REPort
PAKISTAN ECONOMY /
AYUB KHAN REGIME (1958-69) /
SUBMITTED TO: SIR KHAWAJA HASHIM
SUMBITTED BY: MARIA ANWER (BB-11-01)
MAIMOONA MALIK (BB-11-22)
SANA IRUM (BB-11-23)
NIDA JAVED (BB-11-32)
SADAF AKRAM (BB-11-41)
AASIA YASMEEN (BB-11-59)
ZAHRA NASIR (BB-11-66)
DATE: 29-04-13
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgements
Executive Summary
  1. Introduction
  2. Early history of Ayub Khan
  3. Military Career
  1. Reforms Introduced During the Ayub Khan Regime
  2. Political Reforms
  3. PRODA and EBDO
  4. The Press and Publications Ordinance
  5. 1959 Basic Democracies
  6. 1962 Constitution
  7. Criticism against Political Reforms
  8. Agricultural Reforms
  9. Land Reforms
  10. Green Revolution
  11. Criticism against Agricultural Reforms
  12. Economic Reforms
  13. Industrial Reforms
  14. Trade Reforms
  15. Criticism against Economic Reforms
  16. Social Reforms
  17. Action against hoarding, black marketing and smuggling
  18. Fixation of the prices of essential foods
  19. New housing developments
  20. Reform of the Marriage and Divorce Laws
  21. Measures to control population
  22. Health Facilities
  23. Modernization of Islam
  24. Criticism against Social Reforms
  25. Educational Reforms
  26. Reforms
  27. Criticism against Educational Reforms
  28. A New Capital
  29. Development and purpose
  30. Criticism against a new capital
2.7.Relations of Pakistan with the External World During the Ayub Khan Regime
2.7.1.Relations with India
2.7.1.1.Indus Water Treaty 1960
2.7.1.2.Indo-Pak War 1960 and the Tashkent Declaration
2.7.2.Relations with the USA
2.7.3.Relations with China
2.7.4.Relations with the Soviet Union
2.7.5.Relations with Britain and the Commonwealth
2.7.6.Ayub Khan’s Foreign Policy-Conclusion
  1. Elections 1965
  2. Background
  3. Results
  1. Political Unrest
  2. Decade of Development
  3. The Downfall of Ayub Khan
  1. Conclusions
  1. Recommendations
References

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We are extremely grateful to Mr. FarooqNaseemBajwa., M. IkramRabbani, Mr. Nigel Kelly, Mr. Nigel Smith and Mr. S. Akbar Zaidifor their inspiring and extremely helpful works.

Our sincere appreciation to Sir KhawajaHashim for his support and excellent guidance related to the topic of our report.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

In 1958, after a military coup, Ayub Khan became president; he was confirmed in office by a referendum (February, 1960). After resuming power, Ayub Khaninaugurated a system of what he called "Basic Democracies”, i.e. tiers of local government councils that also served as electoral colleges. Martial law was lifted in 1962, and a new constitution was introduced that year which gave the executive enormous powers.

During his regime, Ayub Khan launched a clear unfolding of certain trends and developments, which may be described as an ideological change in Pakistan. Under him there was economic change through industrialization, improved agriculture and modest land reforms. He also introduced reforms for the social and educational sector and took various steps for the foreign policy of Pakistan which was pro-Western at the beginning but more open to all the major powers later during his regime.

Ayub Khan returned to office in 1965, after defeating Mohtarma Fatimah Jinnah, sister of the founder of Pakistan. In the same year, he led the nation in a war with India, but the conflict was ended by the Tashkent Declaration of January 1966.

The year 1968-9 was celebrated as the “Decade of Development”on the basis of the phenomenal economic growth rates and the Green Revolutionin agriculture leading to crop yields at an all-time record.

While Pakistan’s economy was growing at a rate which was three times faster than that of India or any other country in South Asia, there were continuing economic, social and regional inequalities. The disadvantaged position of East Pakistan and limitation of civil liberties, accompanied by the political unrest provoked increasing discontent by the end of his regime. Early in 1969, Ayub Khan announced that he would not seek reelection in 1970, but unrest continued and in March he resigned power to a martial-law government headed by General Muhammad Yahya Khan.

INTRODUCTION

Early history of Ayub Khan

Muhammad Ayub Khan was born on 14 May 1907, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He was educated at Aligarh College so that he would, in the words of his father, feel like a Muslim, and at Sandhurst College for training army officers. After being commissioned an army officer in 1928, he fought against the Japanese in Burma in World War II.

Military Career

In January 1951, Ayub Khan succeeded General Sir Douglas Gracey as commander in chief of the Pakistan Army, becoming the first Pakistani in that position. He was appointed by then-Prime Minister, Liaquat Ali Khan. Although Ayub Khan's military career was not particularly brilliant and although he had not previously held a combat command, he was promoted over several senior officers with distinguished careers. Ayub Khan probably was selected because of his reputation as an able administrator, his presumed lack of political ambition, and his lack of powerful group backing. Coming from a humble family of an obscure Pakhtun tribe, Ayub Khan also lacked affiliation with major internal power blocks and was, therefore, acceptable to all elements.

Within a short time of his promotion, however, Ayub Khan had become a powerful political figure. Perhaps more than any other Pakistani, Ayub Khan was responsible for seeking and securing military and economic assistance from the United States and for aligning Pakistan with it in international affairs. As army commander in chief and for a time as minister of defense in 1954, Ayub Khan was empowered to veto virtually any government policy that he felt was inimical to the interests of the armed forces.

END OF THE DEMOCRATIC SYSTEM

By 1958, the government of IskanderMirza was unpopular and the political situation was chaotic. Between 1955 and 1958, five different prime ministers tried unsuccessfully to establish a stable government. According to the Constitution, elections were to be held in 1958; politicians tried to win support by any means. To most Pakistanis and the rest of the world, the government seemed corrupt and inefficient. People were in despair as Pakistan faced bankruptcy and chaos. In East Pakistan, severe floods caused food shortages and great distress.

AYUB KHAN TAKING POWER

On 7 October 1958, martial law was declared by President IskanderMirza. The constitution was abrogated and Laws (Continuance in Force) Order was passed. The jurisdiction of the courts was restored-but no one could question the Chief Martial Law Administrator or those working on his orders. This meant that the army was effectively running the government. General Muhammad Ayub Khan, Commander-in-Chief of the army, took the role of Chief Martial Law Administrator. On 27 October, he removed IskanderMirza from office and exiled him to London. With Mirza’s removal, power was entirely in Ayub Khan’s hands and he took on the office of President as well. To his supporters, this event was known as the ‘Glorious Revolution’. Regarding the political situation at the time, Ayub Khan stated:

“Politicians have waged a ceaseless and bitter war against each other regardless of the ill effects on the country, just to whet their appetites and satisfy their base demands…no limit to the depth of their baseness, chicanery, deceit, and degradation.”

AFTER TAKING POWER

After taking power, General Ayub Khan announced that he hoped that a period of military rule would settle Pakistan. Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah stated, in an interview with the Morning News, 29 October 1958:

‘”A new era has begun under General Ayub Khan and the armed forces have undertaken to root out the administrative malaise and anti-social practices, to create a sense of confidence, security and stability and eventually to bring the country back to normalcy. I hope and pray Allah may give them the wisdom and strength to achieve their objective.”

Once stability was restored and Pakistan was more settled, Ayub Khan said, “the government would provide a constitution that would ‘combine democracy with discipline’”.

REFORMS INTRODUCED DURING AYUB KHAN’S REGIME

Ayub Khan introduced numerous reforms in various sectors of the country including:

  • Political Reforms
  • Agricultural Reforms
  • Economic Reforms
  • Social Reforms and Educational Reforms
  • Foreign Policies, etc.
  1. POLITICAL RFORMS

Ayub Khan annulled the 1956 Constitution. The National Assembly was dismissed and a huge number of national and provincial politicians were arrested and charged with corruption. Political parties were made illegal and there were strict controls on people holding meetings and on the freedom of the press. More than 1600 civil servants, screened for ‘misconduct’, were either dismissed or forced into early retirement.Ayub Khan's message was clear: he, not the civil servants, was in control. Sterner measures were used against the politicians.

PRODA and EBDO

The PRODA prescribed fifteen years' exclusion from public office for those found guilty of corruption. About 3,000 officials were dismissed and many other were reduced in rank as a result of these measures.

In August 1959, Ayub Khan passed the Elective Bodies Disqualification Order (EBDO). They authorized special tribunals to try former politicians for "misconduct," an infraction not clearly defined. Under this, 75 leaders were disqualified for participating in political activities for 8 years (until December 1966). Under the EBDO, Ayub Khan primarily targetted East Pakistani politicians from the Awami League while leaving the Muslim League largely untouched.

Under Article 5 of EBDO:

1)Public servants who had been removed from service on any charge other than inefficiency;

2)Persons who had ever been served with an order under the Security of Pakistan Act or a similar law relating to an act prejudicial to the defense, external affairs, or the security of Pakistan;

3)Persons found guilty by the Federal Court or High Court or a tribunal under PRODA; and

4)Persons convicted of any offence, and sentenced to more than two years imprisonment stood debarred from being candidates or members of an elective body, until 31 December 1966

It was estimated that about 6,000 persons, half of them from East Pakistan, were disqualified under Article 5 of EBDO.

Article 7 or 8 of EBDO was used to go after senior party leadership who escaped disqualification via Article 5:

Under Article 7, any person served with a notice could opt to retire from politics until 31 Dec 1966, in which case further proceedings against him were dropped. In case this option was not exercised by the respondent, an inquiry would be instituted under Article 8 and if found guilty, he would be disqualified up to December 1966. (from Separation of East Pakistan)

A further 78 politicians were disqualified under article 7 and 8.

Prominent politicians disqualified under these three articles of EBDO were the top leaders of the East Pakistan Awami League including Sheikh MujiburRehman and HussainShaheedSuhrawardy. MaulanaBhashani was also arrested.

On 30 January 1962 Suhrawardy was arrested in Karachi under the Security of Pakistan Act which authorized his detention without trial for a year. It was an irony that a politician who was the Prime Minister of the country was accused of activities “fraught with such danger to the security and safety of Pakistan that one could fairly describe them as treasonable” which was [obviously] the biggest shock of his life”.

When a habeas corpus petition was filed in Lahore High Court challenging his illegal detention, Ayub Khan conveniently promulgated an Ordinance suspending the habeas corpus rights of those detained under the Security of Pakistan Act.

Prosecution could be avoided if the accused agreed not to be a candidate for any elective body for a period of seven years. Some people, including Suhrawardy, who was arrested, fought prosecution. About 7,000 individuals were "EBDOed.". This effectively eliminated many important figures who might have challenged AyubKhan;s rule.

The Press and Publications Ordinance

The Press and Publications Ordinance was amended in 1960 to specify broad conditions under which newspapers and other publications could be commandeered or closed down. Trade organizations, unions, and student groups were closely monitored and cautioned to avoid political activity, and imams at mosques were warned against including political matters in sermons.

1959 Basic Democracies

The first step in Ayub Khan’s constitutional reforms came with introduction of the Basic Democracies Order on 26 October 1959. This was a four-tier system which would consist of a Village Council at the most basic level, a Sub-district Council, a District Council and Divisional Councils. Thus, ordinary people elected union council members who in turn elected district and divisional members. The Local District Magistrates and Divisional Commissioners would act as chairmen of the local bodies.Regarding the Basic Democracies, Ayub Khan stated on the radio on 2 September 1959:

“We have given it the name Basic Democracies for the very obvious reason that we want it to grow and evolve from the very first rung of the political ladder so it finds roots deep among the people.”

According to the system, the country was divided into 80,000 single member constituencies known as BD wards with a population of 1000-1200 people. Later, it was stated in the 1962 Constitution that the 80,000 elected Basic Democrats would also form the Electoral College for the election of the President and members of the Central and Provincial Legislatures.

The first elections to Basic Democracies were held in January 1960 in which 40,000 Basic Democrats were elected in each province. Ayub asked the Basic Democrats for a vote of confidence. Almost 95% of them declared their confidence in him as President. On February 7 1960, the Basic Democrats elected Ayub Khan as the President of Pakistan.Ayub khan, who had seized power, was then able to claim that he had the backing of the people of Pakistan.

Constitution Commission

On 17th February 1960, Ayub Khan appointed a Constitution Commission to make recommendations for a new constitution, which was headed by Justice Shahab-ud-Din. The commission submitted its report to the President on 6th May 1961. It recommended a presidential form of government, adult franchise, revival of political parties system and a powerful legislature. The report of the commission was referred to five-member sub-committee which finalized the draft of the constitution.

1962 Constitution

The new constitution was announced on 1 March 1962. Although Ayub Khan described it as combining ‘democracy with discipline’, in reality it set up a presidential form of government. Its main features include:

  • The country shall be called the Republic of Pakistan.
  • The new constitution shall be federal with a single house at both central and provincial levels.
  • The President could not be removed unless impeached.
  • The President nominated the Cabinet from the members of the National Assembly, but they would have resign from the National Assembly if made ministers.
  • The President nominated the heads of the judiciary and the provincial governors (who then nominated their Cabinets).
  • The National Legislature could not pass a law without the approval of the President.
  • The constitution shall be amended only by a two-thirds majority of the Assembly and assent of the president. If the president does not agree, it shall need a three-quarters majority. Even then, the president shall choose whether to dissolve the Assembly or call a referendum.
  • There shall be parity between the two wings in the Central Legislature.
  • All citizens are equal and all minority interests shall be safeguarded.

The new constitution reflected Ayub’s own interpretation of the political set-up of Pakistan and was based on his experience of Pakistan’s political, economic and social institutions. It was introduced without debate and Ayub brought martial law to an end soon afterwards.

The new National Assembly met on 8 June 1962. One of its first acts was to remove the ban on political parties. It appeared that Pakistan was moving nearer to a democratic system, but actually, Ayub’s reforms had increased the powers of the ruling elite. This had happened because the major landlords dominated the elections to the Basic Democracies and often used coercion or bribery to influence the results.

CRITICISM AGAINST POLITICAL REFORMS

The political reforms introduced by Ayub Khan also faced criticism.

  • 1962 Constitution

The Constitution also further upset the people of East Pakistan. They felt that they would have little part in governing Pakistan. Gradually, they were coming to realize that Pakistan’s government was in the hands of military and civil officials from West Pakistan. Various steps were taken to placate them:

  • Both Urdu and Bengali were recognized as two of the national languages.
  • The National Assembly Session was to be held in both Dhaka and Islamabad.
  • If the President were from West Pakistan, then the Speaker of the National Assembly was to be from East Pakistan and vice versa.
  • During the absence of the president, the speaker shall officiate as acting president.
  • Each province shall be given maximum autonomy.

Despite these measures, the people of East Pakistan still believed that Pakistan was, in reality, government of East Pakistan by West Pakistan. This resulted in a feeling of unease among them.