Martial Laws have proven to be the ‘Mother of Corruption’ in the land of the pure though we started off well in August 1947. Every ‘Mother of Corruption’ 1958, 1969, 1977, 1999, 2022) has added to this menace which now threatens the very existence of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. As the first-born free generation of Pakistan, we were required to either submit or suffer. Those who joined the bandwagon prospered. For an upright existence many had to sever their links with their motherland. The rate of attrition of qualified individuals has increased manifold over time, touching millions in 2023.
October 1958 has proven to be deadly for the nation with not one but two Martial Laws. First it was President Iskander Mirza who abrogated the 1956 constitution to clamp Martial Law with the help of Gen Ayub Khan, the first Desi Sipah-e-Salar. After getting clearance from his foreign masters Khan decided to take complete charge by deposing the President on 27 October 1958. Thus started the first derailment of the republic. Those who came in the way were crushed. Instead of nation, empire building started. Nation was denied the fruits of the labour of the founding fathers. Over- and under-invoicing became the order of the day. The wealth of the nation was concentrated into a few hands (22 families).
With borrowed easy money, floodgates of corruption were opened. Upright businessmen were sidetracked, while those who were willing to play ball with the establishment and its nefarious designs were patronized with loans and permits. The founding fathers of Pakistan were pushed out of the political arena through EBDO (Elected Bodies Disqualification Order). While most leaders went home out of fear of the establishment and its coercive ways, only two challenged their disqualification (Suharwardy, Bokhari). Being an astute legal mind, Hussain Shaheed Suharwardy defended himself very well. He was exonerated by the Military Tribunal presided over by a lieutenant-colonel but his opening remarks proved to be a prophecy; “A country where a colonel holds trial of a Prime Minister cannot survive for long “. Indeed Jinnah’s Pakistan was dismembered in 1971, only 13 years later.
Progressive Papers Limited (PPL), founded by Mian Ifthikaruddin, a stalwart of the Pakistan Movement, was the voice of the nation. It had three major publications: The Pakistan Times, Imroze, Sports Time. PPL came under attack during the Ayub regime. It was taken over and handed over to a dismissed police constable of Gujrat by the name of Chaudhry Zahoor Elahi. As part of the package he was given a house in FCC colony and a factory as bait, thus with the formation of the National Press Trust (NPT) freedom of the press was taken away.
A new political dynasty was formed from scratch, several then followed. In the new capital Islamabad, after taking over the choicest land for his own mansion, plots were doled out to important people to win their loyalty. Justice A. R. Cornelius was also allocated a four-kanal plot. He returned the papers saying; ” No thanks I am very happy to stay in the Faletti’s Hotel “. Till his last day he lived there with his Austin car parked outside his room. Justice (retd) Jawad Khwaja has that car with him which he purchased for the Supreme Court museum.
The present regime keeps complaining that Nawaz Sharif was made to suffer for no fault of his own. They also claim that in the 2018 electoral contest ‘Jhurlu’ denied them victory. Without naming the villian behind these evil acts they demand justice and a level playing field for their leader who is absconding in London mainly because of the benevolence of their appointed Sipah-e-Salar who finally retired in November last year.
The second usurper’s term was short as the situation spun out of control. The CMLA (Chief Martial Law Administrator) did agree to elections but with an assumption of a split mandate. In the Eastern Wing the Jamaat-e-Islami had the establishment support while in the Western part Qayyum League was the favourite. Popular support of both the mainstream parties, the Awami League and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) was taken lightly. There was a big upset as both parties won big in their areas.
When the people’s mandate was not honoured, civil war broke out in East Pakistan. Lt.Gen Sahibzada Yakub Ali Khan the commander on the ground advised negotiations and so did Vice Admiral ( R ) S. M. Ahsan, the Governor, but Gen Yahya Khan opted for a military solution. After the surrender of the armed forces, Bangladesh emerged on the world map. The Jamaat had to bite the dust. Qayyum Khan did manage to win some seats mainly because of his personal standing.
Then started the innings of the third usurper which tormented the nation for over 11 years (July 1977 to August 1988). Zia discovered the Sharifs of Gawalmandi to lead the largest province of the country. Together they destroyed all civilian institutions. The democratic gains of the 1970s were neutralized by the dictator. Recruitment against merit was carried out in most departments. Against national interests he entered the Afghan war. The dollars that came with that sell out were squandered. A new breed of Millionaire Generals came to the fore.
Able honest officers who resisted were sidetracked. Only NESPAK (National Engineering Services of Pakistan) the engineering design house, survived as that expertise did not exist with the men in uniform. Corrupt practices became the norm all around, the principle being; ‘No cash no service’. To check the popularity of Bhutto’s party new ethnic and sectarian parties were created (MQM, TTP and so on). In Punjab his created Muslim League came up with a unique slogan; ‘Jaag Punjabi Jaag’. Together with corruption the policy of divide and rule was also followed.
Musharraf came with tall claims but lacked the required focus. His first hand-picked PM, Mir Zafarullah Jamali, tried his best to contain the prevalent corruption but was soon replaced by the sweet-talking Shaukat Aziz who had mastery of fudging figures to look good on paper. The dictator surrounded himself with all the corrupt politicians except the Sharifs who went into self-exile to Jeddah under an agreement. Business as usual continued. Major financial scandals were highlighted in the lease of expensive Railway lands and misuse of NLC funds. Nation building that had been stalled by the first usurper saw no change. Finally the Lawyers Movement in 2007 proved to be his Waterloo.
The present regime keeps complaining that Nawaz Sharif was made to suffer for no fault of his own. They also claim that in the 2018 electoral contest ‘Jhurlu’ denied them victory. Without naming the villian behind these evil acts they demand justice and a level playing field for their leader who is absconding in London mainly because of the benevolence of their appointed Sipah-e-Salar who finally retired in November last year. Before stepping down he ensured that all the corrupt were safe and back in the corridors of power. Due to weak prosecution most cases against them have been shelved with witnesses in their graves.
The coalition in power with the blessings of the establishment and continued to enjoy the perks of power with galloping corruption all around with major complaints in the ‘Atta Distribution’ scheme and import of solar panels. The men in uniform have always claimed that they had to intervene to contain corruption but the facts are otherwise. Indeed Martial Laws have proven to be mothers of corruption, and this experimentation must end for Pakistan to move forward.
