AYUB KHAN’S MARTIAL LAW

On October 8, 1958, President Iskandar Mirza, imposed Martial Law in the whole country pending the scheduled decisions to hold national elections and break up of One Unit of West Pakistan which was almost unanimously passed by the One Unit Assembly. Iskandar Mira had no chances and he used the armed forces to clamp down Martial Law in the country for political reasons. Earlier, Iskandar Mirza manipulated the events with late Khan of Kalat promising to revive his princely Kalat State if he organized some protest. He did protest and at the end of the day, he was arrested with an announcement from the Presidency that there was a revolt against Pakistan and Khan Kalat tried to secede from Pakistan by organizing an armed rebellion which was quelled by the units of Pakistan Army in Kalat. Exactly after three weeks, Ayub Khan removed Iskandar Mirza from the Office of President and boarded him to a London flight where he remained in forced exile. Ayub Khan’s Martial Law was not imposed to save Pakistan, rather it was meant to defer the decision to hold general elections and also revive historical federating units of Pakistan. Ayub Khan’s Martial Law was not well received in Bengal, Balochistan, Sindh and NWFP. Only groups of vested interests belonging to Punjab and the Urdu Speaking people from India extended unqualified support to him to consolidate his military rule in the initial period. It was the beginning of military intervention in political and state affairs of Pakistan taking arbitrary decision in all spheres of human activities. Ayub Khan was a military dictator and he held all the powers in his personality. In a way, it was a highly personalized rule with the support of the Pakistan Army. Balochistan was in full revolt and people were protesting against the Martial Law and demanding implementation of the Assembly resolution reviving historic Federating Units of Pakistan. On the contrary, the military rulers used One Unit in disfranchising majority people of Bengal by imposing the principle of parity which was rejected by the Bengal people. There was bloody agitation in Bengal against the one man military rule and the people defied curfew in millions manned by the armed forces of Pakistan. It was a clear signal to the military establishment that Bengal is ungovernable and the establishment will have to surrender the will of the Bengali people only after massive bloodshed and Indian intervention. According to historical notes, a former Chief Justice of Pakistan was sent as an emissary to the Bengali leadership to leave Pakistan which Bengal leaders reportedly rejected saying that they are in complete majority why should the secede from Pakistan. They minority should secede Pakistan. Thus there was a deadlock in the behind the scene negotiations culminating in military action in Bengal. Ayub Khan handed over power to the Army Chief General Yahya Khan in a military coup and not to his Bengali Vice President as per the constitution of Pakistan framed by the military dictator. Thus the foundation of breakup of Pakistan was laid during the military regime of Ayub Khan and it was implemented by another military dictator General Yahya. Political agitation picked up momentum in West Pakistan as people hated the false claim of decade of development. Instead, the people from Sindh, KPK and Balochistan intensified their agitation for revival of the historic federating Units disbanding the One Unit which was not needed as Bengal was abandoned by the Pakistani establishment during the last days of agitation against Ayub Khan. The first military intervention had brought total disaster for Pakistan as a State destroying its all democratic institutions. A super man was allowed to rule the country and to this date a section of naïve politicians are still in search of a superman to take country out of the present mess dislodging the democratic and political forces using dubious means.