Asghar Khan’s letter which triggered the martial law of July 5, 1977

The general elections of 1977 are considered to be a turning point in the political history of Pakistan.

It was these elections that sparked a nationwide movement against the government following allegations of gross rigging and led to a prolonged martial law on July 5, 1977.

Polling for these elections was held on March 7, 1977. Candidates had already won unopposed on 19 seats. In the elections held on March 7, Pakistan People’s Party won a landslide victory. The number of seats it won was 155, while Pakistan National Union got 36 seats and Pakistan Muslim League (Qayyum Group) one seat, while independent candidates won eight seats.

As soon as the election results were announced, the Pakistan National Alliance alleged widespread voting rigging. So he refused to accept the results. Along with this, the national alliance announced to boycott the provincial elections of March 10 and announced to run a movement against these results from March 14, 1977. This movement was named Tehreek Nizam Mustafa.

Pakistan National Alliance was an alliance of nine political parties headed by Mufti Mehmood and General Secretary Professor Ghafoor Ahmed, but Air Marshal (Rtd) Asghar Khan, who was considered a peer of Bhutto, had a central position in this alliance. It was believed that if the Pakistan National Alliance had won a majority in the March 1977 elections, he would have been elected as the Prime Minister of the country.

During this time, about fifteen and a half processions of workers, lawyers, scholars, students, women and children took place. About seven hundred buildings, shops, offices and banks were set on fire. Two and a half hundred people were killed, 12 hundred people were injured and about eighty-three and a half thousand people were imprisoned.

To control these riots, the government used force and imposed martial law in the three cities of Lahore, Karachi and Hyderabad, but these riots could not be controlled.

On May 4, 1977, it was revealed that Air Marshal (R) Muhammad Asghar Khan, the central leader of the National Alliance, wrote a letter with his signatures to the chiefs of the armed forces and officers of the defense services, in which he stressed that Pakistan It is the duty of the armed forces of Pakistan to defend the territorial integrity of Pakistan, but they should distinguish between legal and illegal orders and should not support what they say is an illegitimate government.

In his message, he further said that during the elections rigging was done in such a serious and brazen manner that the principle of accountability of the government was also negated by the voters. In these circumstances, the action of the army is tantamount to protecting and supporting an individual.

This letter was written on April 25, 1977, according to Asghar Khan. Asghar Khan wrote in his book Tarikh Se Kuch Nai Shekha: ‘The distribution of this letter was a big problem but despite government control and censorship it gained such popularity that it was read by almost all the officers of the armed forces. Some of Bhutto’s supporters criticized me for writing this letter and accused me of inviting the armed forces to take over the administration of the government. The letter was written to the armed forces and to remind them that they had pledged to obey only ‘lawful orders’ from their superiors. This letter was not an invitation to take over.’

Professor Ghafoor Ahmed writes in his book ‘…Then martial law came’ that ‘the government made a big fuss over this letter. In response, a spokesperson of the Ministry of Defense explained that the forces are not loyal to any individual but to the country and the constitution. It is their duty to come to the assistance of the civil administration when called upon to assist it.’

When this letter came to the knowledge of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, he called the chiefs of the armed forces to reply to this letter, so the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee and the chiefs of the Army, Navy and Air Force announced that the armed forces The forces are united to fulfill their constitutional obligations.

He said that every patriotic citizen, including the defense forces, is deeply concerned about the events of the past few weeks. If anyone has any misconceptions about the role and responsibilities of the armed forces, they should be removed. The statement said that deviation from the principles of the ideological state will not be allowed.

On April 27, a Defense Ministry spokesman explained that the armed forces are loyal to the country and the constitution, not to any individual. It is their duty to come to the aid of the civil administration when called upon to help it. If any section of public opinion has any misunderstanding about the role and duties and responsibilities of the armed forces of the country, it should be dispelled by this determination and endorsement of the defense forces.

The spokesman of the Ministry of Defense further said, ‘The defense of the country is done both from within the country and from outside the country as well. Enemies are both inside and outside the country. If the country is defeated internally, who will be left? The Federal Government is free to exercise the powers conferred by Article 245 of the Constitution, it is its legal right and it is the duty of the armed forces to protect the lives and honor of the people with all sincerity when called upon. should protect.’

The spokesperson said, ‘This message of retired Air Marshal Asghar Khan is tantamount to breaking the loyalty of the armed forces and it is even more surprising that the former chief of the air force should promote rebellion in the armed forces. The question arises that when Air Marshal (R) Asghar Khan participated in the abrogation of the Constitution in 1958, where was his conscience and moral values?

By studying this historical letter of Asghar Khan, you can imagine how this letter must have played a role in motivating the minds of the armed forces chiefs and common soldiers and inciting them to revolt.

The translation of this letter of Asghar Khan is given below.

My message is to the Chief of Staff and officers of the Defense Services of Pakistan. It is your duty to defend the territorial integrity of Pakistan and carry out the lawful orders of your superiors. It is the duty of every officer to distinguish between lawful and unlawful orders. Each of you should ask yourself whether the activities the army is engaged in these days are legal. If your conscience tells you that these activities are not legal and you continue them, then you will be morally bankrupt and guilty of grave crimes against your country and nation.

By now you must know that the military action in East Pakistan was a conspiracy. In which the present Prime Minister played a heroic role. You know under what circumstances military action was taken in Balochistan and how unnecessary this action was. You may also be aware of the military action taken in the last year in NWFP. If you have any interest in the national interests, you will also know that the current government has been overwhelmingly rejected and disapproved by the people in the current election campaign. You may have been surprised at the results of the current election, despite the people’s overthrow of the current government, that the Pakistan National Alliance, which has the overwhelming support of the people, could win only eight seats out of 161 seats in the Punjab province. You surely also know that many people were not even given a chance to file their nomination papers. Would you call it a coincidence that no one filed nomination papers against the Prime Minister and the Chief Ministers of the four provinces? Those who tried to submit the papers had to spend several nights in police custody, one of whom has not yet been traced.

Those of you whose duty was assigned to the March 7 election will know how widespread the rigging has been. Millions of ballot papers of National Alliance candidates were removed from ballot boxes found in the streets and fields of Pakistan after the March 7 elections. On March 10, when the National Alliance called for a boycott of the provincial elections, you must have seen deserted and deserted polling stations. Nevertheless, government sources announced that the votes were cast in huge numbers, and that the votes cast were more than sixty percent of the total, and then you would have seen the movement that followed Bhutto’s resignation and the general elections. It was run for re-arrangement.

Thousands of women carrying children in their hands came out in the streets, it was a scene that can never be forgotten. These were the women whom Bhutto claimed had voted for him. This movement proved within a few days that the people had rejected Bhutto and his government. The death of thousands of our youth and incidents of violence against mothers and sisters must have overwhelmed you with shame and sorrow.

Have you ever wondered why people put themselves to so much trouble, why mothers came to face bullets with children in their arms, why parents allowed their children to face police bullets and batons? Of course because they feel they have been cheated and defrauded. Their rulers have denied them the basic right to accept or reject them. When we explained to the public, they understood that the Constitution which you have sworn to defend as an officer of the Armed Forces has been violated. According to Article (3) 218 ​​of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, it is the duty of the Election Commission formed in relation to an election to make such arrangements in relation to the election as a result of which honest, fair, free and lawful elections are possible. can be While he should eliminate the corruptions in this regard.’

My friends! These were not fair and free elections. Bhutto has violated the constitution and he is guilty of serious crimes against the people. You are not obligated to protect an illegitimate government, nor can you be forced to kill the people of your country. So that Bhutto can maintain his government for some time. Don’t give anyone a chance to say that the Pakistan Armed Forces are a bankrupt police force whose only job is to kill unarmed civilians. The ‘V’ sign was shown to the army in Lahore. We need to instill self-confidence in our youth rather than cowardice and this tragic incident is a stain on the name of Pakistan Army which will be very difficult to clean.

Similarly, the firing of the army on unarmed people in Karachi is also inexcusable, don’t you think that during the thirty worst years of its history, the people of Pakistan have shown love and sincerity for their forces. When you surrendered in East Pakistan, people cried tears of blood. He always prayed to Your Highness. They starved themselves and starved their children so that you could eat your fill and your generals and superior officers could live a life that British and American generals did not have. I see myself saying that this love has died. Now God, don’t let it turn into hate. If this happens, it will be a tragedy in our history, which we will not be able to repair in our lifetime.

As a dignified person it is your duty to perform your duties. Duties in the present situation do not mean indiscriminate execution of illegal orders. Now is the time for every person of the nation to ask himself whether he is doing right or wrong. The time has come for you to answer this appeal honestly and save Pakistan. May God protect you.’

The then Secretary General of Pakistan Qaumi Ittehad Professor Ghafoor Ahmad wrote in his book ‘Phar Martial Law Agya’ that to the extent of his knowledge ‘Asghar Khan did not take the Qaumi Ittehad into confidence when sending this message.’

After this letter, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto had to get serious in the negotiations with the Pakistan National Alliance, but the negotiations dragged on so much that the agreement could not be signed even after reaching an agreement. Meanwhile, there were several indications that the armed forces were preparing to impose martial law in the country. Qaumi Etihad leaders Asghar Khan, Sardar Sherbaz Khan Mazari and Begum Naseem Wali Khan were in favor of martial law in the country. He maintained that the army has assured him that if martial law is implemented, the martial law authorities will conduct fair elections within ninety days.

On July 5, 1977, General Zia-ul-Haq imposed martial law in the country, but the people had to wait for eight years to hold these elections.

After the imposition of martial law, Asghar Khan announced his separation from the Pakistan National Alliance, later he also joined the MRD and at one stage fought with the Pakistan People’s Party to hold fair elections in the country. In 2012, he merged his party with Imran Khan’s Tehreek-e-Insaaf.

The most important event in the political life of Asghar Khan was the famous case in the Supreme Court bearing his name. In October 2012, the Supreme Court ordered legal action against former army chief General Mirza Aslam Baig and former ISI chief Lt. Gen. Asad Durrani on this case filed years ago.

In his petition, Asghar Khan had alleged that the then President Ghulam Ishaq Khan along with some senior military personnel distributed Rs 14 crore to politicians to ensure the defeat of Benazir Bhutto in the 1990 general elections.