Re: The Last Moments of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
Yahya should have handed over power to Mujib, he didn't, so he is guilty. Bhutto became CMLA and president after East Pakistan was lost and he was the majority leader of what remained of pakistan. He did not become CMLA and president of united Pakistan.
While you may have read it in the books and on internet, I witnessed the whole episode.
Re: The Last Moments of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
CM I agree that ZAB lost the elections fair & square in 1970..& i am not here to defend him or tenure of his govt. either....I am just saying that there are many other factors for the seperation of East Pakistan then just the denal of Power to Mujib by Bhutto....The issue was already standing at the verge of eruption when the election happened *& it became obvious to all that this the time that Bangladesh would be born....
Re: The Last Moments of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
East Pakistan was lost in March(26 March the National Day for East Bengalis)1971 when Mujib asked his colleagues to form a government in exile in Kolkatta…rather then in December when Bhutto became the CMLA…& before that Mukti Bahini was already acting as the freedom struggle movement for the East Pakistanis & later on Bangladeshis..
Re: The Last Moments of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
The East Pakistan issue dates back to before 1971 (Bengali-Urdu issue etc), even though I dont understand how one can blame it on a leader who actually took power AFTER Bangladesh was created. But yeah, point to ponder was if there were no Bhutto, we wouldnt have seen a Zias dark ages.
Re: The Last Moments of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
Odd spock your knowledge of history must be rather poor. After all who were the two running for power? Or did that slip your memory?
Ehsan incorrect. As Goliko said. Secondly what were the dynamics why Yahya did not hand over power? Any ideas? You lived through the period, you should know exactly what the media was saying about the PPP and their dialogue with Yahya and Mujib (or lack of in the last case).
Re: The Last Moments of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
I know you like Zia (nothing wrong with that, we all have our favourite leaders), but facts are facts, Bhutto was a contender, like Mujeeb, he did not come to power, it was Yahya who was incharge of handing power. As for this whole incident, if you care to study Pakistan’s history, maybe then you will realize that this dates back to right after 1947, go and study how Jinnah (who was very hesitant and in poor health) was literally forced to goto East Pakistan and make a speech (in english) to endorse Urdu as the single official language. There was more behind Bangladesh’s emergence than just those elections.
Ehsan bhai I believe has presented the true picture here.
Re: The Last Moments of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
Yahya was the cheif executive and leader of Pakistan. Despite what Bhutto said he should have invited the leader of the majority party i.e. Mujib to form the government. Did he? No. Why not? Care to expain.
Bhutto became CMLA and president after the fall of Dhaka, so what is incorrect. The whole seperatist movement had started well before this election, in fact during Ayub's time. Agartala case, does it ring a bell? Read Ayub's book "Friends not masters" and the dirty role played by the West Pakistani politicians, Bhutto was not one of them.
Re: The Last Moments of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
I wanted to respond to some of the comments made by ehasan, spock, goliko. But that's not warranted any more because, CM has done a wonderful job to take care of that.
Bhutto was a power hungry, megalomaniac politician who once said, "I'd rather be the top dog of half of pakistan than the underdog of the whole pakistan.
Bhutto was conniving and called for the boycott of assembly session, knowing fully well such tactic was bound to add more fuel to the fire of public resentment. His intemperate language and political backing only encouraged the obduracy and belligerance of the army command which eventually led to such a massacre.
Hamdoor Commision Report also blames him for his complicity in the shameful break-up.
Bhutto quotes:
"punjab is the bastion of power"
"Thank Allah pakistan has been saved." after MArch 26, 1971
"I will break the leg of anyone who dares to attend the National Assembly" qoutes Bhutto, threatening any non-PPP elected member agaisnt attending the NA.
So, in ending i would like to reiterate that the principal culprits were Yahya, Bhutto and Shiek. But they were mere "catalysts" for a break-up whose seeds had been sown long before. But that's a totally different thread
Re: The Last Moments of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
all ur quotes are out of context.. In fact all the bengali killings were held when Bhutto was nowhere at scene.. it was army acts all the way and Hamood ur Rahman Commission blamed army not Bhutto for East Pakistan debacle..
Bhutto was a genious and his contributions for Pakistan are unmatched.. his idea and mission to make a poor country like Pakistan a nuclear power alone is amazing .. today our place as nuclear power is due to Bhutto’s contributions..
His idea to make a muslim block and bring muslim countries together is unmatched in recent history.. the only period of history pakistan want under USA influence was 1973-77.. he laid his life just for that..
If we believe all ur Zia theories about Bhutto why did people of pakistan loved him even today.. PPP got highest votes even in last general elections alone just due to Bhutto’s name! Zia was shocked to see Bhutto’s popularity in 1978 and cancelled general elections..