Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq
General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq (
Urdu: محمد ضیاءالحق) (
August 12 1924–
August 17 1988) ruled
Pakistan from
1977 to
1988. His rule over the country, which lasted eleven years, is the longest to date in the
history of Pakistan. Appointed
Chief of Army Staff in
1976, General Zia-ul-Haq came to power after he overthrew ruling
Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, after widespread
civil disorder, in a bloodless military
coup d'état on
July 5,
1977 and imposed
Martial Law. He assumed the post of
President of Pakistan in
1978 which he held till his death on
August 17,
1988.
His reign witnessed the enforcement of strict
Islamic law within the country, the political
stabilization of
secession-threatening
Balochistan following his setting-up of a separate
military regime within the province, the passing of the
controversial 8th Amendment into
constitutional law, as well as the gradual
privatization and subsequent
rejuvenation of a previously declining
economy.
He also fought a war by proxy in
Afghanistan, aiding the
Mujahideen against the
superpower Soviet Union, in the
Soviet-Afghan War. Following the
Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in
1979 and the end of
Détente, he was instrumental in providing
United States-backed
military aid to the Afghan resistance against Soviet occupation and then later diverting them to the
Kashmir cause in the late
1980s. His major contributions to the
Mujahideen greatly aided in complete Soviet withdrawal by
1988.
Having become President in 1978, he secured his position as
head of state through a
referendum in
1984 which successfully ensured his rule as President for another five years. He lifted Martial Law and held partyless elections in
1985, and handpicked
Muhammad Khan Junejo to be the
Prime Minister of Pakistan. He dismissed Junejo's government in
May 1988 on several charges. He was assassinated in a planned
aircraft crash on
August 17,
1988 under mysterious circumstances, and the perpetrators of the highly sophisticated air
sabotage have not been proven. His death ended his unprecedentedly long eleven-year
military dictatorship over Pakistan.
Zia was born in
Jalandhar (in
India) in
1924 as the second child of a school teacher named Mohammad Akbar. He completed his initial education in
Simla and then at
St. Stephen's College, Delhi. He was commissioned in the
British Army in
1943 and served during
World War II. At Pakistan's independence, Zia joined the
Pakistani Army as a major. He got trained in the
United States 1962–
1964 at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College
Fort Leavenworth,
Kansas. Zia was stationed in
Jordan from
1967 to
1970, helping in the training of Jordanian soldiers, as well as leading the training mission into battle during the
Black September in Jordan operations. On
1 April 1976,
Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto appointed Zia-ul-Haq as
Chief of Army Staff, ahead of a number of more senior officers.
Military Coup
As Bhutto's autocratic government became increasingly violent with its detractors and opponents, it's popularity greatly fell. Eventually, Bhutto's ruling
Pakistan People's Party faced a bloody deadlock with the opposing
Pakistan National Alliance. On
July 5 1977, Chief of Army Staff General Zia-ul-Haq led a bloodless
coup against Bhutto's government. The military coup, named
Operation Fairplay, was successful, and Zia enforced
Martial Law, effectively putting an end to the deteriorating law-and-order situation. Shortly after, Zia promised to hold elections in October, and restore power to civilian representatives. Thus, General Zia-ul-Haq became the third person in the
history of Pakistan to impose
Martial Law.
Postponement of Elections and Call for Accountability
After assuming power as
Chief Martial Law Administrator, General Zia promised to hold National and Provincial Assembly elections in the next 90 days and to hand over power to the representatives of the nation. He also stated that the
constitution had not been abrogated whatsoever, but had been temporarily suspended. However, in October
1977, he announced the
postponement of the electoral plan and decided to start an accountability process of the
politicians. Zia said that he changed his decision due to the strong public demand for the scrutiny of political leaders who had indulged in malpractice in the past (a large number of both PNA and PPP members had asked General Zia to postpone the elections). Thus the "
retribution first, elections later," PNA policy was adopted. A Disqualification Tribunal was formed and several individuals who were once Members of Parliament were charged with
malpractice and disqualified from participating in
politics at any level for the next seven years. A
White Paper document was issued, incriminating the deposed Bhutto government on several counts.
The Doctrine of Necessity
Nusrat Bhutto, the wife of the deposed Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, filed a suit against General Zia's
military regime, challenging the validity of the July 1977
military coup. The
Supreme Court of Pakistan ruled, in what would later be known as
the Doctrine of Necessity, that, given the dangerously unstable political situation of the time, General Zia's overthrowing of the Bhutto government was legal on the grounds of
necessity. The judgment tightened the general's hold on the
government.
Assumption of the Post of President of Pakistan
Despite the dismissal of most of the Bhutto government, the
President of Pakistan,
Fazal Ilahi Chaudhry, was persuaded to continue in office. After completing his term, and despite General Zia's insistence to accept an extension as President, Mr Chaudhry resigned, and General Zia also assumed the office of President of Pakistan on
September 16,
1978. As acting Chief Martial Law Administrator and
President of Pakistan, General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq cemented his position as the undisputed ruler of the country.
The Hanging of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
On
April 4,
1979, the former
Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was hanged, after the
Supreme Court upheld the
death sentence as passed by the
Lahore High Court. The High Court had given him the
death sentence on charges of the murder of the father of Ahmed Raza Kasuri, a dissident PPP politician. Despite many
clemency appeals from foreign leaders requesting Zia to commute Bhutto's death sentence, Zia dismissed the appeals as "
trade union activity" and upheld the death sentence.
Declaration of an Amnesty
On assuming power, General Zia inherited armed secessionist uprisings in Pakistan's largest province,
Balochistan, from the Bhutto era. Tribal unrest and feudal clashes were moving the province towards a precarious position. The general acted quicky, offering a general
amnesty to those who gave up arms and moving for the appeasement of the tribals. When this had little effect on the prevailing situation there, Zia withdrew troops from the province, ending much of the
civil disobedience movements.
Appointment of Rahimuddin Khan as Martial Law Governor
Zia then appointed General
Rahimuddin Khan, whose previously distinguished career made him stand out among his peers, to the post of
Martial Law Governor of
Balochistan (and later Governor of
Sindh). General Rahimuddin then embarked on a provincial policy that completely isolated feudal families from the government. His
authoritarian rule crushed any remaining civil unrest within Balochistan.
This garnered
controversy over Zia's appointing of the dictatorial Rahimuddin, as the latter would go on to concentrate power solely with the provincial
military regime and mostly act independently of the
central government. The controversy eventually dissipated after the impressive progress Balochistan went through during Rahimuddin's lengthy rule (
1978-
1984), which was to remain characterized by the isolation of feudal families from provincial policy.
Formation of Majlis-e-Shoora
Main article: Majlis-e-Shoora
In the absence of a
Parliament, General Zia decided to set up an alternative system. He introduced
Majlis-e-Shoora in
1980. Most of the members of the Shoora were
intellectuals,
scholars,
ulema,
journalists,
economists and professionals belonging to different fields of life. The Shoora was to act as a board of advisors to the President. The idea of establishing this institution was not bad but the main problem was that all 284 members of the Shoora were to be nominated by the President and thus there was no room for dissention.
Referendum of 1984
General Zia eventually decided to hold elections in the country. But before handing over the power to the public representatives, he decided to secure his position as the head of state. A
referendum was held in December
1984, and the option was to elect or reject the General as the future President. The question asked in the referendum was whether the people of Pakistan wanted
Islamic Sharia law enforced in the country. According to the official result, more than 95 percent of the votes were cast in favor of Zia-ul-Haq, thus he was elected as President for the next five years. However, they were marred by allegations of widespread irregularities and techinical violations of the laws and ethics of democratic elections.
The Eighth Amendment and Elections of 1985
After being elected President, Zia-ul-Haq decided to hold
elections in the country in
February 1985 on a non-party basis. Most of the opposing
political parties decided to
boycott the elections but election results showed that many victors belonged to one party or the other. To make things easier for himself, the General nominated the Prime Minister from amongst the Members of the Assembly. To many, his nomination of
Muhammad Khan Junejo as the Prime Minister was because he wanted a simple person at the post who would act as a puppet in his hands. Before handing over the power to the new Government he made certain Amendments in the Constitution and got them endorsed from the Parliament before lifting the state of emergency in the county. Due to this Eighth Amendment in the Constitution, the powers of the President were increased to an absolute level on the plea of safeguarding national integrity.
Success in Economic Reform
Under Zia, the previous ruler Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's
nationalization policies were slowly reversed, and gradual
privatization took place. General Zia greatly favored
egalitarianism and
industrialization. His reign saw, between
1980 and
1988, the increase of industrial production by nine percent, as well as an annual growth in
Gross Domestic Product by six percent, among the highest in the world.
Consolidation of Pakistan's Nuclear Programme
President Zia sought and substantially contributed to the attaining of nuclear capability for Pakistan. Accordingly, the country was made a subject of attack om platforms of international organizations for not signging the
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Zia deftly neutralized international pressure by tagging Pakistan's nuclear programme to the nuclear designs of neighbouring
India. The President then drew a five-point proposal as a practical rejoinder to world pressure on Pakistan to sign the NPT, the points including the renouncing of the use of nuclear weapons. Despite this, he also openly funded a uranium-enrichment plant based in Kahuta under Dr.
Abdul Qadeer Khan.
The Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan
On
December 25,
1979, the Soviet Union, a superpower at the time, invaded
Afghanistan. General Zia, as President of neighboring Pakistan, was asked by several cabinet members to not interfere in the war, owing to the military power of the
USSR at the time. The Islamist General Zia, however, was ideologically opposed to
Communism taking over a neighboring country, and made no secret about his intentions of monetarily and militarily aiding the Afghan resistance, or
Mujahideen.
International Standing Enhancement and Resumption of Aid
President Zia's international standing greatly rose after his declaration to fight the Soviet invaders, as he went from being portrayed as just another military dictator to a champion of the free world by the Western media. Indeed, Pakistan-
United States relations, which had hit a low-point after the burning down of a Pakistan-based US Embassy by fundamentalists in
1979, took a much more positive turn. U.S. President
Jimmy Carter and his Secretary of State,
Cyrus Vance, cut off U.S. aid to Pakistan on the grounds that Pakistan had not made sufficient progress on the nuclear issue. Then, on December 27, 1979, the Soviets invaded Afghanistan, and Carter offered Pakistan $325 million in aid over three years. Zia rejected this as "peanuts." Carter also signed the finding in
1980 that allowed less than $50 million a year to go to the Mujahideen. After
Ronald Reagan came to office, defeating Carter for the US Presidency in 1980, all this changed. Aid to the Afghan resistance, and to Pakistan, increased substantially. The United States, faced with a rival superpower looking as if it were to create another Communist bloc, now engaged Zia to fight a US-aided war by proxy in Afghanistan against the Soviets.
Fighting the War by Proxy
President Zia now found himself in a position to demand billions of dollars in aid for the Mujahideen from the Western states, famously dismissing a United States proposed 325 million dollar aid package as "
peanuts". Pakistan's
Inter-Services Intelligence and
Special Service Group now became actively involved in the conflict, and in cooperation with the
CIA and the
United States Army Special Forces supported the armed struggle against the Soviets.
After succeeding
Jimmy Carter in
1980,
Ronald Reagan became the new
President of the United States of America. Reagan was completely against the Soviet Union and its
Communist satellites, dubbing it "the
Evil Empire". Reagan now increased financial aid heading for Pakistan. Then, in
1981, the Reagan Administration sent the first of forty F-16 jet fighters to the Pakistanis. But the Soviets kept control of the Afghan skies until the Mujahideen received Stinger missiles in
1986. From that moment on, the Mujahideen's strategic position steadily improved.
Accordingly, the Soviets declared a policy of national reconciliation. In January they announced that a Soviet withdrawal was no longer linked to the makeup of the Afghan government remaining behind. Pakistan, therefore, played a large part in the eventual withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan in
1988.
Main article: Zia-ul-Haq's Islamization''On December 2, 1978, on the occasion of the first day of the Hijra calendar to enforce the Islamic system in Pakistan in a nationwide address, General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq accused politicians of exploiting the name of Islam saying: "Many a ruler did what they pleased in the name of Islam."
After assuming power the task that the government set to was its public commitment to enforce Nizam-e-Islam (Islamic System) a 180 degree turn from Pakistan's predominantly Anglo-Saxon Law. As a preliminary measure to establish an Islamic society in Pakistan, General Zia announced the establishment of Shariah Benches.
Under Offenses Against Property (Enforcement of Hudood Ordinance 1979), the punishment of imprisonment or fine, or both, as provided in the existing Pakistan Penal Code for theft, was substituted by the amputation of the right hand of the offender from the joint of the wrist by a surgeon. For robbery, the right hand of the offender from the wrist and his left foot from the ankle should be amputated by a surgeon. Hudood ( Arabic حدود, also transliterated Hadud, Hudud; plural for Hadh, حد, limit, or restriction) is the word often used in Islamic social and legal literature for the bounds of acceptable behaviour.
In legal terms (Islamic law being usually referred to as Sharia, شريعة) the term is used to describe laws that define a level of crime classification. Crimes classified under Hudud are the most severe of crimes, such as murder, theft, and adultery. There are minor differences in views between the four major Sunni madhhabs about sentencing and specifications for these laws. It is often argued that, since Sharia is God's law and states certain punishments for each crime, they are immutable. However, with liberal movements in Islam expressing concerns about hadith validity, a major component of how Islamic law is created, questions have arisen about administering certain punishments. Incompatibilities with human rights in the way Islamic law is practised in many countries has led many to call for an international moratorium on the punishments of Hudud laws until greater scholarly consensus can be reached. It has also been argued by some, that the Hudud portion of Sharia is incompatible with humanism or human rights.
Drinking of wine (i.e. all alcoholic drinks) was not a crime at all under the Pakistan Penal Code. In 1977, however, the drinking and selling of wine by Muslims was banned in Pakistan and the sentence of imprisonment of six months or a fine of Rs. 5000/-, or both, was provided in that law.
Under the Zina Ordinance the provisions relating to adultery were replaced as that the women and the man guilty will be flogged, each of them, with a hundred stripes, if unmarried. And if they are married they shall be stoned to death.
The Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and the Criminal Procedure Code were amended, through ordinances in 1980, 1982 and 1986 to declare anything implying disrespect to Muhammad, Ahle Bait (family of the Prophet Muhammad), Sahaba (companions of the Prophet Muhammad) and Sha'ar-i-Islam (Islamic symbols), a cognizable offence, punishable with imprisonment or fine, or with both.
As time passed, the Parliamentarians wanted to have more freedom and power. By the beginning of
1988, rumors about the differences between Prime Minister Junejo and President Zia were rife. On
May 29,
1988, President Zia dissolved the National Assembly and removed the Prime Minister under article 58(2) b of the amended Constitution. Apart from many other reasons, Junejo's decision to sign the
Geneva Accord against the wishes of General Zia, and his open declarations of removing any military personnel found responsible for an explosion at a munitions dump at Ojhri earlier in the year, proved to be some of the major factors responsible for his removal.
After eleven years, General Zia-ul-Haq once again promised the nation that he would hold fresh elections within the next ninety days. The late Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's daughter
Benazir Bhutto had returned from
exile earlier in
1986, and had announced contesting the elections. With Benazir's popularity growing, and a decrease in international aid following the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan, Zia was trapped in a difficult political situation.
The August 17th Air-Crash
As he was grappling with these problems, however, General Zia-ul-Haq died in a plane crash on
August 17 1988. After witnessing a tank inspection in
Bahawalpur, Zia had left the small town in
Punjab province by C-130 Hercules aircraft. Shortly after a smooth take-off, the control tower lost contact with the aircraft. Witnesses who saw the plane in the air afterwards claim it was flying erratically. Directly afterwards, the aircraft nosedived before exploding in mid-air, killing General Zia and several other senior army generals, as well as American Ambassador to Pakistan Arnold Raphael.
Funeral and Tributes Paid by World Leaders
|
Millions come to pay their last respects to the late general |
General Zia's funeral was held on
19th August in
Islamabad, the country's capital. Millions of Pakistanis attended the funeral to pay their last respects to the late general, as well as many foreign dignitaries. Also in attendance was his successor as
President of Pakistan,
Ghulam Ishaq Khan, who had earlier officially announced Zia's death via national address. His remains were housed in a small tomb outside the
King Faisal Mosque.
President Zia-ul-Haq was also paid rich tributes by world leaders. Some extracts are-:
*"(His death) has caused a great loss to the Muslim ummah which, in absence of the late Pakistani president, has lost one of its greatest Mujahids and one of the most sincere, zealous and devoted Muslim leaders to the cause of the ummah."The
Royal Court of the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia *"President Zia was a statesman of world stature, and there should be a re-dedication to regional peace and reconstruction to which President Zia had dedicated himself. It is with profound grief that I hear news of his death."
Ronald Reagan,
President of the United States*"President Zia had led his country with great distinction and courage at a vital period in the region's history. The free world owes him a debt of gratitude."
Margaret Thatcher,
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom*"He was an internationally acclaimed statesman and outstanding leader of Pakistan. He had all along attached great importance to China as well as furthering the friendly relations and cooperation between China and Pakistan. His death has deprived us of a respected old friend."
Yang Shangkun,
President of the People's Republic of China*"There is no doubt that the Muslim nation of Pakistan had not since independence seen a person with such administrative calibre and with such pure and true policy, understanding and strong intention."
Ruhollah Khomeini,
President of IranControversial Reasons Behind the Crash
The tragic air-crash was, politically and militarily, the worst in Pakistan's history and unprecedented in military aircraft. His death is still a contentious topic in Pakistan. Many people do not believe that it was a simple accident, and hold either the
United States or the
Soviet Union responsible for Zia-ul-Haq's death. But no evidence has yet come to light to prove either hypothesis. Recently, John Gunther Dean, a former US
ambassador to India, blamed the
Mossad, the
Israeli intelligence agency, for orchestrating the assassination of Zia-ul-Haq, though he offered no proof for his allegation, made to the
World Policy Journal.
General Hamid Gul, who would become the Director-General of the
ISI after General Zia's death, stated that the US
Central Intelligence Agency was behind the
plane crash. Some theories have gone on to say that it was an act in coordination with the Soviet
KGB and the American
CIA. The perpetrators, however, have not been proven as yet.[
1]
General Zia-ul-Haq's most enduring legacy was his fighting the
Soviet-Afghan War by proxy, in an alliance with the Afghan resistance, the
Mujahideen, against the invading
USSR. His open accepting of
financial aid from the
United States of America to fight the Soviet Union helped in ending an already struggling
Détente. He was then instrumental in providing
military aid to
Mujahideen fighting in
Afghanistan against Soviet occupation and then later diverting them to the
Kashmir cause in the late
1980s. His major contributions to the resistance movement greatly aided in complete Soviet withdrawal by
1988, which perhaps stopped a direct military invasion of Pakistan.
Another enduring legacy of his is the political system he left behind. After the partyless elections of February
1985, the
Pakistan Constitution of 1973 was pulled out of cold storage, and on its back, a series of amendments giving absolute powers to the president were grafted to dismantle any future democratic set up at will. Since then the presidential powers have been used three times to disband elected assemblies. In May
1988 he himself sacked
Prime Minister Muhammad Khan Junejo and dissolved the elected assemblies while
President Ghulam Ishaq Khan sacked Prime Minister
Benazir Bhutto and disbanded the national and provincial assemblies, later doing the same again with Prime Minister
Nawaz Sharif. Prime Minister
Benazir Bhutto was again sacked by President
Farooq Leghari using the same powers.
Zia's era also marked the most stable period for Pakistan's largest province,
Balochistan, in the history of the country. This was mostly due to his appointing General
Rahimuddin Khan as Martial Law Governor of Balochistan. Rahimuddin's efficient and iron-fisted rule completely subdued the militancy, and also prevented an influx of drugs and weaponry in the
Balochistan from
Afghanistan. Calls for
secession, which were in excess during the rule of
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, were brought under control, and
civil disobedience was also put down by indirect
military action under the
authoritarian Rahimuddin.
His reign also witnessed the rise to prominence of several
conservative politicians who would later rule the country, including
Nawaz Sharif,
Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, and
Zafarullah Khan Jamali (all of whom would later hold the post of
Prime Minister of Pakistan). General Zia also revived and endorsed Pakistan's current ruling
political party,
Pakistan Muslim League. By
2002, the party broke into several
splinter factions, the majority of which became structurally united again in
2003 under
Pakistan Muslim League (Q), including
Pakistan Muslim League (Z), which was named after Zia.
General Zia also
militarized the
bureaucracy systematically. By his government's orders, 5 % of all new posts in the higher civil
civil service were to be filled by army officers who, consequently, occupied important civilian positions. Successive democratically elected governments did not rescind this order due to the power wielded by
Pakistan Army. Under Pakistan's current
military government, militarizing the bureaucracy is again pursued.
Zia's rule witnessed heightened tensions with neighbouring states. He was instrumental in providing military assistance to
Mujahideen fighting in Afghanistan against Soviet Occupation and then later diverting them to the
Kashmir cause in the late
1980s. During his time as President, Zia was also accused several times by Indian premier
Indira Gandhi (and later
Rajiv Gandhi) of training
Sikh insurgents and sending them to destabilize
India. The completion of the construction of the
Karakoram Highway from Pakistan to
China, the highest paved international road in the world, took place during his rule in
1978.
General
Zia-ul-Haq's Islamization policy also proved to be extremely influential, and has continued to affect the political and sectarian situation in Pakistan till the present day. The nation's
liberal elements claim that the late general's policy gave rise to previously unknown
sectarianism and
religious fanaticism within the country, citing, among others, the
1979-installed
Hudood Ordinance. Pakistan's more
conservative forces state that General Zia's Islamizing policies restored a sense of dignity and religious integrity back to the country. Although later governments under
Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif set up commissions investigating the laws, they did not follow through on proposed amendments. The current government under
Pervez Musharraf is also investigating the laws, despite opposition from the
Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal, a coalition of religious political parties in Pakistan.
"We'll hang some people. A few.""If the Supreme Court says 'acquit him', I'll acquit him. If the Court says "hang the blighter", I'll hang him."- On the Supreme Court's role in the deposed Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's trial.
"It's little more than trade union activity among politicians."- On clemency appeals from foreign leaders asking him to commute Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's Supreme Court-upheld death sentence.
"Peanuts."- On the 400 million dollar aid package to Pakistan proposed by US President
Jimmy Carter, who used to be a peanut farmer.
"We have thrown the bad eggs out and saved innocent lives."- On releasing political prisoners as demanded by PIA-airline hijackers led by
Murtaza Bhutto, who threatened to kill a passenger a day if their demands were not met.
"Islam is paramount in the lives of Muslims, and, by the will of Allah, as long as I remain President, Pakistan will never be another drop in the Communist ocean.""How can the government of Pakistan sign the accord with the man of the Soviet Union; who is responsible for killing so many?"- On his refusal to sign the Geneva Accord with USSR-supported Afghan premier Najibullah. Junejo's subsequent signing of the accord was one of the major factors that led to his dismissal.
"They've blocked China on the East. They've encircled Iran. They are two hundred miles from the warm waters. They're sitting practically on the mouth of [the Strait of] Hormuz. Why should they give up?" - On the USSR's future plans after it invaded Afghanistan.
"From the USSR to Vietnam, only one country stands up to the Soviets: Pakistan. Pakistan will never become a drop in the Red Ocean."*General Zia-ul-Haq's rule over Pakistan was the longest to date; eleven years and one month, from
July 5,
1977 to
August 17,
1988.
*Upon being appointed Chief of Army Staff in
1976 by
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, General Zia superseded six senior generals.
*The
United States Democratic Party Presidential nominee in
2004, Senator
John Kerry, stated in
2003 that President Zia "purposefully misled" him on the issue of Pakistan's nuclear programme when he visited the country in
1985.
*
British politician Chris Patten recounted in his
2005-published book,
Not Quite the Diplomat, that his first-ever meeting with a world leader was with General Zia in
1986, who made him feel an as-then unexperienced '
frisson' when he began a sentence with "The late Mr. Bhutto once said..."
*The
C-130 plane crash in which he perished was the worst in Pakistan's history militarily, killing several senior generals; as well as being unprecedented in modern military aircraft.
*The literal meaning of the name Zia-ul-Haq is 'light of the truth', a term humorously commented upon by
author Ziauddin Sardar in his
2004-published
nonfiction book,
Desperately Seeking Paradise.
*His son,
Ijaz-ul-Haq, served for some time as the Minister for Religious Affairs of Pakistan in the government headed by General
Pervez Musharraf.
*He is still highy respected in
Jordan, due to his role in the
Black September in Jordan operations in support of
King Hussein.
Breaking the Curfew by Emma Duncan
Working with Zia by General K.M. Arif
Khaki Shadows by General K.M. Arif
Desperately Seeking Paradise by Ziauddin Safdar
Waiting for Allah by Christina Lamb
Ayub, Bhutto, and Zia by Hassan Iftikhar
Journey to Disillusionment by Sherbaz Mazari
General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq Shaheed: A Compilation by Various Authors
*
Politics of Pakistan*
President of Pakistan*
Line of Succession to President of Pakistan*
Zia-ul-Haq's Islamization*
Soviet-Afghan War*
Dictator Of The Month*
"Who Killed Zia?" by Edward Jay Epstein for
Vanity Fair, September
1989*
Government of Pakistan website*
The Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan*
Chronicles Of Pakistan
