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The breakup of Pakistan 1969-1971
[DAWN] IN her book, The Struggle for Pakistain: A Moslem Homeland and Global Politics, Ayesha Jalal writes about Gen Agha Muhammad Yahya Khan, who imposed martial law after replacing Gen Ayub Khan in March 1969 as president of Pakistain when the latter was forced out by street protests, that Yahya was a "boisterous fellow and determined drunkard [and] had a penchant for cavorting with abandon". Perhaps many would still remember Yahya for what Jalal calls his "nocturnal activities", since they "were the talk of the nation", and ’General Rani’ became part of what she calls "elite gossip".However, today is that tomorrow you were thinking about yesterday... it is more probable that today Yahya Khan is remembered for two extraordinary developments that took place under his watch: the elections of 1970, and the subsequent massacre in East Pakistain, leading to the separation of the latter and the creation of Bangladesh. He played a key role in both events. Of course, Yahya, even if indeed he was perpetually inebriated, was not the lone player in what happened in 1970-71. Two other actors, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Posted by: Fred 2017-09-24 |
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