Department of Political Science University of Peshawar
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AN ASSESSMENT OF THE PEOPLES PARTY-OPPOSITION RELATIONSHIP IN PAKISTAN (1972-1977) Supervised by PROF. DR. TAJ MOHARRAM KHAN Submitted by ARIF KHAN Ph.D Scholar DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE UNIVERSITY OF PESHAWAR (2016) 2 Acknowledgment First of all I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to Almighty Allah, for blessing me to face and complete this challenging task successfully. I am greatly indebted to Professor Dr. Taj Moharram Khan who, being the head of department and inspite of his very busy and tedious schedule, gave me sufficient time for guidance and discussion. His guidance helped reduced many shortcomings in this research work. I do acknowledge the kindness of staff of different libraries in the University of Peshawar, Quaid-i-Azam University Islamabad, Pakistan Study Centre (University of Karachi), National Assembly (Islamabad), National Documentation Centre (NDC) Islamabad, Peshawar archives, National Library (Islamabad) for their support and help in providing concened materials. And yes, I am grateful to the staff of the Department of Politics library (Royal Holloway University), Department of Political science library(University of Oxford), Birmingham University Library and Birmingham City University library and British Library who extended every possible help during my six months academic visit to UK. I would like to thank all the worthy faculty members of the Department of Political Science (University of Peshawar) for not only motivating and guiding me but for also providing me with a vibrant atmosphere to study. And of course, my special thanks to Professor Dr Markus (my external supervisor during my 6 months academic visit to Royal Holloway University of London) who was kind and cooperative to me and from whose experiences I benefited a lot during the short period. I am also grateful to my friends particularly, Bakhtiar Khan, Ashfaq-ur-Rehman, Saif-ul- Islam Lala, Fazal Said (Professor) and Zulqarnain (Lecturer) who generously gave me their precious time and advise, while providing me some time with additional insight on 3 some important aspects and issues. I would also express my profound love and respect for my two elder brothers whose love, care and sincere wishes always inspired and encouraged me. In the end, I will surely express my thanks and regards to the contemporaries of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto like Abdul Hafeez Peerzada, Munnawar Hasan, Muhammad Hussain Mehinti, Professor N. D. Khan, Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman, Syed Usmani, Malik Miraj Muhammad Khan, Retired Air Marshal Asghar Khan and Abdul Akbar Khan who gave me time to interview them. I am also thankful to the two academicians/experts of political developments in Pakistan, Professor Syed Jaffar Ahmad (Director Pakistan Study Centre, University of Karachi), and Professor Tauseef Ahmad (ex-HOD, Federal Urdu University) for useful interaction on the theme of my study. Arif Khan PhD Research Scholar 4 Abstract State of democracy in Pakistan has been one of the burning issues of discussion since long. Those aware of the nature of Pakistan politics are genuinely apprehensive about the future of democracy in Pakistan. This research work is an attempt to find answers to certain key questions pertaining to democracy in Pakistan with reference to the ruling-opposition relationship, in general, and during PPP government under Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto (1972-177), in particular. This study seeks to explore the role of PPP and opposition parties in that critical time when a truly elected government came into power as a result of first ever general elections held in December 1970. Since the state was then under an elected set-up, it was hoped that a new era in the politics of Pakistan would usher. In fact, there was seen a marked improvement in the style of politics as was evident from the mutual relations of political parties particularly during the formation of government and process towards constitution making. But soon there was seen a patent divergence in attitudes once the 1973 Constitution was put into effect. It appeared as if the ruling PPP and the opposition have parted ways. The study reveals the way PPP and the opposition parties reacted to certain situations, how they maneuvered and how they agreed on some occasions and fought among themselves on others. It also investigates the extent to which the personal characteristics of party leaders influenced the state of politics during the period. In fact, it was a deviation from the established principles on both sides that obstructed the growth of democracy in Pakistan. One of the findings of this study is that democracy has persistently remained in a state of uncertainty because of the lust for power, clash of egos and most importantly, the extra-democratic behavior on the part of politicians. The thesis investigates as to how the PPP and the opposition parties lost the opportunity to transform Pakistan into a truly democratic polity. 5 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AKMC Azad Kashmir Muslim Conference ANP Awami National Party BD Basic Democracy/Democracies/Democrats BLA Baloch Liberation Army CENTO Central Treaty Organization C-in-C Commander-in-Chief COAS Chief of Army Staff Con ML Covention Muslim League Coun ML Council Muslim League COP Combined Opposition Parties CWO Commonwealth Organization DAC Democratic Action Committee DPR Defense of Pakistan Rules EBDO Elective Bodies Disqualification Order ECP Election Commission of Pakistan EP East Pakistan FRB Federal Review Board FSF Federal Security Force IRSP International Research Support Initiative Program ISI Inter Services Intelligence JI Jamaat-i-Islami JUP Jamiat-i-Ulama-i-Pakistan 6 JUI Jamiat-i-Ulama-i-Islam KP Khyber Pukhtunkhwa KSP Krishak Sramik Party KT Khaksar Tehrik LFO Legal Framework Order NAP National Awami Party NAP (W) National Awami Party (Wali Khan Group) NDC National Documentation Centre NDP National Democratic Party NDU National Defense University (Islamabad) NWFP North West Frontier Province PDM Pakistan Democratic Movement PDP Pakistan Democratic Party PM Prime Minister PMLQ Pakistan Muslim League Qayyum Group PNA Pakistan National Alliance PNC Pakistan National Centre POW Prisoner of War PPP Pakistan Peoples Party PRB People‘s Representation Bill PRODA Public and Representative offices (Disqualification) Act PSP Pakistan Socialist Party PTV Pakistan Television 7 QAU Quaid-e-Azam University (Islamabad) RTC Round Table Conference SEATO South East Asia Treaty Organization TI Tehrik-i-Istiqlal UDF United Democratic Front UF United Front UK United Kingdom US United States WP West Pakistan Z. A. Bhutto Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto 8 TABLE OF CONTENTS S. No Titles Page No Acknowledgement…………………………………………………. i Abstract………….…………………………………………………. iii List of Abbreviations……………………………………………… iv Chapter: 1 INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………… 1 1.1. Statement of the Problem……………………………………… 4 1.2. Objectives of the Study………………………………………… 5 1.3. Research Questions……………………………………………... 6 1.4. Literature Review ……………………………………………… 6 1.5. Significance of the Study………………………………………... 13 1.6. Methodology…………………………………………………….. 14 1.7. Data Collection………………………………………………….. 14 1.8. Limitations ……………………………………………………… 16 1.9. Chapter Structure 17 Chapter: 2 FUNCTIONAL DEMOCRACY: AN ANALYSIS OF THE KEY COMPONENTS………………………………………………….... 20 2.1. Introduction………………………………………………….. 20 2.2. Elements of Democracy relating to the Study …………….. 22 2.2.1. Respect for Majority Rule and Minority Rights……………… 22 2.2.2. Free, Fair and Impartial Elections…………………………… 23 2.2.3. Rule of Law…………………………………………………. 25 2.2.4. Separation of Powers and Independence of Judiciary……… 26 2.2.5. Independent Media………………………………………….. 26 2.2.6. Conflict and Consensus ……………………………………… 27 2.2.7. Accountability of Government……………………………….. 28 2.3. What is a Political Party……………………………………… 29 2.4. Democracy and Political Parties……………………………… 30 2.5. The Need for Political Parties………………………………….. 32 2.6. Political Conflicts and their Resolution in a Democratic ……… 33 2.7. Importance of Political Parties to Democracies……………….. 34 2.8. Opposition in Democracy……………………………………… 37 2.9. Importance of Opposition in a Democratic system ………….. 38 2.10. Rights and Responsibilities of Opposition …………………… 39 2.11. Role and Obligations of Opposition………………………….. 41 2.11.1. Opposition as the Voice of the Voiceless ……………………. 44 2.11.2. To Offer a Viable Alternative to the Government ………….. 44 2.11.3. Seeking Accountability of Government……………………… 45 2.11.4. To Oppose the Government in Power……………………….. 45 2.11.5. In Case of National Tragedy and National Glory…………… 46 9 Chapter: 3 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND………………………………… 48 3.1. Introduction…………………………………………………….. 48 3.2. Political Instability After Independence……………………….. 48 3.3. Political Parties and Democracy in Post Independence Pakistan.. 51 3.4. The Situation during 1954 Elections……………………………. 55 3.5. Lack of Elections in Pakistan…………………………………… 57 3.6. Delayed Framing of Constitution……………………………….. 58 3.7. Bureaucratic and Military Influence in the Politics of Pakistan… 62 3.8. Pak-India Comparative Study…………………………………… 65 3.9. Military Intervention and Decade of Military Rule……………... 66 3.10. 1965 War, Tashkent Declaration and Bhutto‘s Maneuvering…. 75 3.11. The Formation of Pakistan Peoples Party …………………… 77 3.12. Opposition to Ayub Khan…………………………………….. 83 3.13. Transfer of Power from Military Man to his Comrade in Arm .. 87 3.14. 1970 Elections and Yahya Khan………………………………. 90 3.14.1. Competing Political Parties in 1970 Elections……………… 91 3.14.2. Campaign for the Elections and Politicians Maneuvering……