- Why did Nawaz Sharif oppose Benazir Bhutto?
Nawaz Sharif was a political rival of Benazir Bhutto and the leader of a coalition of 9 political parties called Islami Jamhuri Ittehad (IJI). One of the main parties in this coalition was Pakistan Muslim League which was headed by Nawaz Sharif. Benazir dominated in Sindh whereas Nawaz Sharif had his major support from Punjab.
Another important reason for this opposition was difference of political ideology. Nawaz Sharif rose to prominence with the support of General Zia-ul-Haq who was against Pakistan People’s Party. It meant Nawaz Sharif was also a natural rival to the PPP. Bhutto was a believer of socialism and Zia promoted Islamisation in Pakistan. Being the daughter of Bhutto and inheritor of his philosophy, Benazir was against Islamisation.
As a matter of fact, it was a power struggle between the two; they could have come to power only through opposing each other and promoting their own ideologies.
- Who was Ghulam Ishaq Khan?
Ghulam Ishaq Khan was the chairman Senate when Zia-ul-Haq died in a plane crash. He was immediately appointed as the president by senior military officers. With the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution, allowing a president to dismiss the government, Ghulam Ishaq Khan was in a powerful position. He actually used this power twice to dismiss Benazir Bhutto in 1990 and Nawaz Sharif in 1993.
- How did the no-confidence motion in 1989 weaken Benazir’s government?
Benazir Bhutto’s first term was marred by the opposition from Islami Jamhuri Ittehad (IJI) led by Nawaz Sharif. The endless confrontation between the two political rivals undermined her ability to govern.
Since she had formed a coalition government, one of the coalition parties MQM was not happy with the PPP, it broke off the coalition in September 1989 and sided with Nawaz Sharif. At that time (in October) Nawaz Sharif tabled a motion of no confidence against Benazir Bhutto in the National Assembly. The opposition mustered 107 votes in the 237 seat National Assembly, just 12 short of the 119 it needed to force Benazir Bhutto to step down. Although she had defeated the no-confidence motion, her government had been seriously damaged by this affair as it had exposed how vulnerable her coalition government was and it did not survive long afterward.
- Why were there differences between Benazir Bhutto and (President) Ghulam Ishaq Khan?
Army under the leadership of General Zia had been against the PPP. When Zia attempted to liberalise his government in 1985, he made sure PPP should not reach the Assembly and form the government. However, due to sudden death of Gen. Zia in 1988, situations changed and Pakistan People’s Party emerged as the largest party in the elections.
Since the president (Ghulam Ishaq Khan) had been appointed in this position by the army, it was natural that Benazir was not a desirable candidate as the PM. The army and the intelligence agencies had extended their support to the Islami Jamhuri Ittehad led by Nawaz Sharif and they reluctantly accepted Benazir.
In the post Afghan war period, Pakistan had lost all financial and most diplomatic support from the west. It meant that an economy depended on foreign aid and loans would not do well and Benazir could not impress the people with a successful economic policy. This weakness of Benazir’s government was used by Ghulam Ishaq Khan to oppose her.
A major area of disagreement was over appointments to positions in the military and the judiciary. Ghulam Ishaq Khan considered that such appointments were the right of the President, not the Prime Minister. He refused to agree to several appointments and dismissals she wanted to make in the military and this caused further tension between them.
- Why was Benazir’s first government dismissed?
In the province of Sindh, and especially in Karachi, Benazir Bhutto faced opposition from a former ally, the Mohajir Qaumi Mahaz or MQM (also called Mohajir Qaumi Movement). In December 1988, the PPP and the MQM had agreed on a coalition, however, they both had a very different approach to politics and government. Many MQM supporters did not like working with the PPP. There was frequent violence between the MQM and their opponents. This led to MQM’s getting out of the coalition (September 1989) and siding with Benazir’s rival Nawaz Sharif.
At the same time (October 1989) Nawaz Sharif tabled a motion of no-confidence against the government which greatly damaged it.
Benazir’s husband, Asif Ali Zardari was accused of taking rake-offs on government deals. The tales of corruption further weakened the government.
In the Pucca Qila area of Hyderabad, forty supporters of the MQM, including many women and children, were killed by the police. People were horrified as violence seemed to be out of control.
With growing unemployment and strikes from the opposition, President Ghulam Ishaq Khan took his chance and used the Eighth Amendment to dismiss Benazir’s government. He said his actions were justified because of corruption, incompetence and inaction. In fact, the President and the military had wanted for some time to remove her.
Benazir’s supporters claimed that her government had been deliberately weakened by those whose power and privileges her policies threatened. They also said that she was a victim of those traditionalists who would not accept a woman as head of the government.
- Were the challenges facing Benazir Bhutto in Sindh the main reason why she left office in 1990? Explain your answer.
Two explanations, one on the challenges in Sindh and one on another reason are worth 9 marks. Additional explanations awarded up to 13 marks
e.g.
Sindh
• Well educated muhajirs opposed the special rights for Sindhis introduced by Benazir Bhutto and increasingly supported the Muhajir Quami Movement (MQM).
• Sindh was an area of growing opposition to the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and growing support for the MQM.
• Benazir Bhutto tried in vain to gain the support of the MQM to form a coalition government by promising to protect the interests of all the people of Sindh.
Other challenges
• Her government was damaged by an unsuccessful no-confidence motion tabled by opposition parties including Islami Jamhuri Ittehad (IJI) led by Nawaz Sharif.
• President Ghulam Ishaq Khan refused to appoint the judges and military personnel she wished, making it difficult for her to govern Pakistan effectively.
• Promised economic development programmes and social and health reforms did not produce the effects hoped for. The government lost support as unemployment, inflation and population grew rapidly making progress difficult.
• Accusations from political opponents regarding mismanagement leading to the arrest and jailing of her husband Asif Ali Zardari. Further rumours weakened the government enabling President Ghulam Ishaq Khan to use the Eighth Amendment to dismiss the government in 1990.
Write your evaluation / judgment.
- To what extent did Benazir Bhutto’s privatisation policy contribute to the government being replaced in 1996? Explain your answer.
Indicative content
May agree that the privatisation policy was the main contributory factor:
• Benazir Bhutto wanted to extend the privatisation of industries
• planned privatisations included banks, power and telecommunications
• she was criticised for doing this by wealthy industrialists and politicians from all sides
• government officials made it harder to privatise nationalised industries
Counter-arguments might include:
• Benazir Bhutto did not introduce the PPP’s social policies
• multiple economic problems including unemployment and inflation
• strikes and protests were organised by the opposition in 1994
• GDP and manufacturing growth rates slowed
• the strict economic policies imposed on Pakistan by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in return for a loan
• the rupee was devalued
• the USA’s financial and military embargo began to affect the economy
• the government was inefficient
• a lack of unity within the government
Other relevant responses should also be credited.
Write your judgment / evaluation.
- How did the failure of financial institutions damage Nawaz Sharif’s first government?
Two serious banking scandals led to many people losing money and criticism of the government. The Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI) had been set up in 1972 by Pakistani banker, Agha Hasan Abedi. It had close links to many prominent people. Nawaz Sharif’s family company, Ittefaq Industreis, was a major customer. Despite being a worldwide bank, it remained essentially a Pakistani institution employing thousands of Pakistanis. BCCI collapsed in 1991 when the Bank of England closed their operations with allegations of massive losses, fraud, widespread criminality, and money laundering. The collapse was a great shock – people simply couldn’t believe it. However, Nawaz Sharif allowed BCCI branches in Pakistan to operate for several months. There were many accusations that Pakistani businessmen and politicians had made huge profits from the bank’s illegal activities. Pakistan also refused to extradite the bank’s founder, Agha Hasan Abedi, to face charges in the USA.
To help businesses flourish, the government cut back on regulations and allowed them more freedom to do what they wanted. However, as the economy grew so did corruption. In 1991 four financial cooperatives in the Punjab, the Pakistan Cooperative Societies collapsed. It was said that government regulation had not been good enough. There were allegations that public money had been misused. More than two million people lost their savings, including some who had invested their entire life savings. Perhaps as much as Rs. 23 billion was lost. Two of the cooperatives were controlled by relatives of Nawaz Sharif. The failure of the National Industrial Cooperative Credit Company was the biggest ever financial collapse in Pakistan. Nawaz Sharif’s family company borrowed from these cooperatives. An official enquiry, headed by a judge, Afzal Lone, cleared them of any wrongdoing but it further damaged the sanding of the prime minister.
- What happened at Kargil in 1999?
By 1999, after the deaths of thousands of Kashmiris, Pakistan and India appeared again to be on the brink of war. In 1999 Pakistan troops tried to gain control of the mountainous Kargil region of Kashmir. At first Pakistan denied any involvement. The fighters, they said, were Kashmiri ‘freedom fighters’. But it was soon apparent that it was a well-planned army action. After early successes, Pakistani forces were driven back. The retreat did not only bring humiliation for the army but the country suffered diplomatically as well.
- Why was Nawaz Sharif overthrown by the army in 1999?
Just two months after a bilateral dialogue between the prime ministers of India and Pakistan (February 1999), both nations were on the brink of another war (May 1999) at Kargil (Indian held Kashmir). Obviously it was army’s own decision to cross the Line of Control for a military action through bypassing the prime minister; Nawaz Sharif could not have made such a decision two months after signing a peace agreement with India.
The Army Chief, General Musharraf was angered by the retreat of his forces due to a strong Indian response at Kargil and the loss of diplomatic support for Pakistan from the international community. He was perhaps angrier at the peace agreement (the Lahore Declaration) signed between India and Pakistan without consulting the army. This confrontation between the army and the democratic government led to the overthrow of Nawaz Sharif’s government and an imposition of the 4th military rule under General Parvez Musharraf on 12 October 1999.
- Was the collapse of the Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI) the main reason for the government ending in 1993? Explain your answer.
Two explanations, one on the achievements and one on another reason, are worth nine marks. Additional explanations awarded up to 13 marks
e.g.
BCCI
• The collapse of BCCI bank in 1991 led to investors losing huge sums of money harming Pakistan’s finances. This caused the government to lose a lot of political support.
Other
• US had provided support during the Soviet-Afghan war, which was reduced when the war ended causing economic problems;
• US aid was restricted when the USA tried to pressurise Pakistan into ending the nuclear programme causing further economic problems;
• Support for Afghan warlords had led to guns becoming freely available increasing crime, kidnappings and murder. There were also drug problems associated with refugees from the Soviet-Afghan war flooding into towns and cities. Both increased pressure on the government;
• The government lost support over the ‘Cooperative Societies scandal’. In Punjab alone 700 000 people lost their savings when the state cooperative society went bankrupt.;
• The Shariat Bill was unpopular with groups in the alliance who wanted Islam to play an even greater role in government and others in opposition who wanted it decreased
Attempt the following:
- How successful were the policies of Benazir Bhutto in both governments?
- How successful were the policies of Nawaz Sharif in both governments?
- Do you agree that the period 1988 – 99 was one in which Pakistan made little significant progress? Give reasons for your answer.
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