3 Constitution, military takeover of power, 23 years taken to conduct the first general elections, electoral history of Pakistan became a terrible laboratory of democracy

“Ghalib” don’t tease us again with enthusiasm and tears

We are sitting prepared for the storm.”

When Mian Mohammad Nawaz Sharif returned to his country after being in exile for four years, this was what his style looked like. After taking permission from the court, he went abroad for treatment in November 2019. Told that I will return soon after getting well. But this came soon after four years. When Nawaz Sharif was jailed, Imran Khan was the Prime Minister of Pakistan. Later he was declared a stranger by the army and is now in jail. More or less, something similar happened with Nawaz Sharif also. But within these years he regained command of the army from within. He is claiming to become Prime Minister for the fourth time. There is internal news that the army has given OK. His victory is certain. Will he remain a pawn of the army in Pakistan or will he do something new. This will happen whenever it happens. Today we will talk about the ongoing elections in Pakistan. Parliamentary elections are being held in Pakistan on 8 February. 44 political parties are seen competing to get a share of the 266 seats. This is the 12th general election of the country since independence almost 77 years ago. The political history of Pakistan is full of turmoil. It has had three constitutions, three military coups, and none of its 30 prime ministers has served a full five-year term.

23 years wait

On 23 March 1940, the All India Muslim League adopted the Lahore Resolution, which demanded a separate nation for Muslims. Thus in independent Pakistan this day is celebrated as Pakistan Day. On this day in 1956, the country officially adopted its first constitution, which transformed the Dominion of Pakistan into the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Sikandar Mirza was immediately replaced as President by his commander-in-chief, General Muhammad Ayub Khan. Under him, Pakistan got its second constitution in 1962. In 1973, Pakistan got the Constitution which still exists today. The three major features of this constitution are a parliamentary democracy, where power will rest with an elected Prime Minister and his ministers. The federal structure and fundamental rights were expanded.

Back to Bangladesh, Bhutto, and martial law

The national elections of 1970 highlighted growing regionalism and social conflict in the country. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto-led Pakistan People’s Party emerged as the largest party in West Pakistan by winning 81 seats despite losses in Balochistan and North-West Frontier Province. Islamic parties won in the latter two areas. In East Pakistan, the Mujibur Rahman-led Awami League, which had campaigned for a six-point program of provincial autonomy, won 160 of the 162 seats in the province. The prospect of an Awami League government was a threat to the politicians of West Pakistan, who conspired with the military leadership to prevent Mujibur from assuming the reins of power. This was the last straw for the Eastern Wing which was already fed up with its under-representation in all spheres of government, economic deprivation and then the suppression of the democratic process. There was an insurgency in East Pakistan in March 1971, resulting in another war with India and the establishment of Bangladesh.

Army took steps back but did not give up control

The next general elections were held in 1985, but no political parties were allowed to participate. Each candidate contested the election in his or her individual name. Zia thought this would help him build a popular support base and make it easier to control the Parliament without the influence of political parties on the representatives. Despite the sanctions, the elections proved to be consequential for Pakistan for two main reasons. One, the elected parliament was allowed to form political parties following the election results, which gave rise to a two-party parliamentary system. According to the research paper by Dr. Hasan-Askari Rizvi and Ijaz Shafi Gilani and ‘The First 10 General Elections of Pakistan’ published by Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT), this process gave rise to a Muslim League which later Became a major player in politics.

return of dictatorship

Although the army supported Nawaz Sharif in elections for the longest time, their relationship broke down when he started becoming a mass leader. According to the report, as Prime Minister Nawaz put forward a populist agenda and a populist image, and used television to “promote his image as a visionary who would deliver economic development.” The military helped Benazir rise to the top post in 1947. But they failed to stop Nawaz in the next election held four years later, as his party PML-N got 46% of the votes and 136 of the total seats – the PPP got only Got 18 seats. The 1997 election result disabled the most powerful tool in the tool-box of military oversight. If two major players were face to face, small acts of favor or denial of it could tilt the balance in either direction. But if the difference between the two was largely in one’s favor, this method was not effective. In 1999, there was another coup. This time General Pervez Musharraf seized power. Army Chief K. Musharraf planned and executed the 1999 Kargil war against India.

Another attack on democracy

Musharraf had to step down in 2008 after clashing with the Supreme Court and particularly Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry for criticizing the military’s repression in the country. According to Christophe Jaffrelot’s ‘The Pakistan Paradox: Instability and Resilience’, the President tried to remove the Chief Justice, which sparked protests and mobilized support across Pakistan. On 3 November 2007, Musharraf declared a state of emergency but due to opposition and pressure from other countries, he had to announce general elections. However, the elections were delayed because Benazir was assassinated on December 27, 2007 – Musharraf was accused of orchestrating her assassination and later faced trial for her murder. In the 2008 general elections, PPP won the highest number of seats followed by Musharraf’s PML-Q. PPP formed government in alliance with PML-N. While PPP’s Yousuf Raza Gilani became Prime Minister, Benazir’s husband Asif Ali Zardari was elected President.

Nawaz Sharif was ousted from power in 2017

Military interference in Pakistani politics came into limelight again when Nawaz Sharif was ousted from power in 2017. The Supreme Court debarred him from holding public office for life in the Panama Papers case. Nawaz alleged that the army had got rid of him through a ‘judicial coup’. The PML-N chief’s challenge to the foreign and security policy led to differences with the army. Ahead of the 2018 elections, Pakistan’s military floated new parties to snatch the votes of PML-N. Most importantly, it supported PTI’s Imran, who was widely known as “Laadla”. Not much of a surprise, PTI won the maximum number of seats and formed the government. But Imran did not remain “Laadla” for long. Like Nawaz, he fell out with the army and was removed from the government in April 2022. He is currently in jail on charges of corruption, treason etc.