue and resources, By foreign exchange, external aid in thehandsof the Central Government latter the acquiredoverthe within decision-making The power whelming process. regional reprein sentation theCentral within system thusa parthis was bureaucracy sensitive ticularly point.The eclipseof the AwamiLeague was comdivisions within left-wing the NationalAwami poundedby ideological so to in was Party that political opposition theGovernment EastPakistan dormant. The student whichhad traditionally prominent been in movement, becauseofthewell-organized province-wide and charpolitics regional was acter student of the However, thetime organizations, alsodivided. by President a visited Eastwing, united the Student Action had Committee beenformed, whoseauthority covered entire the student of population In of East Pakistan. the context theorganizationally and divided weak this assumed disproportionate a authopposition leadership, Committee and the In within agitation. a short oftime, the ority significance space demandofthestudents6 takenup in all thetownsof was eleven-point
6 See Pakistan Review, for of demands 1969, theoutline these Left Spring along with demands other of socialandpolitical groups.
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a and East Pakistan, forthefirst timein contemporary memory nationin wideagitation the was Any against regime inmotion. escalation represin In siononthepartoftheregime matched militance thestreets. was by to drawin theEast wing, at an early the however, agitation stage began for demands better elements addedtheir who wagestothe working-class in A reform. decline wages current demand autonomy electoral for and Curbson theright to had madethesegroups inflammable.7 particularly this but in had strike weakness thetrade and unions contained militancy in an atmosphere urbanunrest situation of couldnotbe maintained this for long. in In response an agitation to whichwas now universal the urban to centres the the parties sought derive throughout country, opposition a whichhad up tillthenbeen largely political capitalfrom movement outside all their control. apart groups, Earlyin January theopposition from of Bhutto's andtheleft People'sParty wing theNAP,joinedtoform theDemocratic ActionCommittee platform (DAC). Theireight-point but to the of concerns thecomponent attempted embrace diverse parties, of focused on a return direct and to elections thesubstitution the mainly themselves for parliamentary system thepresidential. They committed for toa boycott the1969elections promised of nation-wide and agitation of constitutional reform. agitation The attendant thelaunching this on movement 17 January and on moreshootings thedeathof precipitated a Dacca student. the to This roused movement a newpitchofviolence, in first theEast andthen sympathy theWest,andthemilitary were in in in of calledin to patrol curfews the which had to be imposed a number towns. The rising of deathtoll,and thewillingness thepublic,particuin that to these indicated a completely curfews, larly theEast wing, defy newmoodwas pervading country. thistimetheruling Muslim the By document8 In ceasedto function. an extraordinary Leaguehad virtually thehighcommand the party condemof came out in unprecedented nation theGovernment's of but to policies sought makethebureaucracy thescapegoat theills ofthesystem. for or Individual members groups wereeither withthepopular or to themselves defecting trying identify causeandagainst Administration. the Faced withan agitation which in and was growing dimensions intenthe sityand whichwas visiblybackedby popularsupport, President invited DAC to participate a political the in conclave discussconstito tutional of reform. This movefollowed thewidespread on expectation martial as theonlyexpedient savetheregime. law to The choiceoftalks indicated thearmed or that forces werenotwilling invest their to power
7 See Dr A. R. Khan's 'Whathasbeen to happening Real Wagesin Pakistan', Pakistan ReviewAutumn of fora detailed y Development study thesubject. 0bee resolutions the Muslim 1967, of in League councilmeeting Dacca, Dawn of of (Karachi),10 February 1969,and thereport thecommittee WestPakistan MuslimLeagueAssembly 6 members, ibid., February 1969.
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The were to a discredited regime. talks merely sustain manifestly prestige werestillin jail. becauseseveral political however, key figures delayed, had beenreleased due process when by Manyofthosearrested already to the West PakistanHigh Courthad shownits responsiveness the filed before chalthe it situation sustaining numerous writs by changing the Bhutto's case was theclimaxand evokeda 20,000lenging arrests. from himtaking will from Castro's'history wordstatement precedent to me' speech,in which usedall therhetoric hiscommand he at absolve of In launcha massiveindictment theregime.9 fearof further judicial as to climate opinion, of the rebuff muchas in surrender theprevailing him released on 14February heemerged a hero's and to triumphal regime welcome. the still were The NAP leaders in detention alsoreleased, that chief so remained His case.Whilst MujiburRahman. was a test stumbling-block in he in underdetention had been implicated theAgartala conspiracy, a of officers three and which number juniorservice senior civilservants East Pakistan wereallegedto havebeenplotting from withIndia to set East The trial had itself beengoingon for up an independent Pakistan. a full and hardput was nearly yearwith publicity theGovernment being its in to itto sustain case,which was believed East Pakistan be a conto coction the designedto keep Mujib in jail and to intimidate senior the from This prestigious had bureaucracy EastPakistan. group reached where wereeligible appointment Secretaries the to for as seniority they In Government. thedaysofparliamentary had Central eclipse, they been if articulate unpublicized for of spokesmen theconcerns East Pakistan, and it was felt thattheir accession positions powerin theCentral to of wouldbreach traditional the of bureaucracy monopoly decision-making retained the West-wing the bureaucrats the Centre.Whatever at by of hypothesis,gaverise a widespread truth this it to in belief thefabricated of character thewholecase. the Whilst President's offer talks of was beingexamined theoppoby sition the in violent. was more leaders, situation thestreets daily growing The shooting Sgt ZahurulHaq, one ofMujib's co-conspirators, for of to escapeescalated movement a stagewherethe the to allegedly trying of houses CabinetMinisters Government and were by supporters burnt and thecrowds, anysupporter theregime of appearedin publicat the risk hislife.It was believed of thatthePresident at thisstageagain was on thepointofinvoking martial butwhether public the moodorthe law, of reluctance themilitary backhimheldhis handwillhaveto await to insideinformation. more Insteadon 21 February announced hishe his decision to contest coming toric a not the Presidential election. Within and case Two dayMujibwas released theAgartala withdrawn. dayslater session theround-table thefirst of with conference at opened Rawalpindi
9 Published in full in Dawn, 26 February 1969. 209

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in Khan and other all parties associated theDAC plusAsghar indepenin dents attendance. The meeting within the beganto revealthe contradictions quickly outofjail Mujib had sensedtheclimate In hisbrief in spell opposition. and that wouldbe a short EastPakistan, realized there for future political less for whodemanded thanfull This autonomy theprovince. anyleader claimfor demand compounded a further was by majority representation in with for of East Pakistan theCentral Parliament, together theoption the to This metwithresistance from transferring capital East Pakistan. leaders whowished headoff demands to the WestPakistani opposition by be untilsuchtimeas a newParliathatthematter deferred suggesting The franchise. President utilized these ment had beenelected direct by and the the divisions cutshort conference senttheleaders to homewith and a return the parliamentary to of promise directelections system. Such a solution at therootsof his own system did nothing cut but to issue in East Pakistan.Mujib's ostensibly resolvethe most pressing standlefthimin a good position carry whathe to on uncompromised a forautonomy. termed peaceful agitation in the had a thisperiod parley situation thestreets acquired of During had momentum itsown.Bhutto already of the boycotted conclave along in Their MaulanaBhashani's NAP. Bothputtheir faith thestreets. with madethem rather thanleaders weakorganization, however, spokesmen ofthepopular mood.Theirrhetoric havelacked substance may political butitcertainly to contributed themoodofmilitancy. nowtheworking By classes were out in full forceand were givingexpression longto in and establishment the claimsoutsideevery suppressed factory wage and threats violenceprecipitated of The use of 'gherao' an country. avalanche concessions of from of employers, many whomhad accumuof lated reserves from industrialization. big years Government-sponsored In East Pakistan, the was its violent however, movement entering most phase as signsof peasantinvolvement beganto appear.The political had from urban the Sincenoneofthe system insulated peasant pressures. had to this parties anyrural they organization werein no position exploit mineofdiscontent. rich Within lastfewyears the annual capitafarm per incomehad reachedits lowestpointsince independence falling to in theprevious years.10 withRs.202 five Rs.198,compared Duringthe sameperiodtheclassofBasic Democrats drawn the from richer mainly farmers prospered had underGovernment Such a developpatronage. ment generated had in considerable bitterness thevillages, there was but no wayfor undera system thisto express itself where local councils the weredominated therichfarmers.11 an overcrowded In where by region
10See the present writer's 'What has happened to the Rural Poor', Asian Review September 1968, and Dr S. R. Bose, 'Trend of Real Income of the Rural y Poor in East Pakistan 1949-66', Pakistan Development Review. Winter 1968. 11See the presentwriter'sBasic Democracies, cit. op.
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the in was could 95 percentofthepopulation rural, agitation thetowns is Evidence still but untouched. notleavethevillages unclear, it appears time to expresstheirlongthat the rural poor began for the first and on of resentments attacks theproperty persons Basic by suppressed with identified theregime. elements and Democrats other closely had all of the time authority theGovernment for practical purBythis in The Governor was in selfposes ceased to function East Pakistan. in incarceration Government House,and fora headyperioda imposed in and existed theprovince. vacuum Widespread percomplete political somepanicamongst rumours precipitated exaggerated hapsdeliberately element and but men of property, had any political steppedforward the direction the movement situation to might givenprecisepolitical the havebeencontained. noneoftheparties However, possessed necesdifferences between resources. Indeed,thegrowing saryorganizational reducedthe NAP and theAwamiLeague further Maulana Bhashani's of prospect anycleardirection. The eventual abdication President of Ayubon 25 Marchand hissurwhenmoreevirender powerto thearmy haveto be fully evaluated of claims be holding ring to the dencecomesto hand.Ostensibly army the an to the for future but elections, itstiming implies attempt fill political in vacuum theEast wingand to contain radicalization in the process the had The development ofthemovement regional for West. there autonomy in indicated thiswas as mucha problem theWestas in theEast,and that itsconsequences lessimportant. relation theEastwing, situation In a no to inwhich Central had the Government itslocalagents ceasedtoexerand ciseauthority meant that was a To autonomy already reality. themilitary thisheldoutimmediate as fears their for appropriationsmuch budgetary as for voiced what of believed be theintegrity thecountry a fear to they in retains A where EastPakistan byAyub hisabdication speech. situation to control revenue of is and resources foreign acceptable exchange hardly theWestPakistani-based -dominated in and forces. Misgivings theEast and that nature thedefence of effort, thesuggestion wingovertheentire thefinancing theCentre inter ofthearmed wouldbe of and alia services a subjectfornegotiation a was realized,12 once autonomy predicated the to the military response restore balanceofpower following surrender ofall Central in But authority theprovince. thisactionsolvesnothing. It is merely another crisis. political stagein Pakistan's
12See the amendment the 1962 Constitution to preparedby the Awami in Leagueandpublished Dawn,25 March1969.

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