Frontline Pakistan : The Struggle With Militant Islam - Arz-e-Pak

Pakistan’s Unholy Alliance
wing Islamic parties in the aftermath of the controversial elections in
1977, shook his government. In a desperate attempt to appease the
Islamists, Bhutto prohibited the sale and use of alcoholic beverages,
banned gambling and closed down nightclubs. But the die had already
been cast.
Bhutto had handpicked General Zia ul-Haq, a lesser-known officer,
for the post of army chief in 1976 over the heads of half a dozen senior
officers, believing he did not have any personal ambitions. General
Zia was a devout Muslim and Bhutto thought he would never betray
his trust. Once elevated to the top position, the General did not take
much time to develop secret contacts with hardline religious groups
and conspired with them to overthrow his benefactor.
On 5 July 1977, a bloodless military coup brought an end to Bhutto’s
six-and-a-half-year civilian rule. There was a complete convergence
of interests between the Islamists and the military leadership which
had ousted the Bhutto government. Several accounts of Bhutto’s last
days in power revealed that Major-General Ghulam Jilani, Bhutto’s
handpicked chief of the ISI, played a key role in the coup plan. Two
years later, in April 1979, Bhutto was hanged after a dubious trial on
charges of murdering a political rival. A secularist, elected with an
overwhelming mandate in 1970, Bhutto probably had the best chance
of any leader of taking on the Islamists and winning. His inglorious
demise can only fill Pakistan’s current leader, attempting a similar task,
with foreboding.
Bhutto’s usurper, General Zia, came from a humble lowermiddle-class
background. His father, a religious man, held a clerical
government post during British rule in India. Despite his poverty, he
provided his son with a decent education. Zia was educated at Delhi’s
most prestigious St Stephen’s College before getting a commission
in the Royal Indian Army in 1942. 5 He was a captain at the time of
the creation of Pakistan in 1947. He was a hard-working officer, but
lacked brilliance. Many of his colleagues believed he was lucky to
be promoted beyond Colonel. From a young age, Zia was actively
involved with the popular religious movement, Tablighi Jamaat, 6 one
of the most influential grassroots Islamic movements in the South
Asian subcontinent, which had hardline traditionalist views on the role
of Islam in modern society.
A short man with a thick moustache, Zia bore a strong resemblance
to the British comedian, Terry-Thomas. But he was by no means a
fool. He was shrewd enough to know how to make his way up. He
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