Submitted to: Ma’am Fareha Iqtidar

Subject: Pakistan Studies

Date: October 28​th​, 2020

Submitted by: Quratulain

Sarah Ammar
Fatima Jamhoor
Rida Zaheer
Aleeza Jehangir
Ehlam Arshad

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Table of Content

Contents
Introduction 3
Enforcement of Martial Law (1958) 3
Basic Democracies 4
Measures taken by Ayub khan 4
Reforms taken by Ayub khan 5
Constitution of 1962 6
Elections and Combined Opposition Party (1965) 8
Democratic Action Committee 9
Causes of Downfall of Ayub Khan (1969) 11
Legal Framework Order 12
Six Point Formula 13
Results of Elections 1970 15
Table of Events during 1958-1970 16
References 19

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Constitutional and Political Developments in Pakistan
1958-1970

Introduction
Mohammad Ayub Khan was born on May 14, 1907, Hazara. He was the President of
Pakistan from 1958 to 1969, whose rule marked a critical period in the development of
Pakistan. After several years of political turmoil in Pakistan, in 1958 President Iskander
Mirza, with army support, abrogated the constitution and appointed Ayub Khan as Chief
martial law administrator. Soon after, Ayub had himself declared president, and Mirza was
exiled. Ayub reorganized the administration and acted to restore the economy through
introducing reforms and policies. Foreign investment was also encouraged. There was also
development in the industry of Pakistan in his era. Ayub khan ruled almost 10 years.
According to the constitution of 1962 all the power belongs to president so there was
presidential type of Government.
People were not that happy with the Ayub khan Government so they started movements
against him and situation got out of control. As a result Martial Law was again imposed by
General Muhammad Yahya khan in 1969. After becoming the president Yahya Khan
announced that he would make it possible that free and fair elections will be conducted in
Pakistan and a new constitution will be ready soon. In March 1970 he introduced a Legal
Framework Order which firm principles for the future constitution of Pakistan.

Enforcement of Martial Law (1958)

On October 7, 1958 the Commander of chief of Pakistan Army of that time General
Muhammad Ayub Khan dismissed the Government and set up a military regime in the
country. He abrogated the constitution of 1956 and dissolved all the assemblies. He took
over the offices of the Chief Martial Law Administrator and President.

Ayub Khan positioned himself as a field marshal law. People welcome Ayub khan because
he promised that he would eliminate the corruption from the administrations. Screening
process conducted for the government servants scrutinizing their service records. Public
servants tried to intervene by using the help of judges of the Supreme Court or High Court.
If the public servants proved to be guilty, they could be disqualified for fifteen years or
compulsory retirement.

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As a result of the whole screening process about 3,000 officials were dismissed and many
others were put in lower ranks. Similarly a law called ​Elective Bodies Disqualification
Order (E.B.D.O) Publicize for the disqualification of politicians. According to this law, there
could be disqualification of an individual from being a member of any elective body till Dec
31, 1966.

Basic Democracies
Ayub Khan also introduced a complete scheme of local government also known as Basic
Democracies. This scheme was imposed through the ​Basic Democracies Order on
October 27, 1959​. Basic Democracies was a plan enabling the people to directly elect to
Local Council men they knew, who would in turn elect the upper level of the
administration. In total there were 80,000 Basic Democrats elected. To lend legitimacy to
his rule, Ayub Khan used the Basic Democrats as an electoral college, holding a referendum
to seek a mandate to continue in office as President and to have the power to frame the
future Constitution of Pakistan.
The referendum held on February 14, 1960​, asked the voters “if they had confidence in
President Field Marshal Muhammad Ayub Khan, Hilal-i-Jurat?” With the results of the
referendum, Ayub Khan was elected not only as President of Pakistan for five years, but
also got the mandate to give Pakistan a Constitution of his preference.
Ayub Khan arranges a Constitution Commission which was not only given the
responsibility to make recommendations on the future Constitution, but was also to inspect
the causes of collapse of parliamentary government in Pakistan. The report of the
Constitution Commission was presented to Ayub Khan on May 6, 1961​. Ayub Khan
was not satisfied by the findings. The 1962 Constitution was very different from the
recommendation of the Constitution Commission, as Ayub Khan favored a presidential
form of government. The ​1962 Constitution was enforced on March 1​st​. ​This ended the
three and a half year Martial Law regime of Ayub Khan. A civilian constitutional
government under Ayub Khan replaced his previous military government.

Measures taken by Ayub khan

Ayub Khan took several measures for the constitutional development.

● Rehabilitation of peace​:
Due to the absence of an effective government power, law system was declining in the
entire country. Therefore the first main concern of the military government was to check
criminal activities. Special military cells were established in order to deal with any serious
situation.

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 ● Price control:
The next step the military government took was supervision of price control bodies. In
Democratic government, there was no check over price control. The government of Ayub
printed a price list and made sure that no one could earn too much profit by exploiting the
needs of the consumer.
● Check on smuggling
Smuggling was one of the atrocious issues that resisted the growth of the country's
economy .Chittagong and Karachi Seaports had been used for smuggling since long. As soon
as the military government took over, strict disciplinary actions were initiated against the
smugglers; crack downs were planned to seize the people involved in such activities.
● Settlement of the properties
Since the independence of the country, the issues of the abandoned properties could not be
resolved. However, the issue has been resolved within a year after military take over.
● Rehabilitation of migrants
When India was divided a large number of people migrated from India to Pakistan. Quaid
and liaqat took necessary measures for their rehabilitation, later on these rules weren't
considered important enough. As soon as the military government was established, they
settled the majority of migrants in a very short time. Several housing societies were
established to provide shelter to the migrants, Korangi being one of them.

Reforms taken by Ayub khan

The new military government promised that they would carry out reforms in the entire
government system and clean the corruption from the country. A thorough screening
process of all government servants was conducted and service records were closely
scrutinized.
These were the reforms ayub khan took for constitutional and political development.
● Disciplinary actions such as dismissal or compulsory retirement of the public
servants could take place against corrupt officials. A public servant could also be
disqualified from holding any public office for 15 years.
● About 3000 officials were dismissed and many others were hired as a result of these
measures.
● Ayub khan focused on land reforms in west Pakistan.
● Landlord commission was set in 1958.
● He adopted an energetic approach towards economic development.
● His period is credited with the green revolution and economic and industrial
growth.
● Tax concessions were offered for investment in less developed areas.

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 ● The export bonus voucher scheme and tax incentives stimulated new industrial
entrepreneurs and exporters. Bonus vouchers facilitated access to foreign exchange
and import for industrial machinery and raw materials.
● He also issued family law ordinance 1961, according to this ordinance they rest 6
polygamy and regulated marriage and divorce, and give women equal right under
law. This ordinance could not promulgate due to opposition from ulema and
fundamentalist Muslim groups.
● Ayub khan also introduced foreign policy; he allied Pakistan with US military
alliance against soviet union.
● He also introduced many reforms in the field of education. It meant to raise literacy
levels and train manpower in Pakistan. Technical education and civil defense
training was mandatory.
● He also introduced labour reforms. He showed interest in betterment of the labour
force and made it mandatory for factory owners to recognise elected union councils
and to consider its opinion in all issues.

Constitution of 1962
In February, 1960 Ayub Khan constituted a ten members’ Constitution Commission for the
formulation of the constitution. Former Chief Justice, Shahb-ud-Din, chaired this
commission. It submitted its recommendations to the President of Pakistan on May 6​th​,
1961. The President then created a Constitution Committee under the supervision of
Foreign Minister, Manzoor Qadir, whose committee consisted of seven cabinet members.
The committee didn’t take notice on recommendations made by commission and compiled
the constitutional recommendations of their own choice. Through the Presidential orders,
the President Ayub Khan then applied this constitution in the country on June 8​th​, 1962.

Following are the salient features of this Constitution:

● Written Constitution:
The constitution of 1962 was a written document. It consisted of 250 articles, five
schedules, eight amendments and 31 Martial Law Regulations
● Federal Constitution:
According to the Constitution of 1962, Pakistan was a federation with two
provinces. Both the provinces i-e East and West Pakistan were given equal
representation in the National Assembly. Both provinces had an equal number of
representatives in the Electoral College, 40,000 each. Power of the Central
Government was explained in this Constitution.
● Presidential Constitution:

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 In this constitution presidential form of government came into being. President was
the head of the state as well as the head of government. He was to be elected by an
electoral college consisting of 80000 members all the executive powers rested with
the President.
● Rigid Constitution:
Under this constitution, two third majority of the parliament could amend the
constitution but the authentication by the President was compulsory to make it
valid.
● Unicameral Legisture:
Like the constitution of 1956, unicameral legislature was introduced in the
constitution of 1962. It was named as the National Assembly to be elected by an
electoral college through indirect elections for 5 years. Both provinces had equal
representation in it.
● Fundamental Rights:​
Fundamental rights were mentioned in this constitution. No one could be made
violence in it. No department of the government could take any step against these
rights. Some most important of these were: freedom of speech, freedom of
association, freedom to practice religion and protection of life and property.
● Islamic Provisions:
The objective resolution was included as a preamble to this constitution. It was
explained in this resolution that the Sovereignty of Allah. The name of the country
was adopted as “Republic Of Pakistan”. The word “Islamic” was dropped in this
constitution but the people demanded and insisted on the inclusion of the word
“Islamic”. So, the first amendment therefore rectified this article and the county was
designated an “Islamic Republic of Pakistan”. No law shall be enacted which is
repugnant to the teachings and requirements of Islam as set out in the Quran and
Sunnah.
● Islamic Advisory Council:
An “Advisory Council of Islamic Ideology” shall be appointed to advise the President
of Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Provincial Governments, National and Provincial
assemblies. This was a powerless institution. The Council was only an advisory body
and its advice was not binding on the president or parliament.
● National languages:
Both Urdu and Bengali were recognized as the national languages of Pakistan and
English was declared as the official language of the country until the national
languages achieved the official status.
● Indirect democracy:
The system of Direct Elections was replaced by the method of indirect elections.
This system was named as Democracies. The Direct Method of Election was
dissolved. The president was elected by an Electoral College comprising 80,000

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 Basic democrats, equally distributed between the two institutions, the President
National Assemblies and Provincial Assemblies.

Elections and Combined Opposition Party (1965)

Ayub Khan promoted a new presidential constitution in ​1962. These presidential
elections were held in Pakistan on​ 2nd January, 1965​.
● The vote was done amongst the 80,000 ​“basic democrats.” These basic democrats
were part of the urban as well as regional councils.
● These elections were significant because a woman was contesting the highest
political office of the country. The orthodox religious political parties, including the
Jamaat-i-Islami led by Maulana Maududi​, supported the ​position of Miss Fatima
Jinnah​. The election showed that the people had no problem against women
holding high offices.
● Presidential candidates for the elections of 1965 were announced before
commencement of the Basic Democracy elections, which was to constitute the
Electoral College for the Presidential and Assembly elections.
● There ​were two major parties contesting the election​: the Convention Muslim
League and the Combined Opposition Parties.
● The Combined Opposition Party consisted of five opposition parties i.e:-Pakistan
Muslim League (Council), led by Khwaja Nazimuddin and Mian Mumtaz Khan
Daultana
1. The Awami League, led by Sheikh Mujibur Rehman
2. The National Awami Party, led by Maulana Bashani
3. The North West Frontier group of the National Awami Party, led by Wali
Khan, son of the famous Abdul Ghafar Khan
4. The Nizam-e-Islam Party, led by Chaudhry Mohammad Ali and Farid Ahmad
5. The Jamaat-e-Islami, led by Maulana Maudoodi.
● Ayub Khan was nominated by the Convention Muslim League party ​while ​the
Combined Opposition Parties nominated Miss Fatima Jinnah​. She did not
participate in any political activity after independence. She accepted the candidature
as she was strongly in favour of democratic ideals.
● There were four candidates; Ayub Khan, Miss Fatima Jinnah and the rest two
persons had no party affiliation in the 1965 elections. The campaigning period
lasted for a month.
● In 1964​, Ayub seemed to be confident in his popularity and saw deep divisions
within the political opposition, He called for Presidential elections. He was surprised
when opposition parties dropped General Azam and agreed on supporting the

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 respected and popular Fatima Jinnah, the sister of the founder of Pakistan,
Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah.
● Miss Fatima Jinnah had an advantage over Ayub Khan and other candidates. Fatima
Jinnah declared Ayub Khan as a dictator. Miss Jinnah’s line of attack was that by
coming to terms with India on the Indus Water dispute, Ayub had given the control
of the rivers over to India. Fatima Jinnah created tremendous public enthusiasm;
she also drew enormous crowds in all cities of East and West Pakistan.
● Ayub Khan had a great advantage over the rest of the candidates. He had complete
control over all governmental machinery during elections. Business and
bureaucracy helped him with his election campaign.
● Being a political opportunist, he brought all the discontented elements together to
support him. Students were assured the revision of the University Ordinance and
journalists the scrutiny of the Press Laws. Ayub Khan also gathered the support of
the ulema who believed that Islam does not permit a woman to be the head of an
Islamic state.
● Miss Fatima Jinnah lost the election of 1965 and Ayub Khan was elected as the
President of Pakistan. On the indirect ballot, ​Ayub Khan had defeated Fatima
Jinnah by taking 64% of the vote​.
● The ​PML secured a majority of 120 seats in those elections. The ​opposition
could clinch only 15 seats​. The ​Combined Opposition Party (COP) won 10 seats​.
The ​rest of the seats went to the independents​. The election did not fall on the
international standards were performed in favor of Ayub Khan. He influenced the
indirectly elected Electoral Colleges.

Democratic Action Committee

Ayub Khan after winning the elections, in 1965, forced many policies to stabilize the
country and legitimize himself. Economic reforms, Land reforms, Family law reforms,
constitutional reforms, social reforms are among the most prominent. The policies of Ayub
were criticised by a large number of urban populations. Ayub was forced to take off the ban
from trade unions, opposition parties and student unions. Political parties started to turn
against him and criticize him.
● On ​30th April 1967, Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan succeeded in creating a
five-party alliance for opposition which was called ‘Pakistan Democratic
Movement’ but later renamed as ‘Pakistan Democratic Action Committee’. It
played a huge role in the removal of Ayub Khan and restoration of democracy.
● He founded his own party with the help of four other parties in ​1969. It was called
‘Pakistan Jamhuri Party’ and became its Vice President.

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● In ​October 1968​, the government sponsored a celebration called the Decade of
Development. The festival mainly highlighted the loss of urban people because of
the war. Ayub Khan was now known for inequality for the masses. Bhutto then
challenged Ayub Khan at the ballot box. In East Pakistan, dissatisfaction of people
with the system went on a whole new level.
● In ​January 1969​, several opposition parties formed the Democratic Action
Committee with the declared aim of restoring democracy through a mass
movement. The army moved into Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Dhaka, and Khulna to
restore order. In rural areas of East Pakistan, curfew was not effective; local
officials began retreating from the peasant revolt.
● In ​February 1969​, Ayub Khan released political prisoners, invited the Democratic
Action Committee and others to meet him in Rawalpindi. He was in a weak position
and he had lost the support of the generals On ​March 25​th​1969​, martial law again
took place. Ayub Khan announced his resignation and Yahya Khan assumed the
presidency.
● Yahya Khan soon promised elections on the basis of adult franchise to the National
Assembly, which would make up a new constitution. He also entered into
discussions with leaders of mainstream political parties.
● The new coalition demanded the lifting of the state of emergency and the
cancelling of the criminal law amendment which had been appealed to arrest Mujib
for participation in the same conspiracy. ​These were both tools the government
was using to deal with the worsening political situation. Jama‘at and the Awami
League both wanted it eliminated so they could pursue their political objectives
more freely.
● Faced with Mujib’s rising popularity following his arrest, the government
responded by lifting the emergency and abrogating the amendment. It was a
victory for the opposition. Mawdudi’s efforts to recreate interest in the Islamic
constitution came to an end. The Jama‘at’s political agenda ended.
● In ​August 1968​, Mawdudi became ill and was advised to leave Pakistan for medical
treatment in England. During his months of departure, Jama‘at’s affairs were
controlled by Mian Tufayl. Mawdudi’s absence reduced both the Jama‘at’s
prominence in the Democratic Action Committee. Mian Tufayl did not provide new
strategies, the People’s Party was unable to control the IJT, which soon became a
force in itself, drawing the Jama‘at into the quagmire of East Pakistani politics.
● Mawdudi returned before the Round Table Conference between Ayub Khan and the
Democratic Action Committee, which convened in ​March 1969 to reform the
constitution with a view to accommodating the Awami League’s demands for
autonomy. Mawdudi’s address to the conference was totally removed from the
Pakistani politics. He blame for the crises on the government for refusing to change

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 their views over the demand of islamization. It was the only policy that could keep
Pakistan united.

Causes of Downfall of Ayub Khan (1969)

The Martial law regime was successful but in the long term failed to solve the problems. In
Spite of all the positive steps and development marking General Ayub’s Era, the graph of his
popularity began declining. The immediate cause was the elections of ​1965 and the
Tashkent Declaration.
Following are the major causes of the downfall of Ayub’s regime
1. Presidential System
● People wanted a parliamentary form of government, but General Ayub
presented the nation with second constitution in ​1962 which was
presidential in nature.
2. Economic Instability
● After coming into power Muhammad Ayub Khan determined to make
Pakistan economically developed. But he failed to stabilize Pakistan’s
economy on sound footings. The number of educated jobless people was
increasing gradually, prices of essential commodities raised to such an
degree that in ​1968 there occurred a serious shortage of sugar and drinking
water in Karachi. Ayub’s economic activities did not bring any change and
revolution in the socio-economic position of the common man. Hence the
people frustrated slowly.
3. Political Reason
● The Tashkent Agreement after the ​1965 war was not welcomed by the
people because it provided removal retreat of the troops to their respective
pre-war positions. That is why Z.A.Bhutto stated that what Pakistan had
gained in the battlefield was lost on the diplomatic table.The core issue of the
war was the Kashmir dispute but it was not mentioned in the Tashkent
Declaration. Hence no advancement was made for the solution of this
problem in the post.
● Tashkent Agreement period, which created disappointment not only among
masses but also in the army.
● The whole of West Pakistan was made in one unit, with which the small
provinces were not happy.
● One more aspect which Ayub neglected from the beginning caused a major
upheaval in his popularity graph was the case of East Pakistan.

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 4. Press and Publication Ordinance
● Ayub khan had issued Press and Publication Ordinance in order to revise the
existing laws pertaining to the proprietorship editorship of newspapers etc.
But this ordinance severely affected the freedom of the press as it was used
to propagate the idea of the Government and to defame the Opposition
parties. People and the political parties were deadly opposed to this
ordinance, which brought the press under tight grip.

5. Ayub’s University Ordinance

● Under the University Ordinance of Ayub’s regime, Bachelor degree courses
were extended from 2 to 3 years and a method of monthly exam was
introduced. The results of monthly tests were to be considered while
determining the annual final results etc. These measures were rejected by
the students and universities staff. Students of East-Pakistan formed a
Students Action Committee to stress him to carry out their 11 Points
programme. The movement gained further momentum when on 20th
January 1969 a student leader was killed by police firing in ​Decca ​in March
1969​.

Legal Framework Order

In ​1969​, after becoming the Chief Martial Law Administrator Yahya Khan announced that
he would make it possible that free and fair elections will be conducted in Pakistan and a
new constitution will be made soon. For that, in ​March 1970 he introduced a Legal
Framework Order which determined principles for the future constitution of Pakistan. It
also dissolved the One-Unit scheme on ​1st July 1970.
The features of the ​LFO 1970​ are as follows:

1. The National Assembly of Pakistan will consist of ​313 seats with ​13 seats reserved
for ​women. ​Out of 313, ​169 seats were to be for ​East Pakistan​, ​85 for Punjab​, ​28
for Sindh​, ​19 for NWFP​, ​5 for Balochistan and ​7 seats were allotted to the ​tribal
areas​.
2. Each province will have a provincial assembly consisting of elected members. ​East
Pakistan ​provincial assembly will have ​400 members​, ​Punjab 186​, ​Sindh 62​,
Balochistan 21​ and ​NWFP 42.
3. The elections for National Assembly will be held on ​5 October 1970 and for
provincial assemblies​ not later than ​22 October​.
4. The new constitution of Pakistan will follow these principles:

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 A. Pakistan will be a Federal Republic and will be known as ​Islamic Republic of
Pakistan
B. The head of the Pakistan state would be a Muslim and the divinity of Islam
will be preserved.
C. The ​principles of democracy will prevail by holding ​free elections for
federal and provincial legislatures ​on the basis of adult franchise.
Independent judiciary will be made possible along with fundamental rights for
the citizens.
D. ​All provinces ​will be given ​maximum autonomy while the centre will also
remain strong.
E. The citizens of the country will be able to ​participate actively in the ​affairs
of the state and the state will try to ​eliminate economic disparities in the
society.
F. The ​constitution ​of the country will make it possible for the ​Muslims of
Pakistan to live their lives according to the teachings of Islam​. The
minorities will be ​free to follow their ​own faiths and will be able to ​enjoy the
benefits of citizenship​ along with their fellow Pakistanis.
G. The ​LFO clarified the status of ​national and provincial assemblies​. It
stated that the ​National Assembly ​would either be the ​only legislature
provided that the ​federal legislature ​consisting of ​one house or it would be
the ​lower house if the federation has ​two houses​. Its tenure would be for the
full term in both cases. The ​same ​went for ​provincial assemblies​.
H. ​Within 120 days ​of the ​first meeting ​of the ​National Assembly​, it would
form a constitution bill and if it fails to do so, it will dissolve.

5​: After the ​elections of the ​National Assembly​, provisions will be made to
arrange its meetings​.

6​: The LFO set ​broad outlines​, structures​, ​conditions and qualifications​. Any
contesting ​political party ​failing to qualify these ​conditions would ​not ​be able to
participate in the elections​.

Six Point Formula

Sheikh Mujib-ur-Rehman was the ​founder of Bangladesh​. He played a major role in
Pakistan politics as a prominent leader of the Awami League in East Pakistan. He presented
a Six-Point formula in 1966, in collaboration with his party and demanded the Pakistan
government to accept them and to implement them the way they were. It was demanded by

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the Awami League that the new constitution should be based on the Six-Points. Sheikh
Mujib and his party showed extreme rigidity when asked to amend a few points. Though at
times he committed that he would compromise, especially before the elections of 1970, but
after every commitment he backed out and stuck to his Six-Points formula. The Awami
League was so emotional about it that all its members swore an oath to die trying to
implement the Six-Point Program. And it was due to that very formula that, when not
accepted by the central government of Pakistan, the Awami League declared the
independence of Bengal.

The Six-Points formula is mentioned here under:

1. There would be a federal parliamentary system based on direct adult franchise and
representation of provinces would be on the basis of population in the federal
legislature.
2. The federal government will be restricted only to foreign affairs, defense and
currency. And even regarding foreign affairs, the dealings of economic matters
would rest with the provinces.
3. There would either be two different currencies for the two wings or a single one
with separate Federal Reserve systems for each wing.
4. The power of implementation and collection of taxes would lie with the provinces.
5. The federal government will be given enough shares to fulfill its tasks of foreign
affairs and defense.There would be separate accounts of foreign exchange earnings
for each wing.
6. East Pakistan would be given the authority to have a militia or paramilitary force
solely under its provincial government.
Elections 1970
Chief Martial Law Administrator General Yahya Khan after becoming the President
of Pakistan in ​1969 announced that very soon the free elections will be held in
Pakistan on adult franchise 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 rolls were printed both in Bengali and Urdu for East and West
Pakistan respectively.
● Initially, the elections were due on ​5 October 1970 for the National Assembly and
19 October ​for the provincial assemblies. But these elections 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 and 17 December 1970​.

● Still, elections for nine seats of the National Assembly and eighteen for provincial
assemblies were held next year on ​17 January 1971 due to cyclones in East

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 Pakistan. The elections were held on party basis and from ​1 January 1970 the
political parties were allowed to start campaigning. A total of twenty-four political
parties participated in the elections. There were mainly two types of parties,
religious and secular.
● The religious parties included convention Muslim League, Qayyum Muslim League,
Pakistan Muslim League, Pakistan Democratic Party, Jamiat-ul-Ulama-a-Islam,
Jamiat-ul-Ulama-a-Pakistan and Jamiat-a-Islam Party among many others.The
secular and most prominent political parties were two, among many others. They
both were regional, Pakistan Peoples Party of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and Awami League
of Sheikh Mujib-ur-Rehman.
● The religious parties called for the Islamization of the country. But though having a
common attitude they were absolutely different from one another and that is why
could not unite on a single platform. The regime of Yahya Khan was supporting the
religious parties for their conservative attitude that was in demand of a strong
central government. While the secular and most prominent political parties both got
immense public support as compared to all other parties. Their supporters belonged
to all the sections of the society. Consequently, these two turned into mass
movements.
● Both parties owed their dominant positions and popularity in the massive political
competition to their leaders. Both Bhutto and Mujib were gifted leaders and
possessed extraordinary appeals in their personalities for people of all ages and
professions.

Results of Elections 1970

With the election campaign, the drastic differences between the two leading political
parties became even more obvious and their regional outlook became evident. The Awami
League popularized its Six-Points and promulgated that it was by the dint of eastern wing’s
products that western wing was prospering but the east was not getting its due share. The
PPP, on the other hand was emphasizing on economic problems of the whole country but at
the same time it closed down its branch in East Pakistan and thus proved itself to be the
representative of only the Pakistanis of the western side.The results brought drastic
changes in the political setup of the country.
● The religious parties were totally a failure because the public was less concerned
about being dictated by the government to spend their lives according to the
teachings of Islam. The results also confirmed the provincialism of Pakistan politics.
● The ​two major winners were the PPP and the AL​.
● The AL was the first great majority party that secured 160 seats in the National
Assembly out of which only seven candidates belonged to West Pakistan. However,

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 the AL could not win a single provincial assembly seat from any of the west wing
provinces.
● The PPP won a second great majority in the National Assembly. It got 81 seats out
of 130 allotted to the western wing but it did not have a single seat from East
Pakistan.
● The LFO had declared that the National Assembly was responsible for making the
constitution within 120 days.
● And only after the making of the constitution, the transfer of power to the provinces
would take place.
● But the great differences between the two major parties especially on issues of the
Six-Points Program were a great hindrance in that process.
● Unfortunately these differences were never resolved and the end of the story was
the division of the country into two sovereign states.

Table of Events during 1958-1970

Dates Events

1956 Constitution of 1956 was abrogated

October 7, 1958 President Iskander Mirza abrogated the

Constitution and declared Martial Law in
the country. This was the first of many
military regimes in Pakistan’s history

10th October 1958 The Laws Orders was promulgated with a

view to bring about new legal order.

1958. Landlord commission was set in

September 1960 Indus Water treaty was also signed between

India and Pakistan.

Feb 14,1960 Referendum held

October 27,1959 Ayub introduced BASIC DEMOCRACIES

1960 The Constitution Commission appointed

24 October 1958. President Mirza tried to rationalize the

power structure and state framework by
appointing Ayub Prime Minister

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 6th May,1961 The commission sent a report

1962 After 3.5 years of its life, 1958-62 Martial

law came to an end. Ayub promulgated the
Constitution of 1962 on Mar 1. It came into
effect of on June 8. Trasitional period: 7
years, 1962-69.

8th June,1962 Ayub Khan with the help of Presidential

ordinance made a law, the new constitution

January 2, 1965 r the principal official political decision was

held

1958 Ayub Khan took over the politics of Pakistan

8th June 1962 Ayub Khan promoted a new presidential

constitution

1965 Enemy of Government United to Crush Ayub

khan

2nd January, 1965 The presidential elections were held in

Pakistan

1965 Fatima Jinnah lost the elections

1965 Presidential elections were held

1965 Ayub Khan enforced army policies to

stabilise
country

1966 Tashkent declaration was signed between

India pakistan

1966-1667 the growth rate of economy slow down to

3.1

30th April 1967 Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan created a five

party alliance

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 Dates Events

August 1968 Mawdudi became ill and was advised to

leave Pakistan

1968 storage of sugar, drinking water in karachi

1968 many people were discontented with the

government

Oct-1968 there were student protest all over west

pakistan

January 1969 Nawabzada Founded his own party

February 1969 Several parties formed democratic action

committee

March 1969 Marshal Law again took place.

1969 student leader was killed by police firing in

Decca

1969 Yahya Khan become the Chief Martial Law

Administrator

March 1970 A Legal Framework Order introduced

1st July 1970 the One-Unit scheme on dissolved

5 October 1970 elections for National Assembly will be

held

22 October 1970 elections for provincial assemblies

7 December 1970. New date of elections for National

Assembly

17 December 1970. New date of elections for provincial

assemblies

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References
● Pakistan Studies, Punjab text Board
● https://www.dawn.com/news/1355171/special-report-the-changing-of-the-guard-
1958-1969​ (A reformer on horseback, By S. Akbar Zaidi)
● World History at KMLA, Pakistan 1958-1971 (KMLA, 2002)
● https://historypak.com/
● https://historypak.com/category/1969-71-dismemberment-dph/
● https://storyofpakistan.com/category/timeline/1958-1969/

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