Governments and Politics in

Pakistan
CHAPTER 5
Pakistan 1947 to 1958 (Establishment)

 Immediately after independence, Pakistan had to deal with a massive refugee

problem.
 while 5.3 million Hindus fled from Punjab and Sindh into India.
 5.9 million Muslims fled from India into West Pakistan. 3.3 million Hindus
fled East Bengal, 1.3 million Muslims fled from India into East Bengal.
 Pakistan 1947 to 1958 (Establishment)

 Another problem was formed by the 500+ Indian principalities who had been
'indirectly' ruled by Britain.
 Both India and Pakistan expected these to opt for either of them.
 While this went through without major complication in most cases, for
instance Bahawalpur was integrated into Pakistan's province of Punjab, the case
of Kashmir was complex.
 The vast majority of Kashmir was and is Muslim; the fathers of Pakistan
therefore counted on it forming a central element of the new state. However, the
Rajah of Jammu and Kashmir , a Hindu, opted for India.
Pakistan 1947 to 1958 (Establishment)

 The First Indo-Pakistani War of 1948 was fought over the issue; the result was
that Kashmir was partitioned, the smaller western part being held by Pakistan, the larger
eastern and central part held by India.
Government

 Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan and the country's first governor-general,
died in 1948.
 A provisional constitution was promulgated in 1951, ending the status of Pakistan as a
dominion.
 In 1956 Pakistan was declared a Federal Islamic Republic, the constitution promulgated.
 The government was moved from Karachi to Rawalpindi in 1958. After a military coup
d'etat in 1958, Gen. Ayub Khan assumed the presidency in 1960.
Foreign Policy

 Pakistan fought a war with India in 1948, which was followed by an Indo-
Pakistani Cold War.
 India in 1949 declared Pakistan to be a foreign nation, and thus the Indo-Pakistani
trade subject to customs tariffs.
 India claimed full control over her waterways; Pakistan's main rivers enter the
country from Indian territory.
 Pakistan was a member of the Commonwealth of Nations and sought close
cooperation with Islamic countries.
 Pakistan established diplomatic relations with the United States in 1949, with
the USSR and the PRC in 1950.
Foreign Policy

 In 1954, Pakistan joined SEATO (In September of 1954, the United States, France, Great
Britain, New Zealand, Australia, the Philippines, Thailand and Pakistan formed the
Southeast Asia Treaty Organization, or SEATO. The purpose of the organization was to
prevent communism from gaining ground in the region.
 In 1955, Pakistan and Iran acceded to the Baghdad Pact (also called CENTO,
between Great Britain, Turkey and Iraq). (was a military alliance of the Cold War. It was
formed in 1955 by Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Turkey and the United Kingdom and dissolved in
1979.)
 Domestic Policies

 he early years of Pakistani history (1947-1958) were marked by political instability.

 The nation's geography posed problems; not only was East Bengal remote from the larger
West, but also the connection of the new capital Karachi with the most densely populated
province of Punjab was poor.
 The partition of the Punjab, Bengal and Kashmir caused further problems; the traditional
Punjabi capital of Lahore now found itself on the Indian border, having lost the eastern
part of its hinterland. East Bengal was cut off from her traditional capital and port,
Calcutta.
 In March 1954, the Muslim League suffered a crushing defeat in elections in East Bengal.
Bengali was declared official language in East Bengal.
Domestic Policies

 In July 1954, Communist parties in both parts of Pakistan were declared illegal.
 In 1955 the provinces were abolished, replaced by East Bengal and West Pakistan. An act
of 1957 abolished the separate electorates for Muslims and Non-Muslims, established in
1909.
The Economy

 In 1948-1951 Pakistan's economic policy was focussed on solving problems of

the day, the integration of large numbers of refugees, questions arising from the
development of Indo-Pakistani relations.
 When Britain devaluated the Pound Sterling and the Indian Rupee followed suit
in 1951, Pakistan maintained the value of her Rupee, which resulted in her main
export products, to a large part traditionally sold to markets within the British
Empire and Commonwealth, becoming more expensive; Pakistan experienced a
recession. Pakistan did devaluate her currency in July 1955.
 The Economy

 In June 1951 the National Development Plan was launched. The partition of British India
into India and Pakistan had left the latter with a partially truncated infrastructure; the emphasis
of the NDP lay thus in infrastructure projects turning the existing infrastructure into a
functioning national one, while securing the food supply and developing the country's
industries. The projects were financed with Colombo Plan credits and other overseas loans.
Several hydroelectric dams constructed in the NWFP, as part of the NDP, had both economic
and political purpose, as the Pakistani government feared India might divert the headwaters of
the main rivers on which Pakistan depended for irrigation. In 1954 construction of a pipeline to
transport gas from gas fields in Baluchistan to Pakistan's industrial centers was begun.
A Five Year Development Plan for 1955-1960 was launched.
 Pakistan1958 to 1971(Government)

 In 1958, in East Pakistan governor's rule was introduced.

 After a military coup d'etat in Oct. 1958, Gen. Ayub Khan assumed the presidency in
1960.
 Martial law was introduced. Constituencies were reorganized. A new constitution was
promulgated in 1962. Ayub Khan had little regard for democratic parties and politicians;
he regarded democracy unsuitable for a country like Pakistan.
 Reelected in January 1965, resigned in 1969 and was succeeded by General Yahya Khan,
who would be in office until 1971
 Pakistan1958 to 1971(Government)

 Yahya Khan, in response to demands of the opposition, promised "to return power
to the people“.
 oth Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto (PPP) and Sheikh Mijibur Rakhman (AL) pressed for
restructuring Pakistan according federal lines; General Yahya Khan responded by
threatening to use the army in order to prevent the disintegration of Pakistan.
 On March 26th, hostilities between the Pakistani army and pro-autonomy
Bengalese broke out, and the independence of Bangladesh was proclaimed. Yahya
Khan resigned following the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 and was succeeded by
Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto.
Foreign Policy

 In 1960, Nehru, PM of India, visited Pakistan and signed the Indus Water
Treaty.
 In 1962, Pakistan, Iran and Turkey established RCD (Regional Cooperation for
Development, dissolved in 1979). With the west supporting India in the Sino-
Indian War of 1962, Pakistan reassessed her foreign policy. (The Sino-Indian
War, also known as the Indo-China War and Sino-Indian Border Conflict, was a
war between China and India that occurred in 1962.)
 in 1962, Pakistan and the PR China signed an agreement over their mutual
borders.
 Foreign Policy

 Relations with India deteriorated in the fall of 1963, as both countries

expelled the diplomats of the other.
 EastPakistan experienced the arrival of a new wave of Muslim refugees
from West Bengal ; anti-Hindu riots broke out in East Bengal.
 Pakistan improved her relations with the USSR.
 Foreign Policy

 Pakistan fought three wars with India, in 1948, 1965 and in 1971.
 he Second Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, triggered by India's announcement to change the
status of Indian-held Jammu & Kashmir, was ended by the Tashkent Agreement of Jan.
1966, mediated by the USSR.
 Now Pakistan reassessed her foreign policy, placing more importance on her relations
with Asian states, most notably the PR China and Indonesia.
 the level of foreign financial assistance granted to Pakistan declined. India's increased
military budget (1967), mainly for arms purchased from the USSR, resulted in
deterioration of Pakistan's relations with the USSR.
Foreign Policy

 The war of 1971 began as a confrontation between the Pakistani military and
autonomy-minded Bengalese.
 When an anonymous radio broadcast the declaration of an independent Bangladesh
(March 26th), violence escalated. A massive flow of refugees poured
into India. India interfered (Nov. 22nd), Pakistan was defeated, Bangladesh gained
independence.
Domestic Policies

 The economy of East Pakistan depended heavily on the export of jute.

 General Ayub Khan (in charge 1958/1960-1969) implemented a land reform
(1959), breaking the hold of the traditional feudal landowners and granting it to
peasants. In the cities a policy to tear down slums was implemented.
 The early years of Pakistani history (1947-1958) were marked by political
instability; by imposing martial law, Ayyub Khan was able to provide a degree of
political stability, despite upheaval caused by the Second Indo-Pakistani War.
 The Economy

 The country's first five year plan ended in 1960, succeeded by the Second five year plan
(1961-1965) and the Third Five Year Plan (1965-1970), which had to be revised because of
the Second Indo-Pakistani War (1965) and because of natural disasters. "The outstanding
feature of 1966 was the speed and elasticity of Pakistan's recovery from the severe strain of
the war with India"
 The construction of hydroelectric dams supported irrigation schemes, which, in combination
with the land reform of 1959, resulted in a considerable increase of agricultural production.
 The five year plans facilitated the establishment of new industrial facilities, for instance a
steel mill and an oil refinery in East Pakistan in 1966; the country's industrial production
grew from year to year.
Pakistan since 1971 (Government)

 In 1973, President Yahya Khan stepped down and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto,
leader of the PPP (Pakistan's Peoples' Party) succeeded him in office; he
was to stay in power until ousted by a military coup d'etat in 1977.
 Foreign Policy

 In 1972 Pakistan left both the Commonwealth and SEATO.

 Relations with India, after the 1971 war, were normalized in 1972, but remained risky.
 In 1973 Pakistan formally recognized Bangladesh.
 Pakistan had good relations with the PRC; the Karakorum highway was built in order to improve
communication with that country.
 Relations with India remained the defining issue in Pakistani policy. After three wars in just over two
decades (1948, 1965, 1971), which, apart from the humiliating defeat in 1971 saw Pakistan receive over
10 million Muslim refugees from other regions of the Indian subcontinent (in 1948) and left the
Kashmir issue, from a Pakistani point of view, unsettled, Pakistan entered into an arms race with her
neighbour India.
 The Economy

 In the long turn, Bangladesh's independence was a blessing for (truncated) Pakistan, because the former East Pakistan no
longer had to be subsidized.
 The Bhutto administration nationalized major industries (steel ind., chemical ind., cement industry; insurances, domestic
banks, schools, universities).
 The construction of the Karakorum opened up a trade route with the PRC, which with increased in importance with the
gradual liberalization of the Chinese economy.
 Bhutto believed in socialism, in the modernization of Pakistan's economy by state interference and planning.
 Pakistan 1977-1988 (Government)

 In 1977, the Bhutto administration was toppled by a military coup d'etat. General
Zia ul Haq assumed the presidency.
 Foreign Policy

 Relations with India remained the defining issue for Pakistan's foreign policy.
 Good relations with the PRC were maintained, the arms race with India continued; Pakistan,
which under Zia ul Haq emphasized the country's Islamic identity stronger than its predecessor,
sought and received financial aid from countries such as Saudi Arabia.
 In 1979, Soviet forces invaded Afghanistan. The Mujahedeen resisted Soviet occupation and the
Afghan puppet administration installed by the Soviets.
 The resistance relied on supplies, coming from or channelled through Pakistan. The country also
received millions of Afghan refugees, lodged in camps on the Pakistani side of the border. US
relations with Pakistan improved, because the US actively supported the Mujahedeen and needed
Pakistani support in order to do so.
The Economy

 The Zia ul Haq administration pursued the policy of privatizing the state-owned industries
(nationalized by the Bhutto administration in the early 1970es). Trade with the PRC
increased; the Pakistani Rupee continued to gradually loose value compared to the US
Dollar.
 Domestic Policy

 With the Zia ul Haq administration strongly emphasizing Islam as the foundation for
Pakistani politics, the conservative tribes of Baluchistan and the North West Frontier
Priovince had less of a reason to maintain a relellious attitude, and the threat of a
secession of Baluchistan was avoided.
 The mainly urban support base of the PPP was disgruntled (their leader Zulfiqar Ali
Bhutto being the victim of judicial murder in 1979); but the cities of Pakistan were
under the control of the military; martial law lasted until 1985.
Pakistan 1988-1999 (Government)

 General Zia ul Haq died in a plane crash in 1988.

 Democratic elections were held, won by the PPP; Benazir Bhutto, daughter of
Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, assumed the office of PM.
 She was dismissed in 1990, succeeded by an administration led by Nawaz
Sharif.
 1993 elections returned Benazir Bhutto into office; she again as dismissed in
1996, and Nawaz Sharif again took on the ofice of PM; he was ousted by a
military coup d'etat in 1999.
 Foreign Policy

 The USSR withdrew her forces from Afghanistan (1989); the Soviet-installed
administration fell in 1992, leaving behind a power vacuum as the Mujahedeen -
actually seven rebel factions - soon turned on each other; most of them depended on
supplies coming through Pakistan.
 In 1994-1996 the Taleban (with a logistic base in Pakistan) took over most of
Afghanistan. Benazir Bhutto similarily supported Kashmir separatists, which resulted
in a deterioration of rel;ations with India, which continued to be poor under her two-
time uccessor Nawab Sharif; in 1999 India and Pakistan fought a limited war on the
Kashmir Line of Control.
The Economy

 The Afghan civil war, the conflict over Kashmir, the arms race
India and Pakistan were involved in (in 1998 both India and
Pakistan announced that they were nuclear powers) were costly, too
costly. The country's GNP, between 1997 and 2002, shrank. A
program of economic liberalization, implemented by Nawaz Sharif
in 1991, did not immediately show the results hoped for. Pakistan
joined the WTO in 1995.
Domestic Policy

 During the democratic decade 1988-1999, Pakistan seemed fractioned, largely on

an ethnic basis, political parties, for instance in the case of the MQM (Muhajir
Qaumi Movement, est. 1984) representing the Urdu-speaking community
(refugees who arrived in Pakistan in 1948 and their descendents, concentrated in
the southern cities of Karachi and Hyderabad. A permanent opposition, the MQM
organized a revolt in 1992, which was suppressed byu security forces; the MQM
split, and entered into a factional feud.
In 1991 Shariah law was formally incorporated into Pakistani law.