Topic 20

Field marshal Mohammad Ayub Khan 1958 to 1969

• Born in 14 May 1907

• Son of a Risal Dar Major Mir daad Khan
• Read in Aligarh College.
• Joined Indian Army in 1926
• Ayub khan announced that he hoped that a
period of military rule would settle Pakistan

• .

POLITICAL/CONSTITUTIONAL REFORMS:

1959 Basic Democracies:

• The first step in Ayub Khan’s constitutional reforms came with the introduction of the Basic Democracies
order on 26 Oct. 1959.
• That was 4 tier systems in which ordinary people elected union council members, who in turn elected district
and divisional members.
• 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.
• At the end of 1959, Ayub asked the basic democrats for a vote of confidence in him and on 17 Feb. 1960 he
was confirmed as president.
• He then announced the creation of a constitution commission to make recommendations for a new
constitution.

The 1962 Constitution:

• The new constitution was announced on 1 March 1962.

• Ayub described it as combining “democracy with discipline”.
• In reality it set up a presidential form of government.

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It stated that:
(i) The president could not be removed unless impeached (accused).
(ii) The president nominated the cabinet from the members of the national assembly.
(iii) The president nominated the heads of the judiciary and the provincial governors.
(iv) The national legislatures could not pass a law without the approval of the president.
(v) Both Urdu and Bengali were recognized as two of the national languages.
(vi) The national assembly session was to be held in both Dhaka and Islamabad.
(vii) If the president were from West Pakistan then the speaker of the national assembly was to be from East
Pakistan.

• The new constitution was introduced without debate and Ayub brought Martial law to an end soon
afterwards.
• The new National assembly met for the first time on 8 June 1962.
• The first act was to remove the ban on political parties.
• Ayub’s reforms had increased the powers of the ruling elite.
• Major landlords dominated the elections.
• The constitution also further upset the people of East Pakistan.
• They felt that the Pakistan’s government was in the hands of military and civil officials from West Pakistan.

Election of 1965:

• In Jan 1965 elections were held for the presidency.

• Ayub khan was nominated by a new party , the Convention Muslim League
• He believed that the opposition parties were too divided to put up a credible opponent in the elections.
• He was however wrong, the opposition parties all agreed to support the sister and advisor of the Quaid,
Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah.
• In the election Ayub Khan won 64 % of the votes, compared to Miss Jinnah’s 36 %.
• Results were challenged by the opposition who claimed that the voting had been rigged.
• Riots began in Karachi and East Pakistan in which 20 people were killed.
• Ayub khan had been reelected.
• A New capital:

• Since partition the capital had been Karachi.

• In 1959 the site of Islamabad was chosen to replace Karachi as the Capital of Pakistan.
• In 1967 Islamabad was officially made the capital.
• Work on the city’s principal buildings, streets, and facilities continued and were completed by the mid-1970s.
• It is a modern and carefully planned city.
• The city is divided into 8 largely self-contained zones.

Agricultural reforms / the Green Revolution:

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• An experiment of small subsistence holdings had never been efficient.
• A law was passed saying that no farm could be smaller than 12.5 acres or larger than 500 acres (irrigated) or
1000 acres (unirrigated).
• This meant that many smaller farmers found their land was redistributed.
• However the resulting larger farms did produce a steady rise in food output.
• Big landlords were forced to find tenants for parts of their land and this too raised productivity as the tenants
and smaller farms were often more efficient than the larger , poorly run farms.
• Four dams were built to help irrigation.
• Loans were also given to farmers to build wells.
• Productivity was further increased due to mechanization.

Industrial reforms:

• Industrial development was also considered.

• This was carried out with the help of loans from more industrialized western countries.(USA, Germany, UK)
• In 1962 an oil refinery was established in Karachi and a Mineral development Corporation set up for the
exploration of mineral deposits.
• In 1964 an Economic union was formed with Iran and Turkey, the Regional cooperation development (RCD)
(to develop ties in Trade, Commerce and industry).
• An Export Bonus Scheme was set up offering incentives to industrialists who increased exports.
• The average annual rate by which the economy grew in the 1960 was 7 %, three times that of India.
• But the new wealth created, did little to benefit the large numbers of Pakistanis living near the poverty line.
• It was revealed that just 22 families controlled 66 % of Pakistan’s industrial assets.
• The same families also controlled 80 % of Pakistan’s banking and insurance companies.
• A small elite group of wealthy Pakistanis had almost complete control of Pakistan’s wealth.
• All these families belong to West Pakistan.
• Industry was improving rapidly but Pakistan was increasingly dependent on foreign aid.

Social and Educational reforms:

• New curriculum for schools and new textbooks were published.

• Government began an extensive literacy programme, building new schools and colleges.
• Ayub khan appointed General Azam Khan the Rehabilitation Minister to settle 75,000 refugees in newly built
dwellings near Karachi.
• Laws were passed that factory owners had to provide accommodations for their workers at a reasonable rent.
• Family Planning Programmes were also launched (funded by America).
• Medical facilities were also improved.
• Medical and Nursing schools were also set up to increase the number of doctors and nurses.

Political unrest and downfall of Ayub:

• In 1965 Pakistan went to war with India over Kashmir.

• Neither side was able to win a decisive victory.

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 • Ayub told the people that Pakistan had won the war but the peace treaty at Tashkent contained no reference
to how the Kashmir issue should be settled.
• It was to regain that disputed Kashmir territory that Pakistan had started the war.
• ZAB blamed Ayub for losing the war and also criticized Tashkent agreement.
• Ayub sacked the foreign Minsiter, Zulkiqar Ali Bhutto,
• Bhutto now became a focal point for opposition to Ayub.
• By 1968 many people were discontented with the government.
• It seemed to be undemocratic as there were numerous accusations of intimidation and vote rigging in the
elections for the Electoral College and the presidential elections.
• The economy was improving yet only a few people were benefiting from this.
• Agricultural production was rising but food prices were also increasing.
• Ayub decided to celebrate the achievements of his ten years as head of state by declaring it “A Decade of
Development”, but this didn’t end the growing opposition.
• In October 1968, there were student protests all over West Pakistan.
• On a visit to Peshawar Ayub was the target of a failed assassinations attempt.
• When Ayub carried out widespread arrests, including Bhutto, there were more protests, which spread to East
Pakistan.
• Ayub Khan’s repressive policies succeeded in uniting the various parries that opposed him.
• In Jan. 1969 eight of them formed the Democratic Action Committee.
• They wanted proper election, the lifting of emergency powers and autonomy for East Pakistan.
• On 17 Feb. 1969 Ayub Khan withdrew the emergency powers and released many political prisoners arrested
in the previous Oct of 1968.
• He began negotiating with the opposition, but he had done too little too late.
• The opposition rapidly gained support whilst he and his party rapidly lost it.
• By March 1969 he realized that he didn’t have enough support to stay in power.
• On 25 March 1969 he resigned.
• But he didn’t call for new elections to choose another president.
• Instead he handed over power to the army and for the second time in its short history Pakistan experienced
martial law.

OTHER REASONS

• Concentration of political power in his own hands.

• Dictatorial powers of President: people want parliamentary form of democracy
• Hold of military hierarchy in policy making
• Disqualification of politicians and political parties under Elective Bodies Disqualification Order (EBDO).
• Control of Press and Media under Press and Publication (Amendment) Ordinance: Pakistan Times, Imroz, Mashriq were
placed under National Press Trust.
• State of emergency.
• Strength of Convention Muslim League was false
• Opposition of One Unit by the small provinces.
• Exaggerated claims about development in the ceremonies
• News of his illness in early 1968.
• Rumour that he was going to appoint Gohar as his successor.
• Withdrawal of military support: Reduction on Armed Forces’ in budget of 1967-68

• Agartala Conspiracy Case (separation of East Pakistan from West Pakistan with the armed aid of India) against Mujeeb
and a band of civil and military officers in Jan. 1968.
• Slogan: ‘Gheraoo, Jalaoo’. Burnt govt. offices and ministers houses.

Expected Questions:

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Question No.1: Explain why the period of Ayub Khan.s government 1958-69 is called the Decade of Progress? (10)June 99 Q.4 b
Question No.2: which of the following contributed the most to Pakistan’s domestic policies:
Liaqat Ali Khan
Ayub Khan
Zia ul Haq
Explain your answer with reference to all three of the above. (14) June 2001 Q.4c
Question No.3: Why was Martial Law declared in 1958? (7) Nov.2002 Q.4 b
Question No.4: Which of the following was the most important contribution of ayub Khan’s government during the Decade of
Development between 1958 and 1969.
Agricultural and econo,ic reforms
Constitutional reforms
Foreign policy?
Explain your answer with reference to all three above. (14) Nov.2003 Q.4 c
Question No.5: Why was Martial Law declared in 1958? (7) Nov.2004 Q.4 b
Question No.6: Constitutional Reforms were the most important of Ayub Khan’s domestic policies during the decade of development
between 1958 and 1969. Do you agree? Give reasons for your answer. (14)
June 2005 Q.5 c
Question No.7: Why did Ayub declare Martial Law in 1958? (7) Nov.2006 Q.5 b
Question No.8: Ayub Khan’s agricultural reforms were more successful than any other of his domestic policies between 1958-1969.
Do you agree or disagree? Give reasons for your answer. (14) Nov 2007 Q.4 c
Question No.9: Why were the years 1958-1969 called the decade of Progress? (7) June 2010 Q. 5 b
Question No, 10: What was the Basic Democratic System of Ayub Khan? (4) Nov 2011Q.4 a
Question No.11: Constitutional reforms were the most important of Ayub Khan’s domestic policies during the ‘Decade of Progress’
between 1958 and 1969.’ Do you agree? Give reasons for your answer.(14) June 2012 Q. 5 c
Question No. 12: why was Martial Law declared by Ayub Khan in 1958? (4) Nov.2012 Q.4 b
Question No. 13: Were the social reforms of Ayub Khan the most important of his domestic policies during the ‘Decade of Progress’
between 1958 and 1969? Explain your answer. (14)June 2014 Q.4 c
Question No. 14: Why was Islamabad chosen as the new capital of Pakistan?
May June 2015 Q. 4 b 7 marks
Government officials would be moved well away from the commercial districts of Karachi that might have some unwanted influences
on them.
It was also seen as an appropriate movement of the power base from the industrially and commercially developed south to the
underdeveloped Punjab region in the north.
Ayub Khan wanted to be closer to the army’s command headquarters in the north which he saw as vital in times of martial law.
Karachi had a very warm and humid climate and, as a port, it wasn’t felt that it represented the needs of a capital city as the existing
buildings were not adequate in number or up to the standards required by a capital.
The layout and structure of the existing port city did not allow it to take on the functions of a modern capital. With its position on the
coast, it was considered vulnerable to attacks from the Arabian Sea.
The vast influx of refugees intensified the existing problems and created new ones.

Question No. 15: Explain why Ayub Khan introduced Martial Law in 1958. June 2016 Q. 4 b (7)

In 1956, the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan approved a constitution that ended Pakistan's status of an independent Dominion of
the British Empire, to create the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Maj. Gen. Iskander Mirza, the last Governor General of Pakistan,
simultaneously became the state's first president. However, the new constitution was followed by political turmoil in Pakistan, which
saw a succession of four prime ministers - Chaudhry Muhammad Ali, Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, Ibrahim Ismail Chundrigar and
Sir Feroz Khan Noon - in a period of two years. There was already a precedent in Governor General Malik Ghulam Muhammad
dismissing prime ministers, and many viewed Mirza as manipulating the constitution and starting dismissals of governments. The One
Unit scheme amalgamating the provinces of Pakistan into two wings - West Pakistan and East Pakistan - was politically controversial
and proving difficult to administer. The quick succession of prime ministers fostered the view within the military and in the public that
Pakistani politicians were too weak and corrupt to govern effectively, and that the parliamentary system was weak.
On October 7, President Mirza declared martial law in Pakistan. He abrogated the constitution of 1956, describing it as "unworkable"
and full of "dangerous compromises." He dismissed the government of Sir Feroz Khan Noon, dissolved the National Assembly of
Pakistan and the provincial legislatures. Mirza also proceeded to outlaw all political parties. He appointed General Ayub Khan, the
Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistani army as the Chief Martial Law Administrator and nominated him to become the new Prime
Minister of Pakistan, charged with administering the country.
On October 27, Iskander Mirza resigned from the presidency, transferring it to Ayub Khan. Both men saw the other as a rival to their
respective positions. Mirza believed his own position had become largely dismissed after Ayub Khan assumed most executive powers
as chief martial law administrator and prime minister, and acted to assert himself, while Ayub Khan thought Mirza was conspiring
against him. It is widely held that Ayub Khan and generals loyal to him forced Mirza to resign. Mirza was later taken to Quetta, the
capital of the province of Baluchistan, before being exiled on November 27 to London, England, where he resided until his death in
1969.

Question No. 16: What were the Basic Democracies? june 2017 Q. 4 a (4marks)

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 Indo-Pakistani War of 1965
engagement of armoured vehicles and the largest tank battle
since World War II. Hostilities between the two countries
ended after a United Nations-mandated ceasefire was
declared following diplomatic intervention by the Soviet
Union and the United States, and the subsequent issuance of
the Tashkent Declaration. Much of the war was fought by the
countries' land forces in Kashmir and along the border
between India and Pakistan. This war saw the largest
gathering of troops in Kashmir since the Partition of British
India in 1947. Most of the battles were fought by opposing
infantry and armoured units, with substantial backing from
air forces, and naval operations. Many details of this war, like
those of other Indo-Pakistani Wars, remain unclear.

The Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 was a culmination of

skirmishes that took place between April 1965 and September India had the upper hand over Pakistan when the ceasefire
1965 between Pakistan and India. The conflict began was declared. Although the two countries fought to a
following Pakistan's Operation Gibraltar, which was designed deadlock, the conflict is seen as a strategic and political defeat
to infiltrate forces into Jammu and Kashmir against Indian for Pakistan, as it had neither succeeded in insurrection in
rule. India retaliated by launching a full-scale military attack Kashmir nor had it been able to gain meaningful support at
on West Pakistan. The seventeen-day war caused thousands an international level.
of casualties on both sides and witnessed the largest

Fatima Jinnah
Fatima Jinnah (31 July 1893 – 9 July 1967) was a Pakistani dental surgeon, biographer, stateswoman, and one of the leading founders
of Pakistan. After obtaining a dental degree from University of Calcutta in 1923, she became a close associate and an adviser to her
older brother Muhammad Ali Jinnah. A strong critic of the British Raj, she emerged as a strong advocate of the two nation theory and
a leading member of the All-India Muslim League. She remained the closest confidant of her brother until his death. After his death,
Fatima was banned from addressing the nation until 1951; her 1951 radio address to the nation was heavily censored by the Liaquat
administration. She wrote the book My Brother, in 1955 but it was only published 32 years later, in 1987. Jinnah came out of her self-
imposed political retirement in 1965 to participate in the presidential election against military dictator Ayub Khan. She was backed by
political parties and despite political rigging by the military, won two of Pakistan's largest cities, Karachi and Dhaka. Jinnah died in
Karachi on 9 July 1967. Her death is subject to controversy, as some reports have alleged that she died of unnatural causes. Her family
members had demanded an inquiry; however the government blocked their request. She remains one of the most honored leaders in
Pakistan, with nearly half a million people attending her funeral in Karachi. Her legacy is associated with her support for civil rights,
her struggle in the Pakistan Movement and her devotion to her brother. She is also referred to as Māder-e Millat ("Mother of the
Nation").

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