Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Pakistan People’s

Party, and the mililtary Regime of Zia Ul

Haq

Some of Bhutto’s contemporaries blame him for leading an otherwise cautious

Ayub Khan on the warpath over Kashmir in 1965, so as to claim political mileage
for himself.5 Bhutto lost favor with Ayub Khan soon after the Tashkent Treaty,
although the general, as is evident from his Diaries, had developed serious
reservations about his foreign minister, and his sacking only helped Bhutto gain
further public support.6 Bhutto was widely received in Lahore and Karachi after
his dismissal, and his emotional speeches brought him closer to his admirers.

Bhutto’s Administration:

For Bhutto, the agreement was a major achievement; but for his opponents,
especially from Jamaat-i-Islami, it was a humiliation, although ordinary people
welcomed peace in the region, thereby raising the possibility of repatriation of
the POWs.11 In reference to the recognition of Bangladesh, Bhutto was certainly
on the horns of a dilemma, as he could not openly defy the domestic reservations
regarding partition of the country.
Bhutto had replaced General Gul Hassan Khan with General Tikka Khan as the
army chief, and this entire episode was accomplished in a rather dramatic way in
light of fear of a possible reaction from Hassan’s colleagues.12 Upon Tikka Khan’s
retirement, Bhutto opted for General Zia-ul-Haq as the next chief of army staff,
although he was considerably junior to several other colleagues; but given his
religiosity and an apparently apolitical disposition, Bhutto viewed him as
nonthreatening.

The Constitutionof 1973:

In addition, he tried to systemize the induction, training, and job allocation of

senior civil servants in an attempt to strengthen his political hold over the
bureacracy.13 In April 1972, an interim constitution of 290 clauses and seven
sections, all covering the legislative, judiciary, and executive branches of
government, was implemented in the country, and the National Assembly began
debating its merits and possible amendments in successive sessions.

The Zia ul Haq Era 1977-1988:

Zia, with his humility and personal piety, was the antithesis to the flamboyant
Bhutto and thus was able to win over many middle class Pakistanis, as well as the
foreign visitors who were always impressed by his unassuming personality.17 He
was certainly a cunning person, however, who knew how to pursue his own
interests ruthlessly and whose rule proved to be the longest in Pakistan’s history.

Soviet Invasion of afghanistan:

The Carter Administration offered $400 million in assistance to Pakistan to shore

up its defenses and fledgling economy, but Zia rejected the offer by calling it
“peanuts.” Under President Reagan, Pakistan was offered even more substantial
assistance, and the CIA began to equip and train the Afghan resistance known as
Mujahideen, or the holy warriors.