MUHAMMAD ZIA-UL-HAQ

'General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq' () (b. August 12 1924–August 17 1988) was the head of state of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan from July 1977 to August 1988. Appointed Chief of Army Staff in 1976, General Zia-ul-Haq came to power after he overthrew ruling Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in a bloodless military coup d'état on July 5, 1977 and became the state's third ruler to impose martial law. He assumed the post of President of Pakistan in September 1978.
He died in an aircraft crash on August 17, 1988 under still unknown circumstances. His death ended his eleven-year military dictatorship over Pakistan.

Early life

Zia, (more appropriate Arabic transliteration: Dhia), a member of the Arain caste, was born in Jalandhar, India, in 1924 as the second child of an Islamic school teacher named Muhammad Akbar. He completed his initial education in Simla and then at St. Stephen's College, Delhi. He was commissioned in the British Indian Army in a cavalry regiment in 1943 and served during World War II. After Pakistan gained its independence, Zia joined the newly formed Pakistani Army as a major. He trained in the United States in 1962–1964 at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, Zia was a tank commander.^[1] He was stationed in Jordan from 1967 to 1970, helping in the training of Jordanian soldiers, as well as leading the training mission into battle during the Black September in Jordan operations, a strategy that proved crucial to King Hussein's remaining in power. On 1 April 1976, Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto appointed Zia-ul-Haq as 'Chief of Army Staff', ahead of a number of more senior officers.

Popular unrest and coup

Prime Minister Bhutto began facing considerable criticism and increasing unpopularity as his term progressed.^[2]. Initially targeting leader of the opposition Abdul Wali Khan and his opposition National Awami Party (NAP). Despite the ideological similarity of the two parties, the clash of egos both inside and outside the National Assembly became increasingly fierce, starting with the Federal governments decision to oust the NAP provincial government in Balochistan for alleged secessionist activities^[3] and culminating in the banning of the party and arrest of much of its leadership after the death of a close lieutenant of Bhutto's, Hayat Khan Sherpao in a bomb blast in the frontier town of Peshawar.
Dissidence also increased within the PPP, and the murder of dissident leader Ahmed Raza Kasuri's father led to public outrage and intra-party hostility as Bhutto was accused of masterminding the crime. Powerful PPP leaders such as Ghulam Mustafa Khar openly condemned Bhutto and called for protests against his regime. The political crisis in the NWFP and Balochistan intensified as civil liberties remained suspended, and an estimated 100,000 troops deployed there were accused of abusing human rights and killing large numbers of civilians.^[4] On January 8, 1977 a large number of opposition political parties grouped to form the Pakistan National Alliance.^[4] Bhutto called fresh elections, and PNA participated in those elections in full force. They managed to contest the elections jointly even though there were grave splits on opinions and views within the party. PNA faced defeat but did not accept the results, alleging that the election was rigged. First, they claimed rigging for 14 seats and, finally, for 40 seats in National Assembly. They proceeded to boycott the Provisional elections. Despite this, there was high voter turn out in national elections; howerver, as provincial elections were held amidst low voter turnout and an opposition boycott, the PNA declared the newly-elected Bhutto government as illegitimate. Firebrand Islamic leaders such as Maulana Maududi called for the overthrow of Bhutto's regime.^[2] Political and civil disorder intensified, which led to more unrest.^[7] On July 5, 1977, Bhutto and members of his cabinet were arrested by troops under the order of General Zia.^[4]

Postponement of elections and call for accountability

After assuming power as 'Chief Martial Law Administrator', General Zia promised to hold National and Provincial Assembly elections in the next 90 days and to hand over power to the representatives of the nation. He also stated that the constitution had not been abrogated whatsoever, but had been temporarily suspended. However, in October 1977, he announced the postponement of the electoral plan and decided to start an accountability process of the politicians. Zia said that he changed his decision due to the strong public demand for the scrutiny of political leaders who had indulged in malpractice in the past (a large number of both PNA and PPP members had asked General Zia to postpone the elections). Thus the "retribution first, elections later", PNA policy was adopted.
A Disqualification Tribunal was formed and several individuals who were once Members of Parliament were charged with malpractice and disqualified from participating in politics at any level for the next seven years. A White Paper document was issued, incriminating the deposed Bhutto government on several counts.

Reign as chief Martial Law administrator

The Doctrine of Necessity

Nusrat Bhutto, the wife of the deposed Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, filed a suit against General Zia's military regime, challenging the validity of the July 1977 military coup. The Supreme Court of Pakistan ruled, in what would later be known as 'the Doctrine of Necessity', that, given the dangerously unstable political situation of the time, General Zia's overthrowing of the Bhutto government was legal on the grounds of necessity. The judgment tightened the general's hold on the government.

Assumption of the post of President of Pakistan

Despite the dismissal of most of the Bhutto government, the President of Pakistan, Fazal Ilahi Chaudhry, was persuaded to continue in office. After completing his term, and despite General Zia's insistence to accept an extension as President, Mr Chaudhry resigned, and General Zia also assumed the office of President of Pakistan on September 16, 1978. As acting Chief Martial Law Administrator and President of Pakistan, General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq cemented his position as the undisputed ruler of the country.

The trial of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto

On April 4, 1979, the former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was hanged, after the Supreme Court upheld the death sentence as passed by the Lahore High Court. The Supreme Court ruled four to three in favor of execution. The High Court had given him the death sentence on charges of the murder of the father of Ahmed Raza Kasuri, a dissident PPP politician. Despite many clemency appeals from foreign leaders requesting Zia to commute Bhutto's death sentence, Zia dismissed the appeals as "trade union activity" and upheld the death sentence. The hanging of an elected prime minister by a military dictator was condemned by the international community and by lawyers and jurists across Pakistan.

Immediate stabilization of Balochistan

Declaration of an Amnesty

On assuming power, General Zia inherited armed secessionist uprisings in Pakistan's largest province, Balochistan, from the Bhutto era. Tribal unrest and feudal clashes were moving the province towards a precarious position. The general acted quickly, offering a general amnesty to those who gave up arms and moving for the appeasement of the tribal unrest. When this had little effect on the prevailing situation there, Zia withdrew troops from the province, ending much of the civil disobedience movements.
Gen Zia's era is considered golden time for Balochistan. Heavy investment was done in the province with some mega projects.

Appointment of Rahimuddin Khan as Martial Law Governor

Zia then appointed General Rahimuddin Khan, whose previously distinguished career made him stand out among his peers, to the post of Martial Law Governor of Balochistan (and later Governor of Sindh). General Rahimuddin then embarked on a provincial policy that completely isolated feudal families from the government. His authoritarian rule crushed any remaining civil unrest within Balochistan.
This garnered controversy over Zia's appointing of the dictatorial Rahimuddin, as the latter would go on to concentrate power solely with the provincial military regime and mostly act independently of the central government. The controversy eventually dissipated after the impressive progress Balochistan went through during Rahimuddin's lengthy rule (1978-1984), which was to remain characterized by the isolation of feudal families from provincial policy.

Reign as President of Pakistan

Formation of Majlis-e-Shoora

Main articles: Majlis-e-Shoora

In the absence of a Parliament, General Zia decided to set up an alternative system. He introduced Majlis-e-Shoora in 1980. Most of the members of the Shoora were intellectuals, scholars, ulema, journalists, economists and professionals belonging to different fields of life. The Shoora was to act as a board of advisors to the President. All 284 members of the Shoora were to be nominated by the President.

Referendum of 1984

General Zia eventually decided to hold elections in the country. But before handing over the power to the public representatives, he decided to secure his position as the head of state. A referendum was held in December 1984, and the option was to elect or reject the General as the future President. The question asked in the referendum was whether the people of Pakistan wanted Islamic Sharia law enforced in the country. According to the official result, more than 95% of the votes were cast in favor of Zia-ul-Haq, thus he was elected as President for the next five years. However, they were marred by allegations of widespread irregularities and technical violations of the laws and ethics of democratic elections.

The Eighth Amendment and elections of 1985

After being elected President, Zia-ul-Haq decided to hold elections in the country in February 1985 on a non-party basis. Most of the opposing political parties decided to boycott the elections but election results showed that many victors belonged to one party or the other. To make things easier for himself, the General nominated the Prime Minister from amongst the Members of the Assembly. To many, his nomination of Muhammad Khan Junejo as the Prime Minister was because he wanted a simple person at the post who would act as a puppet in his hands. Before handing over the power to the new Government he made certain Amendments in the Constitution and got them endorsed from the Parliament before lifting the state of emergency in the country. Due to this Eighth Amendment in the Constitution, the powers of the President were increased to an absolute level on the plea of safeguarding national integrity.

Involvement in the Soviet-Afghan War

The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan

On December 25, 1979, the Soviet Union, a superpower at the time, invaded Afghanistan. That was direct threat to security of Pakistan, which Zia resisted.

International standing enhancement and resumption of aid

President Zia's international standing greatly rose after his declaration to fight the Soviet invaders, as he went from being portrayed as just another military dictator to a champion of the free world by the Western media. Indeed, Pakistan-United States relations, which had hit a low-point after the burning down of a Pakistan-based US Embassy by fundamentalists in 1979, took a much more positive turn. U.S. President Jimmy Carter and his Secretary of State, Cyrus Vance, cut off U.S. aid to Pakistan on the grounds that Pakistan had not made sufficient progress on the nuclear issue. Then, on December 25, 1979, the Soviets invaded Afghanistan, and Carter offered Pakistan $325 million in aid over three years. Zia rejected this as "peanuts." Carter also signed the finding in 1980 that allowed less than $50 million a year to go to the Mujahideen. After Ronald Reagan came to office, defeating Carter for the US Presidency in 1980, all this changed. Aid to the Afghan resistance, and to Pakistan, increased substantially.
The United States, faced with a rival superpower looking as if it were to create another Communist bloc, now engaged Zia to fight a US-aided war by proxy in Afghanistan against the Soviets.

Fighting the war by proxy

President Zia now found himself in a position to demand billions of dollars in aid for the Mujahideen from the Western states, famously dismissing a United States proposed 325 million dollar aid package as "peanuts". Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence and Special Service Group now became actively involved in the conflict, and in cooperation with the CIA and the United States Army Special Forces supported the armed struggle against the Soviets.
After succeeding Jimmy Carter in 1980, Ronald Reagan became the new President of the United States of America. Reagan was completely against the Soviet Union and its Communist satellites, dubbing it "the Evil Empire". Reagan now increased financial aid heading for Pakistan. Then, in 1981, the Reagan Administration sent the first of forty F-16 jet fighters to the Pakistanis. But the Soviets kept control of the Afghan skies.
Accordingly, the Soviets declared a policy of national reconciliation. In January they announced that a Soviet withdrawal was no longer linked to the makeup of the Afghan government remaining behind.

General Zia-ul-Haq's Islamization

Main articles: Zia-ul-Haq's Islamization

On December 2, 1978, on the occasion of the first day of the Hijra to enforce the Islamic system in Pakistan in a nationwide address, General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq accused politicians of exploiting the name of Islam: "''Many a ruler did what they pleased in the name of Islam.''"
After assuming power, the government began a program of public commitment to enforce Nizam-e-Islam (Islamic System), a 180 degree turn from Pakistan's predominantly Anglo-Saxon Law, inherited from the British. As a preliminary measure to establish an Islamic society in Pakistan, General Zia announced the establishment of Shariah Benches.
Under Offenses Against Property (Enforcement of Hudood Ordinance 1979), the punishment of imprisonment or fine, or both, as provided in the existing Penal Code of Pakistan for theft, was substituted by the amputation of the right hand of the offender from the joint of the wrist by a surgeon. For robbery, the right hand of the offender from the wrist and his left foot from the ankle should be amputated by a surgeon. 'Hudood' (حدود, also transliterated 'Hadud', 'Hudud'; plural for ''Hadh'', حد, limit, or restriction) is the word often used in Islamic social and legal literature for the bounds of acceptable behaviour. Although the punishment were imposed but the witnesses and prosecution system remained Anglo-Saxon. As in Islamic laws Hudud can only be given if 4 winesses saw the crime happen.
In legal terms, (Islamic law being usually referred to as ''Sharia'', شريعة) the term is used to describe laws that define a certain level of crime classification. Crimes classified under ''Hudud'' are the most severe of crimes, such as murder, theft, and adultery. There are minor differences in views between the four major Sunni ''madhhabs'' about sentencing and specifications for these laws. It is often argued that, since Sharia is God's law and states certain punishments for each crime, they are immutable. It has been argued by some, that the Hudud portion of Sharia is incompatible with humanism or human rights. Although the Hud punishment were imposed but the Islamic law of evidence was not implemented and remained British in origin. As in Islamic laws Hudud punishments can only be given if 4 winesses saw the crime happen. In reality hardly anyone can be punished by Islamic Hud laws as very rarely can the conditions for punishment be met, they are meant to create taboos in society.
Drinking of wine (i.e. all alcoholic drinks) was not a crime at all under the Penal Code of Pakistan. In 1977, however, the drinking and selling of wine by Muslims was banned in Pakistan and the sentence of imprisonment of six months or a fine of Rs. 5000/-, or both, was provided in that law.
Under the Zina Ordinance, the provisions relating to adultery were replaced so that the women and the man guilty will be flogged, each of them, with one hundred lashes, if unmarried. And if they are married they shall be stoned to death. Stoning to death cannot be found in Quran, but in the authentic Hadith literature. In Islamic laws Hudud punishments can only be given if 4 witnesses saw the crime happen. In reality hardly anyone can be punished by Islamic Hud laws as very rarely can the conditions of evidence for punishment be met, they are meant to create taboos in society.
The Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and the Criminal Procedure Code were amended, through ordinances in 1980, 1982 and 1986 to declare anything implying disrespect to Muhammad, Ahle Bait (family of Muhammad), Sahaba (companions of Muhammad) and Sha'ar-i-Islam (Islamic symbols), a cognizable offence, punishable with imprisonment or fine, or with both.
Another addition to the laws was Ordinance XX OF 1984. Under this, Ahmadis were barred from calling themselves Muslims, or using Islamic terminology or practicing Islamic rituals. This effectively resulted in turning the Ahamdiyya community of Pakistan into outlaws.

Dismissal of the Junejo government and call for fresh elections

As time passed, the Parliamentarians wanted to have more freedom and power. By the beginning of 1988, rumors about the differences between Prime Minister Junejo and President Zia were rife. On May 29, 1988, President Zia dissolved the National Assembly and removed the Prime Minister under article 58(2) b of the amended Constitution. Apart from many other reasons, Junejo's decision to sign the Geneva Accord against the wishes of General Zia, and his open declarations of removing any military personnel found responsible for an explosion at a munitions dump at Ojhri earlier in the year, proved to be some of the major factors responsible for his removal.
After eleven years, General Zia-ul-Haq once again promised the nation that he would hold fresh elections within the next ninety days. The late Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's daughter Benazir Bhutto had returned from exile earlier in 1986, and had announced contesting the elections. With Benazir's popularity growing, and a decrease in international aid following the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan, Zia was trapped in a difficult political situation.

Death

===The August 17 air crash===
As he was grappling with these problems, however, General Zia-ul-Haq died in a plane crash on August 17 1988. After witnessing a tank inspection in Bahawalpur, Zia had left the small town in Punjab province by C-130 Hercules aircraft. Shortly after a smooth take-off, the control tower lost contact with the aircraft. Witnesses who saw the plane in the air afterwards claim it was flying erratically. Directly afterwards, the aircraft nosedived before exploding in mid-air, killing General Zia and several other senior army generals, as well as American Ambassador to Pakistan Arnold Raphel. A common suspicion within Pakistan, although with no proof, is that the crash was a political assassination carried out by the American CIA or Soviet KGB. Other groups who have fallen under suspicion include the Afghan Communists and Shi'ite separatist groups operating within Pakistan.

Conspiracy theories about the Crash

No evidence has come to light to prove a conspiracy, although several theories do exist. Recently, John Gunther Dean, a former US ambassador to India, blamed the Mossad, the Israeli intelligence agency, for orchestrating the assassination of Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, though he offered no proof for his allegation, made to the ''World Policy Journal''. The book ''Charlie Wilson's War'' has pointed out that Israel was an essential ally in the American funding of the Mujahadin in Afghanistan and Zia's death could not have benefited Israel. General Hamid Gul, who would become the Director-General of the ISI after General Zia's death, stated that the US Central Intelligence Agency was behind the plane crash. Some theories have gone on to say that it was an act in coordination with the Soviet KGB and the American CIA.
Immediately after the crash, investigators from the US FBI were rushed to the scene, especially since the US Ambassador had been on board. The FBI determined that the crash had been accidental but rumours remained that there was a 'secret' real reason they had discovered.
Other rumours have reported that it was determined that nerve gas had been released in the cockpit, disabling the pilots and sending the aircraft head-long into the ground. It was also determined that this nerve-gas bomb had been highly sophisticated and was beyond the capabilities of normal persons, and thus the agents of a government must have been involved.
Which government, was the question. Pakistan liked to view itself as being surrounded by enemies, the leaders of almost all of which wanted Zia dead. India was the top suspect, followed by Afghanistan and the Soviet Union. In addition, Zia had enemies at the top level within the government of Pakistan. Benazir Bhutto was accused of having rejoiced at Zia's death, because Zia had ordered her father, Ali Bhutto hung.
Also, Afghanistan under the Communist rule of Najibullah clearly wanted Zia dead, as Zia was aiding the Afghan Mujahidin who were fighting to overthrow Najibullah.
The other question was how the nerve gas bomb got into the cockpit. The aircraft had been under 24-hour armed guard. Access to the aircraft was strictly controlled. It seemed impossible that someone could have sneaked in and placed the bomb there. Another possibly not considered at the time was a suicide bomber. Nowadays, such a possibility would have been obvious, but 1988 was before suicide bombing came in vogue.
Some have also pointed to Zia's general, Pervez Musharraf as a potential suspect. Unlike the assassination of JFK, which was caught on film, the crash that killed Zia has seemed more mysterious, but conspiracies about his death have persisted.

Books about Haq's time period

★ ''Breaking the Curfew'' by Emma Duncan (1989) ISBN 071812989X

★ ''Working with Zia'' by General K.M. Arif

★ ''Khaki Shadows'' by General K.M. Arif

★ ''Desperately Seeking Paradise'' by Ziauddin Safdar

★ ''Waiting for Allah'' by Christina Lamb

★ ''Ayub, Bhutto, and Zia'' by Hassan Iftikhar

★ ''Journey to Disillusionment'' by Sherbaz Mazari

★ ''General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq Shaheed: A Compilation'' by various authors

★ ''Charlie Wilson's War'' by George Crile

References

1. The Consequences of Nuclear Proliferation: Lessons from South Asia By Devin T. Hagerty Published by MIT Press, 1998, ISBN 0262581612, pp 114
2. Ouster of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
3. Militarism and the State Pakistan: Military Intervention by Eqbal Ahmed (Le Monde Diplomatique, October 1977)
4. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
5. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
6. Ouster of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
7. Mazari, Sherbaz(2000) A Journey into disillusionment
8. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto

External links

★ Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq Interview with the BBC---Video

★ "Who Killed Zia?" by Edward Jay Epstein for ''Vanity Fair'', September 1989

★ Government of Pakistan website

★ The Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan

★ Chronicles Of Pakistan

★ ''Islamic Terrorism Timeline - Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq'' at ''Prophet of Doom'' by Craig Winn

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