Operation Fair Play

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The operation Fairplay was the code name for the coup from 5. July 1977 by the Pakistani Chief of Staff General Zia ul Haq , the government of Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto plunged. It was a bloodless coup.

background

The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) took over government after the 1970 parliamentary elections . Government power was transferred to the PPP after Bangladesh gained independence . The government was based on social democracy and thus shaped everyday life in Pakistan. However, some historians believe that influential political parties were unwilling to recognize the PPP's 1970 election victory. The Pakistani secret service , together with the army, tried several times to overthrow Bhutto's government. Bhutto retired seven generals in 1976 and declared Zia-uk-Haq as the new army chief. Zia offered Bhutto the rank of civilian commander in the Pakistani army.

1977 elections and political crisis

In 1976, nine religious parties founded the Pakistan National Alliance (PNA). In January 1977, Bhutto began his election campaign after parliamentary elections were announced. The PNA was a religious, right-wing national movement that relied on religious messages in the election campaign.

During the election campaign, the PPP focused on social justice in agriculture and the economy. Many supporters of the PNA gathered on their campaign appearances. However, the results of the elections showed that the PPP secured 155 out of 200 seats in parliament. The PNA only secured 36 seats in parliament. Both parties and many people in both parts of the country were surprised by the results. The PNA was unwilling to accept the election results and accused the PPP government of election rigging.

The PNA also stated that it had been prevented from voting. She accused the PPP that her supporters disguised as police officers and removed voting boxes from the polling stations. Pre-made ballot papers were found on the streets of Karachi and Lahore. Rumors emerged that the Prime Minister had ordered election rigging in key constituencies. The PNA then took to the streets and asked Bhutto to resign. Riots and violent protests erupted across Pakistan as Bhutto refused to resign as prime minister. The PNA used mosques to stir up the crowd. Over 200 people died in clashes between police and demonstrators. Zia ul Haq brought the 1965 and 1971 war hero Tajammul Hussain Malik to military tribunal . However, this move hurt his popularity in the army. It is believed that Malik sympathizers were responsible for Zia ul Haq's death. Bhutto used police violence to control the situation. A military officer persuaded Bhutto to introduce martial law and speed up negotiations with the PNA. In the negotiations, the PPP accepted almost every demand made by the PNA. However, negotiations came to a standstill after Bhutto's state visit to the Middle East. This has been criticized by the PNA. Pakistani media assumed that the negotiations would fail. The Pakistani army met to discuss the situation. Bhutto returned from the Middle East and the military seized power to end the political crisis.

The coup

Operation Fair Play was the code name of the 1977 military coup. Zia ul Haq overturned Bhutto's government. The coup was triggered by the unsuccessful parliamentary election negotiations between the PPP and the PNA. The code name Operation Fair Play should imply that harmless intervention by a referee who respects the rules results in free and fair elections. Zia ul Haq promised to hold the next elections within 90 days. Zia ul Haq arrested Bhutto supporters of the PPP and PNA, dissolved the parliament and the provincial governments and introduced martial law. A military commission chaired by Zia took over government affairs. Bhutto and the PPP were charged with the murder of political opponents.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Ouster of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto . January 1, 2003. Retrieved July 4, 2013.
  2. ↑ General Elections 1977 . June 1, 2003. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  3. ^ Ian Talbot: Pakistan, a Modern History . St. Martin's Press, NY 1998, p. 241.
  4. ^ Hussain Haqqani: Pakistan: Between Mosque and Military; §From Islamic Republic to Islamic State . Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (July 2005), United States 2005, ISBN 978-0-87003-214-1 , p. 395 pages.
  5. ^ Hussain Haqqani: Pakistan: Between Mosque and Military . Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Washington, DC 2005, ISBN 978-0-87003-214-1 , p. 126.
  6. ↑ Anthony Hyman, Muhammed Ghayur, Naresh Kaushik: Pakistan, Zia and After-- . Abhinav Publications, New Delhi 1989, ISBN 81-7017-253-5 , p. 30.