Viewers would recall the guest interview of General Mirza Aslam Baig on ARY TV news on views programme. He has said that every time when martial law was imposed in Pakistan, that agitation has been raised against the established government at the instance of a foreign power. This was done during the days of Ayub Khan, when the prime leader of the opposition was Mr. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, being a member of Field Marshal Ayub Khan’s cabinet he had ostensibly in his possession some very important secrets of the government, which he very admirably used as the Tashkent cat. The wonder of wonders is that this cat never came out of Mr. Bhutto’s bag right from Tashkent down to the gallows.
During the Indo-Pak war of 1965, which was a foolish move initiated at the advice of Mr. Bhutto, who never expected India to cross the International border, as all is fair in love and war, India did cross the International border on 6th September 1965 when Field Marshal Mohammed Ayub Khan delivered his very popular and inspiring speech to the nation to pull up their socks, the nation did respond to the call of the leader and there are hundreds of examples of the civilians love for their arm forces and the heroic defense of the country. One wrong move in love and war does have an effect on the out come and this is what happened in 1965. The Russians saw an opportunity to establish their superiority and therefore offered to mediate, Ayub Khan was in a dilemma, whether to accept the Russian offer and wrangle out of the devastating war, which would not be America’s cup of tea. However be that as it may, Ayub Khan did obtain the approval of American master to participate in Tashkent Conference. So this was the Tashkent story and as events would turn out to be Mr. Bhutto’s Tashkent cat. There was nothing in the bag except a political gimmick.
After having become annoyed with Ayub Khan’s handling of un-American political situation in the country. The Americans gave the go ahead for the deposition of Ayub Khan. Naturally Bhutto was the most pliable leader to do the job for the Americans. Thus ended Ayub Khan’s civilian rule, Ayub Khan ignominiously handed over power in violation of his own constitution to the Commander-in-Chief General Yahya Khan. General Yahya entered the President’s House for frolic and fun, while the government was being run by civilian and military bureaucracy, who had little to care about the nation and the country. Yahya Khan’s regime lasted for two years, which ended up with the debacle of East Pakistan and emergence of Bangladesh.
Bhutto got the reward for his service to his masters during the agitation against Ayub Khan and he became the first civilian Chief Marshal Law Administrator and the most powerful President of Pakistan.
His rule starts with ambitious ambition, he wanted power to be centralized in his hands, he nationalized heavy industry and Pakistani Banks and flour, ginning and rice husking mills, he also entered into nuclear regimentation, this irked the Americans and the then visiting Secretary of State Henry Kissinger warned Mr. Bhutto that they will make a horrible example of Mr. Bhutto and that they did as the events proved later.
Aiming at time to fulfil his agenda Mr. Bhutto declared general elections ahead of time in March 1977 and the opposition took to the streets. Bhutto’s thumping victory gave the opposition an easy ploy of rigging the elections on March 7th 1977. This was again at the behest of the American masters; million and million of dollars were pumped into the opposition leaders, this time the opposition leaders were working under instructions from CIA man. Is it not a pity that these people are now biting the same hands in 2002, which fed them in 1965, 1977 and 1996. This is how the diplomacy runs and no country can progress unless they work on their own agenda for the betterment and development of their country and the nation. Finally Mr. Bhutto went to the gallows unwept and unsung not only by his American friends but also by his own party men.
Benazir Bhutto met her waterloo in 1992 and 1996, first her attitude in Gulf War was not pro America and in her second term in 1996, according to her Interior Minister General (Retd.) Naseerullah Babar, Benazir’s government was actively involved in establishing a broad based government in Afghanistan with Taliban, Hikmat Yar, Burhan uddin Farooqi, Rashid Dostum, Ahmed Shah Masood, which was not in American interest then, so she was packed home again, on these occasions the ouster of rulers by Americans was easy as they just gave a nod of the head to Mr. Ghulam Ishaq Khan the then President of Pakistan, who acted very obediently to frame charge sheet against the elected government and also to Mr. Farooq Ahmed Khan Leghari, a protégé of Benazirs father. To frame charges against a sitting government is not a difficult task and the pliable President of Pakistan did not have much homework to do on this account.
Nawaz Sharif followed Benazir Bhutto in the top slot of the government of Pakistan and fell from favours of the American President for not following his advise of not detonating the nuclear bomb in May 1998. This as usual was followed by an internecine warfare between the elected government of Prime Minister, the President and the then Army Chief. The unfortunate feature of this melee was that His Lordship the Chief Justice of Pakistan entered the foray, the result was an attack on the Supreme Court by the political hoodlums resulting in the flight of Their Lordships to their chambers wrapping their gowns around them, a thing shameful to the entire judiciary, which is one of the pillars of the state. Thus ended the rule of Nawaz Sharif in which the then Army Chief had to resign and so had the President of Pakistan.
The viewers of ARY TV programme would wonder about the role of General Mirza Aslam Baig when he himself was the Army Chief, he is on record to have said that he paid Rs. 140 million to the ISI for political maneuvering, where did this money come from? And who have been the beneficiaries of this amount. Will ARY TV again hold a programme on this issue and question the conduct of ex-Army Chief while in uniform.
The President of Jamat-e-Islami is on record to have said that he wants an exploitation free society to be established in Pakistan on Islamic lines as and when they get a chance. He did get a chance in the first IJI government, but as usual the members of the government and political parties in IJI government made hey while the sunshines. On top of it what is the Jamat-e-Islami version to all that what has been narrated above vis-é-vis American interference in politics of Pakistan. What role Jamat-e-Islami has played in this period of time for the solidarity and prosperity of the country and the nation.
As it is the role of political parties is not very laudable, they have not taken Pakistan politics to a level where the nation could be benefited one way or the other. Politics in Pakistan has become more a gainful profession than for the service to the nation and the country, the malady starts right from day one when the leaders of All India Muslim League migrated to the E’ldorado and got busy in allotments of urban and rural properties left by the emigrants than to build the nation and the country.
Mr. Ali Ashraf Khan is a Pakistani Businessman and Ex-Politician who bid good bye to politics in order to concentrate on more useful service benefit of the political intrigues prevalent in the National Political life of Pakistan. He frequently writes for English and Urdu newspapers in Pakistan.
