Brother PT, appreciate your thoughts. I’d be very glad to answer all of your concerns. Again, I want to stress that this explanation is not due to personal hatred for the man rather his policies which condemned our nation.
Soon after 65 war, Bhutto left Ayub’s cabinet over differences concerning Tashkent agreement, founded Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) in Nov. of 67.
Those facts do not account for ZAB’s role in the 165 war where our soldiers fought gallantly. However, lets backtrack a bit before we even arrive at Tashkent. ZAB being the Foreign Minister and a man whom Ayub Khan considered a confidante, was also one of the hawks calling for a guerilla style campaign in Indian Kashmir, he pushed for Operation Grand Slam. ZAB not only forwarded the fallacy that the Indians would not cross the Indian Border (they did) but also spoon fed the erronous notion of the cowardly ‘hindu’ Indian Army would never stand a chance against the Pakistani onslaught. Later, Ayub would discuss his betrayal art great length in hisbook “Friends not Masters.” As one would imagine Ayub Khan would have his biases so lets discount his judgement. A non-partisan western source said:
Source: Indo-Pakistan War of 1965
**After Pakistan was successful in the Rann of Kutch earlier in 1965, Ayub Khan (by nature a cautious person) was pressured by the hawks in his cabinet (led by Z.A. Bhutto) and the army to infiltrate the ceasefire line in Kashmir. The action was based on the incorrect premise that indigenous resistance could be ignited by a few saboteurs. Ayub resisted the idea as he foresaw India crossing the international frontier in retaliation at a point of its choosing. The Bhutto faction, which included some prominent generals, put out the canard that Ayub’s cowardice stemmed from his desire to protect his newly acquired wealth. It was boasted at the time that one Pakistani soldier was equal to four Indian soldiers and so on. **
Heres Pakistani Military position as discussed in Defence journal:
Source: http://www.defencejournal.com/july98/1965war.htm
The then Foreign Minister Mr Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, and the Foreign Secretary, Aziz Ahmed spurred on by Major General Akhtar Hussain Malik, who was commander of our troops in Azad Kashmir, pressed the Government to take advantage of the disturbed situation in the valley and direct the Army to send raiders into Indian held Kashmir for conducting guerrilla activities there and to help, on a long term basis, the locals in organising a movement with a view to eventually starting an uprising against the occupying power.
I have many more sources, but they are mostly books and articles and would take a while to prove.
You seems to have forgotten Naizi and Yahya, brother! ZAB never admitted his defeat in 70’s election, though, he had to but blaming ZAB for the downfall of East Pakistan, is WRONG! PPP won a large majority in West Pakistan but, failed to reach an agreement with Sheikh Mujib-ur-Rehman, the majority winner from Awami League, East Pakistan. Reason? Bhutto rejected idea of Mujib-ur-Rehman of accepting ‘Six Points’ to be the part of the Constitution of Pakistan, which was right!
Yahya was a drunkard and a womanizer, but let the facts and truth stand where they are: He was (and may still be) the only leader of Pakistan who allowed free and fair elections where citizens expressed their choice for government. Yahya held no ambitions for power, and sincerely wanted to hand over power. Cowasjee as respectable Columnist wrote an article discussing Yahya: http://www.lib.virginia.edu/area-studies/SouthAsia/SAserials/Dawn/1996/12Sp96.html#gene
Niazi’s role in '71 has not been forgotten, however are you aware of the genesis of the conflict? Niazi was assigned to E. Pakistan after the Provincial adminstration had collapsed and Mukti Bahini was under operation, the popultion totally alienated, Civil authorities either resigned or in rebellion. Plus he was detached from the GHQ facing in India + Bangalis simultanoeusly. I am not here to exonerate him but rather to point out the convenient scapegoating. It is also interesting that after Bangladesh was created and Bhutto was CMLA, he never court-martialled either one of the people you mentioned.
PT, yara you forgot another member in this affair: Tikka Khan AKA “Buther of Bengal” whose operation Searchlight was responsible for the cold blooded murder of civilians, children, and intellectuals, which btw, is widely considered to be the turning point of Bengali public opinion. Tikka Khan what people fail to bring up, was also a Bhutto crony, in fact his PPP meanderings in Hazara are all to well known. Pakistan Chronicle says:
**Idhar hum, udhar tum
February 22 Responding to the president’s announcement that the new National Assembly will meet on Mar 3, the Pakistan People’s Party leader Zulfikar Ali Bhutto has said: "We cannot go there only to endorse a constitution already prepared by a party, and return humiliated… We have a duty to those millions who elected us. " Mr Bhutto proposes that the PPP should control West Pakistan while the Awami League could rule over East Pakistan. He has also warned his newly elected delegates to the National Assembly that he will break the legs of any party member who dares to attend the March 3 session. **
I have the paper copy of the chronicle however someones also put it up on the web. http://pakistanspace.tripod.com/1971.htm
Bhutto winning a “large” majority haha! PPP won 88 out of 310 while the Awami league doubled that by winning 167 seats. The government, prime Ministership was theirs. To see the election results: http://www.storyofpakistan.com/contribute.asp?artid=C028&Pg=7
Bhutto’s pathetic attitude is well recorded in Sardar Sherbaz Khan Mazri’s book “A Journey to Disillusionment” where Bhutto groveling to Shiekh Mujib for even the smallest portfolio in his government, when refused (as the Awamis could easily form the govt) a defiant and still power hungry Bhutto began manipulating both the W. Pakistani politicians as well as the Military. As for the 6 points, yes I realize that they were going to lead to an independent Bangladesh but our name would not have been dragged through the mud like it was. Our military participated in the most barbaric repressions against their own citizens, lets not forget the shameful disgrace our military suffered as POWs . All of these issues would have been resolved in a amicable manner. I project that Mujib forming the government would have created an Imdependent Bangladesh, but we would be morally and ethically justified once that would have happened. Pakistanis stuck in Bangladesh would not have been chopped to pieces on the streets of Dhaka nor would the Biharis still be shamefully stranded there.
*I wouldn’t say that, brother but there’s no credibility of Simla Agreement, anymore. *
Brother it was humiliation in the sense that Kashmir became a bilateral issue. For ZAB, who had formerely castigated the Tashkent Agreement, was forwarding the Simla agreement as “a great victory” for Pakistan!
The further treachery of ‘Zulfi’ can be highlighted when he stated that the Pakistani POWs “hail from an area that has served as cannon fodder for centuries” and did not even discuss the provisions of their release!
In Baluchistan and NWFP he ousted non-PPP govts and began a campaign of terror against the tribes of Baluchistan. Rather than discussing their views, he made innocent men, women and children martyrs. By now he had already cowed the Army, and the brutal repression of the Baluchis made average citizens into freedom fighters. Bombs dropped on villages, tribal areas closed off..misery starvation…but why? Simply because the Baluchis would not bow down to his supremacy.
Though, I admit ZAB could have done better but to single out one guy for the fall of Decca, is absurd.