Marching towards Democracy - Bhutto

271 Pages·2009·1.82 MB·English

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Marching Towards
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A collection of articles, statements and speeches
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1970-1971

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By
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ZULFIKAR ALI BHUTTO
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Reproduced in pdf form by
POLITICS OF THE PEOPL
Sani Panhwar
Marching Towards Democracy Copyright © www.bhutto.org 1
INTRODUCTION

Ayub Khan left as he came—in chaos. He wrote to General Yahya Khan on
March 25, 1969 that he was resigning and asked him to do his constitutional
duty. Under his own Constitution of 1962, Ayub Khan should have addressed
his letter of resignation to the Speaker of the National Assembly. Instead, he
chose to send it to the Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Army. General
Yahya Khan took this as a mandate not only to restore law and order but also to
take over the country. He was soon to say that he was wearing four caps, those of
the Commander-in-Chief, the Chief Martial Law Administrator, the Supreme
Commander and the President. The Supreme Court was later to declare that he
was a usurper. But this was too late. He had already brought disaster to Pakistan,
resulting in its dismemberment.

In this third and last volume of Politics of the People, the text of Zulfikar Ali
Bhutto’s speeches literally speak for themselves. They show how he accelerated
the march of the people towards democracy, how he articulated his party’s
electoral manifesto, how he exposed the old-style politicians and frustrated their
attempts to mislead the people once again by presenting themselves either as the
sole interpreters of Islam or as the custodians of the ideology of Pakistan.
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s style was new. He presented to the people a programme
that was directly connected with their living conditions. In an idiom they could
understand, he explained to the people the substance of his socio-economic
reforms. He made an issue of Islamic Socialism which Quaid-i-Azam himself had
declared as his programme for the people’s welfare, an issue that had been kept
carefully under the covers by politicians acting as self-appointed custodians of
both Islam and Pakistan’s ideology.

Despite the Yahya regime’s opposition to the Pakistan People’s Party, Zulfikar
Ali Bhutto’s party-men swept the polls in West Pakistan. Because of the
substance and style of the presentation of the party programme, and the fact that
the successful candidates were drawn from all classes, instead of the traditional
feudal or propertied urban classes, the result in effect was a revolution funneled
in through the polls.

This volume contains many of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s campaign speeches. It really
is a volume of record because each branch of the Pakistan People’s Party, which
organised meetings where the Party Chairman spoke, wanted to be properly
represented in Marching Towards Democracy. We have tried to accommodate as
many as possible, fully aware that by so doing we were allowing much repetition
to filter through the editorial sieve. But then this is a book of record. And
repetition for Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was necessary because in his case the campaign
was conducted largely by word of mouth. He had no newspapers that would
cover his speeches without distorting them. Television and radio was barred to
him. The only way out was to go from place to place, explain his programme in
the context of local conditions, expose the inconsistencies of his opponents,
arguments, and expound his views on the situation as it developed from day to
day.

This task was as heavy as it was hazardous. He campaigned tirelessly and
fearlessly. There were attempts at assassinating him. He took them in his stride.
From the icy cold of the hills to the scorching heat of the deserts Zulfikar Ali
Bhutto went to meet the people face to face and to talk about their problems; and
in turn to be seen and sized up by the people. It was also a programme of
political education. One of the main lessons was that the people were sovereign,
that they should vote not on the basis of tribal ties but for political programmes,
not for their traditional masters but for those who would serve the common man.
This message carried conviction. The voters discerned its sincerity and their
response was to vote overwhelmingly in favour of the Pakistan People’s Party
and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto himself was returned to the National Assembly from no
less than five constituencies.

Marching Towards Democracy Copyright © www.bhutto.org 1
Launching the Election Campaign
Public Speech in Nishtar Park,
Karachi, January 4, 1970

The workers are in jails. They should beset free. They are not at fault. They are
only fighting for their demands. My very first demand is that those workers and
students who are in jails should be set free. We are launching our campaign from
Karachi. This is not our first campaign. We have struggled already and overcome
many difficulties. We have been in jails. The Pakistan People’s Party will always
side with the people, and with the poor workers and the peasants and the
students.

By people of Pakistan I mean the majority of this country, not a few families, and
neither a small minority. We are the people of Pakistan. The people are my
round table conference. The Round Table of Ayub Khan comprised only a few
individuals who were conspiring against the people, shutting them-selves up in
rooms. That is why we did not join the Round Table Conference. Our politics is
the politics of the masses. It is politics of the open. The Round Table Conference
was a deep conspiracy against the people. Ayub Khan wanted to sabotage the
people’s struggle. He wanted that the movement against him should fizzle out.
That is why he summoned the Round Table Conference. He did not want to
surrender power. He had government officers at his back. The capitalists, the
feudalists, the army and the police were supporting him, but the people were not
supporting him. Ayub Khan thought that he could hoodwink the people. That is
why we did not join his Conference. We were with the people and could not
have betrayed them. The people had made sacrifices. They had struggled against
dictatorship.

Time has shown that our decision was in the interest of the people and that of the
country. If we had joined the Round Table Conference, the movement would
have failed. Ayub Khan would not have decided to hold elections. Nothing could
be gained from the Round Table Conference, neither elections nor the decision
on adult franchise. He had only conceded the parliamentary system and the
other leaders wanted that I should call off the movement. He was a hunter but I
am a better hunter. He could trap others but failed to trap Zulfikar Ali I escaped
the trap because I did not want the people to be trapped. I shall always remain
with the people.

I want to discuss the three main principles of my party. The first and foremost
principle of the People’s Party is that Islam is our religion. We shall lay down our
lives for the sake of Islam, not only in Pakistan but wherever such a sacrifice is
needed. My dear friends, we are all Muslims and have struggled for Pakistan
Marching Towards Democracy Copyright © www.bhutto.org 2
against the Hindus and the British. Our first and foremost principle for which we
will fight will be Islam. I can assure you that if the Pakistan People’s Party had
been in power and there had been a war in the Middle East we would have
helped the Arabs. That would have been in keeping with the spirit of Islam and
its honor. When I spoke in he Security Council, India’s Foreign Minister, Sardar
Swaran Singh, who is being complimented these days, left the Security Council.
If I did not have the spirit of Islam and if I were not a servant of Islam, I could
not have done it.

Gentlemen, please give me a patient hearing. I am going to say some thing very
important in Karachi, something about the war, something about Tashkent. In
this great city I shall relate a story. I have tolerated enough for the last three and
a half years. Many spokesmen of the Government and others have been saying
that I have nothing to say about Tashkent. This is a very important issue and
should be discussed only at the right time. In politics there is a time for
everything and one should calculate the need of the hour.

But first of all, I would like to discuss the principles of the Peoples Party. As I
have explained, Islam is our first principle, and then comes democracy. We have
struggled for democracy. The people of Pakistan have struggled for democracy.
In democracy the people are represented and their opinion carries weight. That is
why the people of Pakistan want democracy and we have struggled for it. This
struggle was not against our religion. There is no conflict between our religion
and the principles of democracy. There is no party in Pakistan which does not
stand for democracy. If democracy is not against Islam, the principles of equality
are also not against Islam. That is why we say that our economy should be based
on socialism. My dear brothers and sisters, if there was any conflict between
Islam and socialism, I swear that we would have rejected socialism. I am a
Muslim first and need no certificate from any party to that effect. Has politics in
Pakistan dropped to a level that a Muslim should dub another Muslim as a
‘kafir’? If you want to look for ‘infidels,’ you may go to India. If you call a Muslim
a ‘kafir”, you do a great disservice to Islam.

I am sorry that it is being said in Pakistan that there are certain ‘Islam Pasand’
parties and the others are anti-Islam parties. How can anyone be anti-Islam in
Pakistan? Who says so? Who has the audacity to say that we are against Islam?
The people who had opposed the Pakistan movement, the Nawabzadas who
opposed the creation of Pakistan, are telling us today that equality is against
Islam. There is as great a stress on equality in Islam as there is on democracy.
These people who demand the parliamentary system of the British and
fundamental rights as enunciated by the Europeans, do not regard them anti-
Islamic. How can they call the principles of equality unIslamic? Equality is the
Marching Towards Democracy Copyright © www.bhutto.org 3
basis of Islam. If democracy is hot against Islam then how is equality, which is
called socialism in English, against Islam?

If our Quaid-i-Azam had been opposed to Islamic Socialism, if he had rejected
socialism I would have followed him, but he stood for Islamic Socialism. We
have to follow the lead given by our Quaid and not that of Pandit Nehru. Allama
Iqbal had also pleaded for socialism because he believed that it was not in
conflict with Islam. So did Hussein Shaheed Suharwardy. He also demanded
socialism. When Mujibur Rahman talks of socialism he is not dubbed as a
“kafir”; but when this humble man talks of socialism they say that Islam is in
danger. This is nonsense. Islam is not in danger. Islam can never be in danger. It
is the capitalists who are in danger. Now that capitalism is in danger they say
Islam k in danger. Islam which is the religion of the people of Pakistan can never
be in danger. Why has this question been raised in Pakistan? When the Quaid-i-
Azam made this speech in Chittagong or when he spoke in the Constituent
Assembly or in Bombay why was he not contradicted and told that he was
speaking against religion? They did not tell the Quaid-i-Azam that he was
against religion, but they did oppose the creation of Pakistan. Now they are
opposing Islamic Socialism. My dear brothers, please note that the same people
who opposed Pakistan are now opposing Islamic Socialism. This is only because
they did not want Pakistan. They are still opposed to Pakistan and want to
weaken it. That is why they say that they are against Islamic Socialism. I say that
if you are against Islamic Socialism, you are against Pakistan.

My dear friends: Pakistan cannot progress under the present system. It cannot
become a strong country if poverty and misery are on the increase. Pakistan can
progress only if the people of Pakistan progress. The present position is that the
plight of the common man is most miserable. There is large-scale unemployment.
If the people fall sick they cannot get treatment in hospitals. How can Pakistan
progress under these conditions? That is why this party demands economic
change because without economic change there can be no progress in Pakistan.
So far as socialism is concerned it is a programme for economic progress, just as
democracy is a political programme. If we can be good Muslims by demanding
democracy there is no reason why we cannot be as good as Muslims in Egypt,
Iraq, Syria, and the Sudan and in Algeria. All these countries are Islamic
countries and they have adopted a socialist pattern of economy. Why can’t
Pakistan do the same? If socialism had been against the interest of Pakistan our
Quaid-i-Azam would not have said that he believed in Islamic Socialism. Why
are different interpretations of the Quaid’s speech being given? Another question
often asked by the critics is why did the capitalists not oppose this idea when
Quaid-i-Azam declared his intention to introduce Islamic Socialism? The reason
was that at that time their system was not in danger. That is why they accepted
what the Quaid said.
Marching Towards Democracy Copyright © www.bhutto.org 4
After the Quaid-i-Azam, Quaid-i-Millat Liaquat Ali Khan also came out in favour
of socialism. Presenting the 1947 budget in the Indian Parliament, as the Finance
Minister of the Interim Government, he revealed himself. The Quaid-i-Millat
himself called that budget, a poor man’s budget, the peasant’s and the laborer’s
budget. That was why Hindu industrialists opposed his budget. Then you can
read the speeches of the Quaid-i-Millat delivered by him in America. I am talking
to you impartially. I have spoken to Begum Liaquat Ali Khan and requested her
to comment oh this issue because the Quaid-i-Millat was her husband. I told her
she knew that the Quaid-i-Millat believed in Islamic Socialism and she should
explain the real position. About three days ago I again met Begum Liaquat Ali
Khan and spoke to her on this subject. She confirmed my impression.

If the Government wants they can enforce any system. If they can pass laws
about the laborers they can pass any other law. But then they should not call
themselves impartial. Do they think they can speak about anything they want to
because there is Martial Law in the country? They should have some regard for
their pledge that they are impartial. If they are impartial, why do they issue a
statement every day against socialism? They say that they are the referees. What
types of referees are they when they themselves try to score a goal?

It is being said now that the socialists should behave otherwise this country will
be turned into another Indonesia. A million Muslims were killed in Indonesia.
The blood of one million Muslims was spilled. Ninety per cent of Indonesians are
Muslims and a million lost their lives. We are not going to allow the same thing
to happen in Pakistan. We shall defend the lives of the citizens of Pakistan.
Please listen carefully. It is the first time that I am speaking on the subject. What
happened after the death of so many Muslims in Indonesia? Was a friend of
Muslims replaced by another friend? I believe that what Soekarno did for
Indonesia could not have been done by anyone else. Our opponents are happy at
the fall of a person who came to the rescue of Pakistan at a very critical juncture.
Ayub Khan had written a letter to Soekarno and when our emissaries look that
letter to Ahmed Soekarno he said that whatever arms were needed by Pakistan
will be provided. Some of his colleagues who are included in the present
Government of Indonesia objected to it. They were of the opinion that Indonesia
should not side with Pakistan against India because Pakistan was a member of
the Commonwealth and had never helped them in their struggle. They said that
there was no precedent for such assistance and that Indonesia should not send
her submarines. Soekarno ignored this advice and offered all his submarines and
planes to Pakistan. I am surprised to note that some people have forgotten that
great Mujahid and proclaim with pride that they will change this country into an
Indonesia. We can never forget that great revolutionary who led the struggle for
independence for Indonesia and helped this country at a critical juncture.
Marching Towards Democracy Copyright © www.bhutto.org 5
My dear friends, please pay attention, I am going to tell you something very
important. There was a time when Ayub Khan told me that if we could defend
East Pakistan, our armies could break through to Delhi. He repeated this many
times. He told me that this was the only hitch in the way otherwise we could
launch a struggle for Kashmir. Later, when we went to Washington, Mr. Robert
McNamara talked to meat a dinner in our Embassy and asked me how we would
defend East Pakistan in case of war with India. He admitted that we could
advance in the West.’ I asked Ayub Khan to explain to me the military strategy
and he repeated the same theory. I told him that if East Pakistan could be
defended then perhaps we could face India. He refused to believe that.

I have kept quiet for three-and-a-half years and disclosed nothing to my brothers
and sisters but now the time has come for Zulfikar Ali Bhutto to go and knock on
every door and tell everybody what happened behind the scenes. I will not
contest the elections on trifles. I shall follow the Martial Law Regulations. I will
not say anything against any party. I shall talk only “about fundamentals. I’ll
only talk about matters, which concern the nation, the people, the Muslims and
Pakistan. I had told Ayub Khan that the defense of East Pakistan was not
difficult. Later, the Government of India tried to test our strength in the Rann of
Kutch and committed aggression against Pakistan. Ayub Khan thought they
were very clever and that is what he told me. He said that when Dr. Khan was
the Chief Minister of West Pakistan, India had captured Biarbet and we had done
nothing. I told him that Dr. Khan was dead and we had to teach India a lesson.
Everybody knows that our valiant forces did teach India a lesson in the Rann of
Kutch. We could have advanced as much as we had wanted. Ayub Khan thought
I was sentimental. I told him that I was not sentimental and that he should allow
me to carry out my policy. But he accepted a cease-fire and took the matter to the
International Court of Justice. He declared that he was a friend of India. The
result was that we lost territory which rightly belonged to us.

There was a time when our military commanders had requested two divisions.
This was refused. Later, they said they should be allowed to raise at least one
division, but that top was not allowed. The Indian Prime Minister had threatened
an attack on a front of his own choice. Our Finance Minister had enough money
for industries but refused to allocate funds for the raising of two divisions
demanded by the army. Later, even Ayub Khan opposed the move. If the two
divisions had been raised, the situation would have been different today.

Marching Towards Democracy Copyright © www.bhutto.org 6
The Change in Foreign Policy
Public Speech, Liaquat Gardens,
Rawalpindi, January 17, 1970

I am glad to have this opportunity of meeting you again. You will recall that I
was also here in this city when the Round Table Conference was being held. I
had then announced at a public meeting right here that would in no case
participate in that conference, for it was a deep conspiracy against the people.
And the only objective of its participants was to extend their support to
dictatorship. Time has proved my decision to be correct, because the politics of
the People’s Party is the politics of the people. It is not politics behind closed
doors. We believe in seeking guidance from the people. We value their
sentiments.

Today, we hear other friends of ours from the opposition saying they would also
give up backdoor politics and instead try to know the people’s views in the open.
Ironically, these very people had hailed the Round Table Conference as if it were
in the interest of the people. They pleaded for the conference and participated in
it.

As it is, no single individual has routed the monster of dictatorship. It was forced
to surrender as a result of the struggle by the people at large: peasants, labourers
and students. The victory was of the people, not of &e politicians. These people
sat behind closed doors when dictatorship was supreme. -Now they have come
out again claiming credit for the struggle for the restoration of democracy, but
only the people have emerged victorious. Dictatorship cannot be thrown out by
drawing-room politics.

Today, we are passing through a new age, different from the past. While I would
like to congratulate the people on their achievement, I must tell them that the
past has become a part of history. We must now move ahead and face new
challenges. We have to look forward to the future. It is after ten months that
politicians and political parties have been given the opportunity to go to the
people. President Yahya, in his broadcast speech on 28th November, announced
that for the general elections political parties will be freely allowed to conduct
their mass-contact programme. As for the People’s Party, the people alone are its
asset. We have no financial resources, nor do we have newspapers. We are glad
to have ‘his opportunity of meeting the people directly.

As you know, we are being criticised in a rather base manner, l must repeat and
remind you here that the People’s Party has three basic principles. Islam is our
religion. We are Muslims and we are proud of that. You know I have not only
Marching Towards Democracy Copyright © www.bhutto.org 7
served Pakistan but I have also served Islam in the Middle East. Allah will decide
on Judgement Day how best I have served the cause of Islam. I only want to
warn you not to be misguided by false propaganda. Pakistan is a country of
Muslims. It is difficult to imagine any opposition to Islam in Pakistan, although
capitalism, feudalism and exploitation are certainly in danger. That is why Islam
is being exploited shamelessly* but only to misguide the people. It would be a
most unfortunate day in the history of Pakistan when a person would have to
obtain from a certain political party a certificate that he is a Muslim.

My dear friends, I would say it was nothing else but Islamic sentiment that made
me announce in the Security Council that we would fight for a thousand years
for the liberation of Kashmir.

We are first Muslims and then Pakistanis. Unlike “Islam Pasands” we not only
like Islam, we love Islam. These “friends” of ours threaten to make Pakistan
another Indonesia. You know what happened there? A million Muslims were
killed. We will never jet that happen in Pakistan. Perhaps, they feel proud of
issuing such a threat. Perhaps they have forgotten the day when during the 1965
war, the Indonesian President, Soekarno had helped Pakistan despite the fact
that at that time Indonesia was herself in a state of war with Malaysia. She
supplied arms to Pakistan. As soon as we sent a message for help, Dr. Soekarno
responded to our call like a brother. He offered everything he had.

Dear friends, our foremost principle is: Islam is our religion. We are prepared to
offer any sacrifice for the glory of Islam.

Our second principle is democracy. The people of Pakistan have struggled and
have shed their blood for democracy. The fact of the matter is that in a
democracy the people rule. We insist on democracy, for it is provided in Islam.
We have agreed to the parliamentary system because it is a democratic system,
although Islam does not envisage the parliamentary system. It was given by the
British who ruled us for two hundred years. So, how did the parliamentary
system become Islamic? Our opponents do not oppose this system although they
have inherited it from the British. Rather they have vowed to struggle for it.
Well, we too accept this system. We do believe in making the best of modem
scientific and social developments. There is no conflict between Islam and
democracy. In democracy there is freedom of expression, the courts of justice are
independent, and there is government by the people. But they feel offended
when we speak of the poor, the peasants and the labourers. The fact of the matter
is that in Islam, socio-economic equality or Musawat has been given the highest
priority. The Prophet (peace be upon him) emphasised the importance of
Musawat. We shall, therefore, bring about Musawat. No power on earth can stop
us.
Marching Towards Democracy Copyright © www.bhutto.org 8