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"Pakistan People Party"
Brief History Of Pakistan People Party From 1967 Till 2000 by Usama Abdullah Sheikh

Ayub Khan lost at the negotiation table at Tashkent the war that was won by the Pakistan army supported by the people of Pakistan in 1965. This humiliation enraged the people of Pakistan against the dictator. Mr. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, a patriot as he has always been, was left with no choice but to quit the Ayub Khan's Government on June 16, 1966. Bhutto was determined to bring down the dictator who had betrayed the nation.

To achieve this goal, he needed a political organization and a political platform. He waited for more than a year before he found both; like so many aggrieved politicians before him, he chose to found his own political party.

The PPP was launched at its founding convention held in Lahore on November 30 - December 01, 1967. At the same meeting, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was elected as its Chairman. Among the express goals for which the party was formed were the establishment of an "'Egalitarian Democracy'" and the '"application of socialistic ideas to realize economic and social justice'". A more immediate task was to struggle against the hated dictatorship of Ayub Khan,who was at the height of his power when the PPP was formed basic principles of PPP enshrined:

1)Islam is our Faith.

2)Democracy is our politics.

3)Socialism is our Economy.

4)All Power to the People.

The Party also promised the elimination of feudalism in accordance with the established principles of socialism to protect and advance the interests of peasantry.

Immediately after its formation, the PPP spread its message among the workers, peasants and students throughout Pakistan, who greeted it enthusiastically. While it was still in this process, a mass uprising broke out against Ayub Khan’s dictatorship and the PPP quickly moved to play a leading role in this movement. After Ayub Khan resigned in March 1969, an interim military government took over and announced elections for December 1970. The PPP contested these elections on the slogans of "'ROTI, KAPRA AUR MAKAN'" (bread, clothing and shelter) and '"all power to the people'''.

The masses responded heavily to it in the polls, where PPP won 81 of 138 seats allocated to West Pakistan in the National Assembly (a total of 300 seats were contested for in both wings of the country ), coming in as the second largest party after East Pakistan - based Awami League. At the provincial level, it won majority in Sindh and Punjab legislatures.

There were not enough means and time to organize and carry the message of PPP to East Pakistan. The PPP, therefore, confined its election activities to West Pakistan and fielded its candidates in that wing.

When Army rulers refused to transfer power to Awami League, which had won an absolute majority in the national legislature, a bloody civil war broke out in East Pakistan leading to Indian Military intervention defeating Pakistani Army. The humiliated army Generals had to step down. Mr. Bhutto took over as Chief Martial Law Administrator and '''President. Martial Law was lifted on the following April when interim constitution was passed by the National Assembly''' within a short span of four months after assuming office.

During its Government from Dec. 20, 1971 to July 5,1977, the PPP government made significant social and economic reforms that did much to improve the life of Pakistan's impoverished masses. It also gave the country a new Constitution and took many other steps to promote country's economic and political recovery after the disastrous years of military rule. PPP remained the only concrete hope for a better future of the poor masses. When elections were called by Mr. Bhutto for March 1977 nine opposition parities gathered together to pool their strength and formed Pakistan National Alliance (PNA). Although this alliance had several important centrist parties as its members, it was heavily dominated by the right - wing religious parties such as the fanatical Jamaat-I-Islami. This gave its election campaign a fundamentalist coloring expressed through the slogan for "'Nizam-I-Mustafa'" (Islamic system). PPP promised in its 1977 manifesto the consolidation of its achievements made during the first term. PNA, because of its obscurantism, failed to attract the broad masses. All independent estimates predicated a PPP victory in March.

However, when the election produced this victory, returning 155 PPP. candidates to the 200 members National Assembly as opposed to only 36 PNA candidates (the 7 seats from Bluchistan were not contested by the PNA), the PNA did not accept the results. (Indeed, in the face of all predictions, it had said before the elections that it would accept nothing but an outright victory for itself). Charging rigging and fraud, it unleashed its campaign of violence and openly called for the military to take over the government. Despite government's offers for compromise and a settlement for fresh general elections having been arrived at between the Government and the opposition, the PNA movement did not let up until the military led by General Zia-ul-Haq staged a coup d'etat and seized power on July 5,1977.

Bhutto was symbol of Reform and Reconstruction. Bhutto master minded Pakistan's

1)First Steel Mill. 2)A second Port. 3)Commissioned Pakistan's first hydro electric dam on the mighty Indus at Tarbela. 4)He made Pakistan self sufficient in the filed of fertilizers, sugar, and cement. 5)He nationalized Banks and Life Insurance Companies. 6)He also initiated Pakistan’s Nuclear Programme.

1972 Land Reforms slashed the individual holding to 150 acres of irrigated or 300 acres of un-irrigated land. In 1977 the ceiling was further reduced to 100 acres of irrigated and 200 acres of un-irrigated land.

The Islamic Summit was held in Lahore attended by all the heads of Muslim states. Thus making Pakistan a center of Islamic Unity. To his credit are the Electrical Mechanical Complex at Wah, The Aeronautic Complex at Kamrah, The Kahuta Project for Nuclear Bomb. He made education upto Matric free, provided books free to the students, provided allowances to unemployed graduates and two increments to Science Graduates in their salaries, thousands of Government employees who were not confirmed for over 5 to 15 years were confirmed in their jobs. The system of part time government employees was changed to whole time government employees. First May was declared public holiday.

The economical policies of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto were anti-imperialist based on state socialism following the mould of other Third World leaders such as Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt, Ahmad Soekarno of Indonesia, and his own contemporary Salvador Allende of Chile who was elected, over thrown and assassinated during the same period. The Neo-Colonialists made a "'horrible example'" of Bhutto for his anti-Imperialistic stance, his efforts to unite Islamic World, and his demarche towards bringing Third World on one Platform apart from the Nuclear issue.

Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was a man of multidimensional qualities. He was a political philosopher and at the same time implemented his political philosophy.

He master minded a political party and made it a mass movement. He was an articulate mass orator and a superb diplomat. Taking the country out of chaos he was the driving force to effectively establish an organized government machinery. He was never vindictive. He faced death bravely.

Immediately following the coup, the Martial Law regime let loose a baseless campaign against the PPP and its leaders. Mr. Bhutto was framed on a murder-conspiracy charge and executed, rather judicially assassinated-on April 4, 1979. While leading a procession in Lahore the police hit Begum Bhutto on her head who had been elected the Acting Chairperson of the Party following the arrest of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto in September,1977. Benazir Bhutto who was elected as Co-Chairperson of the party, following the disqualification of Begum Nusrat Bhutto, in February,1978 suffered impairment in hearing during incarceration.

Hundreds of party workers were put to death. Thousands were lashed and tens of thousand suffered long imprisonments and detention in jails and torture cells. Even women were not spared. Not a single PPP worker betrayed the party despite temptations by Martial Law Authorities.

Despite inexplicable repression, PPP. PPP survived and indeed, gained in strength. Its own activists reaffirmed their resolve to fight against the criminal dictatorship. Segments of masses which had become alienated from it, now rallied to its support. The progressive forces outside the PPP. began to cooperate with it. The leadership of the party was in the hands of Mrs. Nusrat Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto-Bhutto's widow and daughter respectively who gave it a renewed sense of radicalism. The PPP accepted the challenge of General Zia when Ms. Benazir Bhutto commanded the party workers and supporters that party would fight on all fronts - at the polls as well as in the field demonstrations, public meetings and protests. So the party participated in the non-party local bodies elections. It swept the polls throughout the country from Karachi to Khyber, the urban as well as rural areas, and washed away the impression that PPP has lost its popularity or mobilization capacity. It paved the way for the political parties to unite.

The proof of the party's centrality to the politics of Pakistan came when nine political parties, including some which had helped in its overthrow as member of the PNA, united with it in the Movement for the Restoration of Democracy (MRD). In its first statement issued in February, '''1981, the movement demanded the holding of "free, fair, and impartial election" "'. When the government failed to oblige, the MRD, in the summer of 1983, brought out its followers to confront the military in the streets of Sindh.

Benazir Bhutto rescued and rebuilt the party from scratch, leading an epic movement for the restoration of Democracy, her historical welcome in Lahore on 10th 1986 was the turn of the tide. In the meantime General Zia-ul-Haq was digging his own grave. He dismissed his hand picked protege Muhammad Khan Jonejo and dissolved the National Assembly of Pakistan on May 29, 1988. A few days before his death, while revealing his plans for a presidential system, he told a confidante "I will be around a long time". Fate intervened on l7th August, 1988 when the C-130, carrying him crashed in a ball of fire and Zia went from ashes to ashes and his system from dust to dust.

Public funds running over tens of crores and govt. resources were made available to political parties and individual leaders opposing Pakistan People's Party by the establishment to bar the way of success of PPP. at the polls.

General Zia-ul-Haq's death in August, 1988, changed the scene. While Zia's supporters were in total disarray following his death. The PPP under Benazir Bhutto's dynamic leadership quickly mobilized public support. A number of politicians who supported Zia vied to join PPP. Despite the factors stated above the party did well in the election of November, 1988 but it was not able to repeat the performance of 1970. It emerged as single largest party in the National Assembly with 92 of the 207 seats contested in the elections. It was able to secure majority only in one province: Sindh. It was only with the support of the MQM and some small parties that it was able to form a government at the Center with Benazir Bhutto as Prime Minister, the first women in modern history to head a government of a Muslim country. She was not allowed to work independently and her government was dismissed by President Ghulam Ishaque on August 6, 1990. She had to work under the constant shadow of President Ghulam Ishaq Khan.

In the general elections held on 24 October, 1990, the Pakistan People's Party suffered defeat due to massive rigging. The party had formed an electoral alliance with the Tehrik-e-Istiqlal and Tehrik-e-Nafaz Fiqh Jafria (TNFJ), under the name of Pakistan Democratic Alliance (PDA) The PPP won 46 of 107 national assembly seats contested by it. Islamic Jamhoori Itehad (IJI) led by Mian Muhainmad Nawaz Sharif won with majority.

PPP allegations were confirmed by Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi, the caretaker Prime Minister in 1990 that the elections were stolen and had been rigged. In Sindh a reign of terror was let loose. So much so that Asif Ali Zardari was involved in 12 criminal cases including a case of murder of 5 persons. Despite Jam Sadiq and Muzaffar's personal supervision he was acquitted in all the cases,. Jam Sadiq said had I been instructed by the President I would have managed to defeat Benazir Bhutto.

After the dismissal of Nawaz Sharif’s Government in 1973, Benazir Bhutto returned to office, following long March on Nov. 18, 1992 when Benazir Bhutto was baton charged and arrested. Many PPP leaders and workers were beaten and arrested by Sharif Government. Benazir Bhutto once again returned to the office of Prime Minister.Benazir Bhutto had redefined the Party programme at the Silver Jubilee of the Party at Lahore in November, 1992. The New Social contract envisaged a social market economy, Privatization of the means of production, downsizing of the government, devolution of power and decentralization to the level of Local Government. So Benazir Bhutto's government was dismissed for the second time on November 5,1996 by her hand picked President Farooq Leghari, who betrayed her as General Zia-ul-Haq had betrayed her father. In the aftermath of the 1997, engineered elections, Pakistan fell into the grip of a civilian dictatorship and the Muslim League into the clutches of Sharif family. Sharif's, a protege of General Zia-ul-Haq, amended the constitution. Taking advantage of the Nuclear tests of May 28, the government proclaimed an Emergency which enabled the Federal government to impose a unitary form of Government by arrogating powers of provincial governments to itself. In the province of Sindh, the country's second largest Province, where the Muslim League was a Minority party with less than a fifth of the seats in the Provincial Assembly maneuvered to form government. A similar threat loomed large on the North West Frontier Province where the Muslim League minority Government had parted ways with the traditionally strong Awami National Party. The government of the Baluchistan National Party led by Akhtar Mengal was over thrown. In a bid to concentrate powers in their family, the Sharif brothers maneuvered the passage of the Shariat Bill i.e. the l5th Amendment (AC 15) in the National Assembly which was however stalled in the Senate.

Benazir Bhutto is in forced exile these days and her husband Asif Ali Zardari is in jail since November, 1996 facing bravely a number of cases engineered by Sharif Govt. as process of victimization, spurred by political vendetta.General Pervaiz Musharraf took over on Oct. 12, 1999 by removing corrupt and inept Government of Nawaz Sharif. In reply to a petition by Nawaz Sharif in the Supreme Court of Pakistan challenging Army's action of Oct. 12, 1999, the present regime stated that 1997 election were manipulated by Muslim League, thus vindicating the specific allegation by PPP. Today almost all political parties and leaders including some Nawaz Sharif Muslim Leaguers are anxiously awaiting a move by Ms. Benazir Bhutto and PPP. for the restoration of democracy. It is Benazir Bhutto and PPP who can put the economy and social and organizational structure of Pakistan on rail again and ensure masses food, shelter, education and health care and open avenues for job opportunities to the young men of Pakistan. She will choose her own timing for forcing the Military Junta to retreat and hand over power back to the people of Pakistan.

Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Political activist with the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).

1)1977-84 Repeatedly imprisoned and kept under house arrest by the Pakistani government; political exile in London, England.

2)1988 She became Prime Minister.

3)1990 Her government was illegally dismissed in August.

4)1993 She again came to power after her party won a majority in elections held in October.

5)1984 Returned to Pakistan in April.

6)1986 Pakistan Peoples Party, Karachi, Pakistan co-chair.

7)1988 After elections held November, invited to form.

Bio History of '"Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto'".

Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto was born on 21 June 1953 to a family of longstanding political traditions. She was the eldest child of former Pakistan Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and granddaughter of Sir Shah Nawaz Bhutto, also a former Prime Minister. She was the first Muslim female Prime Minister and was elected twice to the post. She is the late wife of His Excellency Mr. Asif Ali Zardari, current President of Pakistan.

Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto was a graduate from Radcliffe College, part of Harvard University, holding a degree in Political Science. She then studied at Oxford University, where she received a degree in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics. At Oxford, she became an Honorary Fellow of her Colleges and President of the Oxford Union, the University's prestigious debating society.

On 18 December 1987, she married Mr. Asif Ali Zardari. The couple had three children, Named :Bilawal, Bakhtawar, and Asifa.

When people around the globe hear of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto as dramatic story of democracy and struggle, they are awed by the tireless strength with which she struggled to bring freedom and democracy to the people of her country. As the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto is an icon of the battle for democracy and stands with only a handful of female executive leaders who have shaped the global events of the last century.

First elected Prime Minister at the age of 35, Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto became the youngest chief of state in the world and the first female Prime Minister in the Muslim world. After just 20 months in office, her government was undemocratically dismissed. Undeterred, she was reelected as prime minister in 1993.

Prime Minister Bhutto was praised for moving swiftly to restore civil liberties and political freedom while launching national health and education reform.

On 27 December 2007, Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto was killed while leaving a campaign rally for the PPP at Liaquat National Bagh, after giving a spirited address  to party supporters in the run-up to the January 2008 parliamentary elections. Her body was flown to her hometown of Garhi Khuda Bakhsh in Larkana District, Sindh, and was buried next to her father in the family mausoleum at a ceremony attended by hundreds of thousands of mourners.

For more information send me an E-mail on un_9088@htomail.com

SamRdk.

Dr.Muhammad H. Shaikh
Alhaj Professor Muhammad H. Shaikh, Ph.D.

So Allah called him back. For a while we thought he was our thing, our Grandfather, our Grandfather. Well, no more taking him for granted. The giver of all blessings has taken away this blessing from us. No more can we reap benefits of his sacrifices, his prayers, his loving devotion, his smiling pious face, his concern for us when any one of us suffered slightest pain, all those blessings that I cannot even think now – all are gone! We are on our own now – poor and deprived. Its pretty depressing. Has the creator decided that he has given us enough respite? Now we beg Him to do mercy on us orphans. He has told us mortal humans to be kind and generous to the orphans. Lets beg the mercy and kindness of the Arhamur Rahmin on us yateems. Right now we are in need of His kindness so much. Only Allah will bring solace to our hearts. We are witness to the fact that our Grandfather was a special being who devoted all his life for the cause of Allah’s will - spreading good and eliminating evil. We beg Allah to have him all the blessings and the top treatment, the VVIP welcome that He has promised for his special slaves. Of this, we beg and take comfort that he must be happy where he is now. He was exactly 84 years and 5 months (April 25, 1926 - Sep 24, 2010). I take comfort in knowing that he lived a full life with fulfilled mission and conviction. All his life, from his days when he was in primary school, he was a committed volunteer to spread goodness and stop evil. After school he used to help his father run his meager retail door to door selling of snacks, candies and toys bought from the city 40 miles away on a donkey. From his very humble beginning in abject poverty growing up in Hala old, Sindh, he continued his education against all odds. In a village of all mud huts, from a school with no furniture other than '''raw earth under a tree, with no money to even pay for the exam fees he was able to secure the highest grades in his matriculation exam'''. Just to take the exam when he requested his father, our grandfather, Haji Ahmad, for the fees of only 8 Annas (half rupee or half a cent) all he got was a hard slap on his cheek with a response from his Grandfather that '''“where do you think I am going to get all this money for you? Stop your education and earn some money”'''. '''His elder brother, our late uncle, Haji Rubadinoo, who was an earning member of the family finally rescued him by giving him some money to continue on his education'''. Based upon his good grades in the school, he got scholarship and admissions in the famous college of Tando Bago, Sindh to complete his 12th grade. Our maternal Grandfather, Haji Yakoob, who also had a humble beginning from a nearby village, Matyari, Sindh, but made lot of fortune in Karachi at a very early age found my father to be a promising young man, invited him to come to Karachi. With only clothes that he had on, some books and no money in his pockets, my Grandfaher when received by Haji Yakoob in Karachi was very hungry and had already ragged his clothes. Haji Yakoob gave my Grandfather some loan, which my Gandfather paid off later, helped him get a job in high court, and admissions in the college to continue on his education. As a court clerk in 1942, people knew him as '''the most honest person since unlike many others my Grandfather''' was the only one who never used to accept any tips. His self dignity, Taqwa and fear of Allah enabled him to go hungry, many a times rather than ask for favors. We know of his humility, honesty and concern for humanity from one well known incident that in 1947 when Pakistan was carved out from a united India, Hindus of Karachi '''started leaving their motherland for India'''. Many rich Hindus wanted to hand over their pricy properties and other valuable possessions to my Grandfather but he refused to accept their offers. One such Hindu family begged him to take the keys on the premise that when they would return back they’d take their possessions back and collect all the rent from my Grandfather. Needless to say that the Hindus never came back, '''instead Urdu speaking people migrated from India and took possessions of left over properties of Hindus''' everywhere by force. So, one day when my Grandfather came back from his work he found his house broken into by Urdu speaking refugees who threatened my Grandfather to never return to his own house again. Much later, my Grandfather explained to my eldest uncle that instead of fighting for his right, and he could have won that fight, after all he was a high court clerk at that time, he chose to let the Urdu family take the house because they had kids and where else they could go? In 1950, he got married to Haji Yakoob’s youngest daughter, Sheharbano, our beloved GrandMother who was only 17 years at that time. After completing his Masters from Sindh University, he got a job in Government College, Hyderabad, Sindh. Soon after, he did his second Masters in Islamic History and Culture, then a Ph.D. in Islamic History and Culture. He wrote many books on literature and history, including translation of "Sir Arnold Thomas" "Preaching of Islam", a 19th century classic, “Life and Work of Molana Ubedullah Sindhi”, and other text books of history'''. His outstanding public service record includes positions as Head of the Islamic Studiesdepartment, University of Sindh, Director Islamic Research Institute, Islamabad, Deputy Director Colleges, Principal Sachal Sarmast Degree College, Hyderabad.

Throughout his professional career he worked overtime to make just enough money  to bring food to his family and never made his children deprived of education, both professional and spiritual. It is because of his long and hard work and the Creator’s mercy that all of My Dad's brothers and sisters are Doctors - Physicians, Surgeons, Gynecologists, and Ph.Ds, very well settled in our professional careers. His affiliation with Tabligh Jamat started at very young age when he was a student of 11th grade in Karachi, when this work of preaching focused mostly to Muslims had just started in India (there was no Pakistan then). His relentless efforts in the path of spreading the good and preaching the goodness forthe humanity following the path of beloved prophet Muhammad Salam (SA-PBUH) must have created thousands of preachers. Yet he was so humble and lived a life so ordinary that except for those who knew him no one would even recognize him as the colossal spiritual person that he was As an Amir(head) of Sindh’s Tabligh Jamat he was always busy in running the affairs of this great volunteerorganization, with his own money and time till the very last breaths of his life.

He never let his focus away from the ultimate goal that we all hope to achieve - please the Creator and create people who spread goodness. Let us all remind each other that we need to please Him as sooneror later we all are going to see Him and He will let us know the mystery of this life and allow all of us tolive together in His promised Jannah.

On a that Friday afternoon when he took his last breath he looked so calm  and happy as if he had reached to his desired destination, greeted by long lasting friends of pleasant faces. I do not doubt what I heard from some pious people who saw my father with blessed companions in a holy company. I do believe what Allah talks about those who do good: “'''But the ones who believe and do righteous deeds We will admit them to gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide forever. [It is] the promise of Allah, [which is] truth, and who is more truthful than Allah in statement'''. “ (4:122)

At this hour and also when our Grand mother passed away 10 years ago I felt the same sadness and loss of how quick they departed. What will happen of me? This worries me a lot. Why did not I inherit the pious traits of Grand Father ? Will he forgive me? Will He forgive me? Will you forgive me? '''I don’t know how much time I have but it feels like I am first in line of Grand Sons.

"Usama Abdullah Sheikh SamRdk".