Pakistan

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Return to Military Rule

Civilian government in Pakistan came to an end in October 1999, when Sharif was deposed by the military in a bloodless coup, after he tried to oust the head of the army, General Pervez Musharraf. Tensions with the army, a powerful force constantly in the wings in Pakistani politics, had been building for some time, and Sharif’s influence in the withdrawal of Pakistani-backed militants from the Indian side of the Line of Control that ended the Kargil crisis had caused resentment in the armed forces. When Sharif ordered that an aeroplane returning to Karachi with Musharraf and 200 other passengers on board be denied landing permission anywhere in Pakistan, even though the plane was short of fuel, the military took immediate control. Sharif was placed under house arrest and Musharraf assumed the role of chief executive, suspending parliament, but retaining Tharar in the office of president. At the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in November, Pakistan was suspended from the Commonwealth; the leaders also called for the release of Sharif and a return to democratic rule. Sharif was formally charged with kidnapping, hijacking, attempted murder, and terrorism, and in April 2000 was sentenced to life imprisonment. Against opposition from senior party members, his wife, Kulsoom, brought the PML into a Grand Democratic Alliance with Bhutto’s rival PPP against the military rulers. But Sharif, whose appeal against conviction for terrorism had been upheld by Pakistan’s Supreme Court though all other charges remained, was unexpectedly pardoned in December, and allowed to fly with his wife and other family members to Saudi Arabia, a country with which he had established close links. Forced to remain there in exile, the powerful influence exercised by Sharif on Pakistani politics was expected rapidly to wane.

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The Musharraf Presidency

In June 2001 Musharraf named himself president, while continuing to head the army. He dismissed Tarar, who had been largely functioning as a ceremonial president, and dissolved parliament. Two months later he announced that new elections to the federal legislature, and to a number of provincial legislatures, would be held from October 1 to 11, 2002. Musharraf also hinted at further changes to the constitution by 2002 in an attempt to move the country back towards democracy. In this vein he announced a ban on two militant Islamic organizations.

Following the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington on September 11, Pakistan joined the broad coalition of nations condemning the atrocity and supporting action against those responsible for the attacks as well as those nations responsible for sheltering the terrorists. Musharraf condemned the Taliban government in neighbouring Afghanistan for protecting the prime suspect, Osama bin Laden and his Al-Qaeda network. As one of only three nations previously to recognize the legitimacy of the Taliban government, Pakistan’s influence in the region was felt crucial to negotiating with the Taliban for the extradition of Bin Laden. However, after weeks of diplomatic negotiations, including talks with the UK prime minister Tony Blair, the resulting stalemate over the Bin Laden issue hastened the deployment of troops and arms to the region. After US and coalition air strikes on Afghanistan in mid-October, demonstrations against the US aggression took place in Pakistan, leading to several deaths. Musharraf denounced the protestations and ordered a clampdown on Taliban sympathizers in Pakistan. Musharraf also faced a refugee crisis in the country: since the 1979 Russian invasion of Afghanistan it is estimated that over 2.5 million refugees have crossed the border into Pakistan. With the onset of military action by the US, the total of displaced persons attempting to enter Pakistan was expected to grow still further and Western aid was thought to have been promised in return for assistance during the military campaign. Britain wrote off £200 million of Pakistan’s debt to her and the EU announced trade concessions.

A Roman Catholic church in Bahawalpur, Punjab, was the scene of a massacre in October 2001, when masked gunmen shot dead 18 people and injured dozens more. The attack was attributed to increased tensions between Muslims and Christians following the events of September 11. The Pakistani authorities arrested two Islamic militants suspected of having committed the assault on the Indian federal parliament on December 13 in which 12 people had died; India had instituted a series of sanctions on the country in an attempt to get the ringleaders arrested.

In January 2002, Musharraf banned two high-profile militant organizations: Lashkar-e-Toiba and Jasih-e-Mohammad, and closed dozens more regional offices of similar groups to try to clampdown on violence.

In a statement that covered the issue of Kashmir, Musharraf called for renewed talks with Indian prime minister Vajpayee, and denied that he tolerates terrorism in the region. An escalation in violence, perpetrated by both sides, had been taking place on the border since the autumn with sporadic battles leading to dozens of deaths. As well as calling for dialogue with Vajpayee, Musharraf encouraged the involvement of the US in trying to resolve the problem.

In April the Cabinet approved a move by President Musharraf to extend his term of office to five years. It authorized a May referendum to put the issue to the people, which Musharraf successfully won. In the promised general election, held in October, a number of parties, including the Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPP), the Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid-e-Azam) (PMLQ), and the Muttahhida Majlis-e-Amal Pakistan (MMA), won most seats but no overall majority. A month later the National Assembly elected Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali of the PMLQ as prime minister; he won 172 votes against 86 for Fazlur Rahman and 70 for Shah Mahmood Qureshi. Jamali was believed to have had the full backing of President Musharraf, however, Musharraf retained the power to dismiss the government at any time. Senate elections were held in February 2003, with most seats being won by the ruling PMLQ party. Musharraf made a historic visit to President Putin in Russia the following month; Putin offered to mediate with India and Pakistan over Kashmir.

In November 2003 Pakistan announced a ceasefire in the Kashmiri dispute, followed by a reciprocal announcement from India. However, Musharraf continued to face opposition in Pakistan and the following month there was an assassination attempt on him as his motorcade drove through Rawalpindi. Discussions between the governments of Pakistan and India to resolve the status of Kashmir were held in June 2004. The same month Musharraf removed Jamali from the post of prime minister. Finance minister Shaukat Aziz was named as his successor, though this required Aziz to resign from the Senate and win a place in the National Assembly. The president of the PMLQ, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, was named interim prime minister while this process was underway. Shaukat Aziz was formally sworn in in August. Musharraf confirmed that he was to stay as army chief, despite promising to give up the role. In November 2004, Pakistan’s parliament passed legislation allowing Musharraf to hold the dual roles of president and chief of the army.

In February 2005 the Pakistani and Indian authorities agreed to commence a fortnightly bus service between the towns of Muzaffarabad and Srinagar, giving Kashmiris the first opportunity to cross the ceasefire line in more than 50 years. Symbolically important to the region, 49 passengers made the inaugural trip across the Line of Control in April, arriving safely despite a grenade attack from militant groups.

An earthquake registering 7.6 on the Richter scale struck the Indian subcontinent on October 8, 2005. The epicentre was close to the town of Muzaffarabad, in Jammu and Kashmir, but the quake and the aftershocks also affected the eastern part of North West Frontier Province and the city of Islamabad. The death toll was estimated at 86,000 people, with hundreds of thousands more injured or left homeless.

In July 2007 the Red Mosque in Islamabad was stormed by security forces, expelling militant students who had been in control there. Hundreds of militants were believed killed in the action. Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif returned from exile in September to challenge the rule of Musharraf, but he was banished almost immediately. Meanwhile, Musharraf was in negotiations with another former prime minister, Benazir Bhutto, over power-sharing. Bhutto had corruption charges against her dropped and in October she returned to the country from her self-imposed exile to take part in further negotiations and to organize her party for the upcoming parliamentary elections. However, her homecoming was marked by suicide attacks on her motorcade in Karachi in which around 150 people died, mostly members of her Pakistan People’s Party.

Earlier in October, President Musharraf had won the election for president but the legality of the result was referred to the Supreme Court as the president had failed to stand down as army chief beforehand. While the court continued to deliberate, and fearing that his victory would be declared unconstitutional, Musharraf pre-empted the decision and declared emergency rule in November, suspending the constitution, and holding many opposition leaders and members of the Supreme Court under house arrest. The move drew international condemnation, and Pakistan’s membership of the Commonwealth was suspended for the second time since 1999. A reconstituted Supreme Court ruled in favour of Musharraf’s candidacy on November 23. The following week, bowing to international pressure, he resigned as the army’s chief of staff, appointing in his place General Ashfaq Pervez Kiani. The state of emergency was subsequently lifted.

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Assassination of Benazir Bhutto

Benazir Bhutto was assassinated during an election rally in Rawalpindi in December 2007. It appeared she had been killed by a gunman and her motorcade was attacked by a suicide bomber. Although the exact circumstances surrounding her assassination were unclear, the attack was alleged to have been carried out by a militant group linked to Al-Qaeda. Her 19-year-old student son Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was named as her successor as head of the PPP. Following the political and social unrest that followed the assassination, Musharraf put back the elections to mid-February. Accused by some of involvement in the death of the former prime minister, Musharraf vehemently denied the charges.

The two major opposition parties—the PPP and the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN) won most seats in the election and agreed to serve together in a coalition government. The following month the PPP representative Yusuf Raza Gillani became prime minister.