5th July and Pakistan Peoples party

July 5 1977 is probably the most important date in the political history of Pakistan when a military dictator taken over the government of the first ever elected Prime Minister of Pakistan. Even today there is a continous struggle between the politicians and the almighty military regime in Pakistan. It was a day when our socialist liberal politician and his government was sacked by a religious, regressive and a brutal military dictator. I was not born then, I was the first generation who started  life under the military regime. My generation grew up in the dark shadows of an oppressive dictator. Zia Al-Haq became  the most powerful military dictator in the region.

This marks the watershed moment in the history of Pakistan when Pakistan started to be turned into a religious intolerant regressive country. It once used to be a very vibrant multicultural pluralistic society. Zia Al-Haq started changing almost every thread in the fabric of the Pakistani society. He was the most potent person to drag religion into every sphere of  Pakistani society to a level which at times appears pathological. Zia Al-Haq was basically the ideological forefather of almost all of the religious fanatics we see around today. From changing school curriculum to inducting people with the skewed politico-religious ideology into government jobs, from crushing the students and trade unions to spreading the madrissas to create religious monsters were the nasty steps done. We all are paying price of those.

Apart from tempering with the socio-cultural fabric of our society Zia went all guns blazing to crush Pakistan peoples party. He hanged its more prolific leader. Its members and activists were hunt down and punished. Public hangings, open floggings, political prisoners put in jails , exiles, destruction of family and economic's of the members of Pakistan People's party was the cruel things done by Zia. In 11 years of his government thousands of Pakistan Peoples Party workers were killed exiled or tortured. Benazir Bhutto and her mother were also tortured and exiled. Shahnawaz, the younger son of Bhutto, was allegedly killed by the regime. Military operation was conducted in interior Sindh against MRD (movement for restoration of democracy) workers. Scores were killed or punished under the notorious military martial law courts. 

Pakistan Peoples Party now again stands on across road. It need to reflect on its current problems, need to learn from past and implement changes for its future. In recent days we have noted that many winnable candidates are leaving People's Party and joining other political parties. I have also read few columns in the newspaper declaring the political death of Pakistan Peoples party. How a political party which survived in opposition against the most cruel of military dictators in the history Pakistan now sadly find itself in trouble baffles most of us. I think its leaders really need to think why so many people who once had very strong faith in this progressive, pluralistic, liberal, socialist political party are now looking towards others.