carne
Chief Minister (5k+ posts)
It was in these times of turmoil that a group of journalists met Mr. Zia and suggested a political trick which pushed the country into chaos: delay elections.
Mujeeb Ur Rehman Shami, as quoted by Mazhar Abbas in a The News 2020 article narrates the event of that eve.
He says: “Begum Bhutto was holding a public meeting in Lahore that day. Zia asked us about the public opinion. We told him that the public opinion favoured the PPP and Bhutto. But we assured him that if he postponed the elections we would change the opinion in his favour.”
And hence, Zia delayed the elections. He started using everything he could against Bhutto : the press, the defunct leaders of parties persecuted by Bhutto previously, judiciary and state machinery. The slogan of “pehlay Ahtesab, phir intikhab” was raised to avenge Bhutto.
And thus, in an attempt to save his own neck : Zia pushed the most popular leader Pakistan ever had to the gallows. And no one, please remember - no one - neither the smoking intellectual circles nor the activist press came to his rescue. A huge chunk of them kept justifying Zia.
Today, the same playbook used in the past to strike down popular leaders is being taken out of the drawers. The iron hand of establishment is at it again. And don’t be mistaken. This hand has a capacity of surprising when it comes to violence. Stay awake. Stay aware.
Mujeeb Ur Rehman Shami, as quoted by Mazhar Abbas in a The News 2020 article narrates the event of that eve.
He says: “Begum Bhutto was holding a public meeting in Lahore that day. Zia asked us about the public opinion. We told him that the public opinion favoured the PPP and Bhutto. But we assured him that if he postponed the elections we would change the opinion in his favour.”
And hence, Zia delayed the elections. He started using everything he could against Bhutto : the press, the defunct leaders of parties persecuted by Bhutto previously, judiciary and state machinery. The slogan of “pehlay Ahtesab, phir intikhab” was raised to avenge Bhutto.
And thus, in an attempt to save his own neck : Zia pushed the most popular leader Pakistan ever had to the gallows. And no one, please remember - no one - neither the smoking intellectual circles nor the activist press came to his rescue. A huge chunk of them kept justifying Zia.
Today, the same playbook used in the past to strike down popular leaders is being taken out of the drawers. The iron hand of establishment is at it again. And don’t be mistaken. This hand has a capacity of surprising when it comes to violence. Stay awake. Stay aware.
. Shami aik Ghaleez creature hai
