General Zia died in a plane crash on August 17, three months after the Soviets pulled out of Afghanistan.
On deposing the former prime minister, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto,on July 5 1977, Zia had famously declared,“The Army takeover is never a pleasant act,the country should remain in the hands of the representatives of the people who are its real masters. I genuinely feel that the survival of this country is in democracy and democracy alone.”
Zia had promised to hold elections in ninety days, but went on to rule for eleven years. The first two years were marked by indecisiveness, as he sought to develop a coalition of forces that would support his rule. When it became clear to him that Bhutto would be re-elected and may try Zia for treason, punishable by the death penalty under the 1973 Constitution, he decided to pursue a judicial course of action that resulted in Bhutto’s death by hanging on April 4, 1979.
Hanging Bhutto turned Zia into an international pariah. However, his fortunes underwent a complete reversal when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, in December 1979. Pakistan now became a front line state in the Cold War between the superpowers, and was to become the beneficiary of $3.2 billion in American aid, in five years. A fifth of this money was pocketed by Pakistan’s military-civil service elite.
The Afghan war encouraged the making of money by any means. Corruption in Pakistan’s military-industrial complex produced an industry which had less to do with fighting a jihad against the infidel Soviet invaders and more to do with profiteering. Out of a hundred AK-47 assault rifles shipped by the CIA for use in the war against the Soviets, the fighters were lucky to get even fifty. The rest were taken by the army for its use, resold on the black market, or stolen by warlords in transit.
The mujahideen in Afghanistan were armed and trained on Zia’s orders. Their operations took a heavy toll on the Soviet garrison and they finally withdrew from Afghanistan in May 1988.
This palpable victory for Zia soured quickly since it turned Pakistan into an urban jungle. The presence of three million Afghan refugees in Pakistan, many of them armed with AK-47 Kalashnikov rifles and many others engaged in narcotic trafficking, brought a new wave of anarchy that resulted in large scale random violence, particularly in Karachi. Furthermore, smuggling across the Afghan-Pakistani border picked up in intensity and became a major drain on the Pakistani treasury.
By cementing the larger-than-life role of military in politics, injecting religious divisiveness into the body politic, and committing the army to fighting a proxy war with India, Zia continues to cast a shadow on Pakistan
The refugees were not interested in going home, and their presence in major urban areas exacerbated the myriad ethnic fissures in Pakistani society. Zia appointed retired and serving generals and flag officers to top positions in public sector corporations, to buy the loyalty of the military and prolong his rule.
In addition, Zia’s poorly conceived and grotesquely implemented program of Islamization stirred sectarian violence, which continues till today. Incidents of worshippers being gunned down by extremists from another sect, while praying or leading a funeral procession; had become common place during his rule.
Funds collected through the religious tax, zakat, were made available to the social arms of religious political parties to promote human development. Unfortunately, they found their way to religious militias that were initially fighting the Soviets in Afghanistan and had now shifted their focus to fighting Indian forces in Kashmir.
Zia sanctioned the covert provision of arms and training to Sikh separatists who were fighting for an independent state of Khalistan in Indian Punjab. India responded by sending agents provocateurs into Sindh and Punjab. This led to a rebellion in 1983 in Sindh. Due to military rule there were heightened ethnic tensions in Pakistan, since Sindh and Balochistan were poorly represented in the armed forces.They accounted for about 30 percent of the population but only 5 percent of the army.
Extended military rule in Pakistan’s multi-ethnic and diversified society increased political fragmentation and created vested interests supporting authoritarian and non-democratic arrangements.While all of this was happening, Indian forces occupied the Siachen Glacier in 1984 and is still under occupation.
In spite of his modest demeanor and affable personality, Zia remained unpopular. Matters came to a head when a large ammunition dump, containing supplies for the mujahideen, exploded near Islamabad, killing a hundred people and injuring thousands.
When the then Prime Minister ordered an inquiry,Zia fired the prime minister on charges of incompetence in handling Pakistan’s chronic problems of corruption and economic development, and the new problem of urban violence in Karachi.
Zia’s death in the C-130 crash, which is still an unresolved mystery, was widely covered in the world media. The Economist featured him on the cover with the banner “Lost Linchpin.” The editorial read, “Zia was of an older breed of strong men, reminiscent of those of the 1930s in Europe who came to power on the debris of ruined democracies. He even looked old-fashioned, isolated, taking the salute from what he regarded as a grateful nation. Those who met him spoke of his kindness, forthcoming manner, and willingness to hear the other’s view. He was not alone in despising mere politicians. Yes, he did have a fatherly way; but it was the way of a possessive parent unable to believe that his children could take responsibility for their own lives. The passing of Zia the dictator will not be regretted. Zia, the sometimes confused human being, will be recalled with affection. Zia, the soldier, has a decent place in the momentous history of the region. That is not a bad epitaph.”
By cementing the larger-than-life role of military in politics, injecting religious divisiveness into the body politic, and committing the army to fighting a proxy war with India, Zia continues to cast a shadow on Pakistan.
Eleven years after his death, General Pervez Musharrafseized power and went on to rule the country for eight years under the banner of “enlightened moderation.” As Pakistani democracy flourishes, we hope to never see the darkness of military rule again.
The author has written “Musharraf’s Pakistan, Bush’s America and the Middle East.” [email protected]
Published in Daily Times, August 19th 2018.