->Wallu2 correction of flag as well because the previously added flag was of the local unregistered party in Pakistan also named as "Pakistan National Alliance", someone may have cofusion with this article and added here because you can see the previously used flag at this Facebook page:https://m.facebook.com/PakistanNationalAlliance (if someone has concern about my edit) |
updated details per sources as per guidelines |
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{{Infobox political party | {{Infobox political party | ||
| name = Pakistan National Alliance<br />پاکستان قومی اتحاد | | name = Pakistan National Alliance<br />پاکستان قومی اتحاد | ||
| logo = | | logo = | ||
| logo_size = | | logo_size = | ||
| colorcode = {{party color|Pakistan National Alliance}} | | colorcode = {{party color|Pakistan National Alliance}} | ||
| presidium = [[Abul A'la | | presidium = [[Abul A'la Maududi]] ([[Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan|JI]])<br />[[Shah Ahmad Noorani]] ([[Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan|JuP]])<br />[[Chaudhry Zahoor Elahi]] ([[Pakistan Muslim League|PML]])<br />[[Asghar Khan]] ([[Tehrik-e-Istiqlal|TeI]]) | ||
| foundation = {{Start date|df= | | foundation = {{Start date and age|df=y|1977|01|05}} | ||
| dissolved = {{End date|df= | | dissolved = {{End date|df=y|1978|01|24}} | ||
| ideology = [[Conservatism]]<br>[[Capitalism]] | | ideology = [[Conservatism]]<br>[[Capitalism]] | ||
| position = [[Right-wing politics|Right-wing]] | | position = [[Right-wing politics|Right-wing]] | ||
| colors = Green<br />{{colour sample|{{party color|Pakistan National Alliance}}}} | | colors = Green<br />{{colour sample|{{party color|Pakistan National Alliance}}}} | ||
| slogan = ''Nizam-e-Mustafa'' (1977) | | slogan = ''Nizam-e-Mustafa'' (1977) | ||
| flag = | | flag = Flag of IJI.svg | ||
| country = Pakistan | | country = Pakistan | ||
}} | }} | ||
The '''Pakistan National Alliance''' ([[Urdu]]: '''پاکستان | The '''Pakistan National Alliance''' ([[Urdu]]: '''پاکستان قومی اتحاد''', [[Acronym and initialism|Acronym]]: '''PNA'''), was a [[Populism|populist]] and consolidated right and left [[Political parties in Pakistan|political alliance]], consisting of nine political parties of the country. Formed in 1977, the country's leading right-wing parties agreed upon to run a political campaign as a single bloc against the left-wing [[Socialism|socialist]] [[Pakistan People's Party]] (PPP) of [[Zulfikar Ali Bhutto]] in the [[1977 Pakistani general election|1977 general elections]]. | ||
Despite each parties standing with a different ideology, PNA was noted for its large physical momentum and its right-wing orientation, originally aimed to oppose Prime Minister [[Zulfikar Ali Bhutto]] and the [[Pakistan Peoples Party|PPP]].<ref>[http://jang.com.pk/jang/aug2011-daily/11-08-2011/col3.htm Navaz Sharif – A man between enemies] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110811040546/http://jang.com.pk/jang/aug2011-daily/11-08-2011/col3.htm |date=11 August 2011 }}</ref> Despite its [[Right-wing populism|right-wing populist]] agenda, the alliance performed poorly in the [[1977 Pakistani general election|1977 general election]] and levelled accusations of [[Vote rigging|rigging]] the elections. After months of [[Right-wing politics and violence|spontaneous violent]] political activism, the [[Operation Fair Play|martial law]] came in effect under [[Chief of Army Staff (Pakistan)|chief of army staff]] | Despite each parties standing with a different ideology, PNA was noted for its large physical momentum and its right-wing orientation, originally aimed to oppose Prime Minister [[Zulfikar Ali Bhutto]] and the [[Pakistan Peoples Party|PPP]].<ref>[http://jang.com.pk/jang/aug2011-daily/11-08-2011/col3.htm Navaz Sharif – A man between enemies] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110811040546/http://jang.com.pk/jang/aug2011-daily/11-08-2011/col3.htm |date=11 August 2011 }}</ref> Despite its [[Right-wing populism|right-wing populist]] agenda, the alliance performed poorly in the [[1977 Pakistani general election|1977 general election]] and levelled accusations of [[Vote rigging|rigging]] the elections. After months of [[Right-wing politics and violence|spontaneous violent]] political activism, the [[Operation Fair Play|martial law]] came in effect under [[Chief of Army Staff (Pakistan)|chief of army staff]] [[General Zia-ul-Haq]] who made call for a [[Retributive justice|political retribution]]. By 1978, the alliance met its end when parties diverged in each of its agenda. The left-wing parties later would form the [[Movement for the Restoration of Democracy|MRD alliance]] under PPP to oppose President Zia-ul-Haq in the 1980s and the right-wing forming the [[Islamic Democratic Alliance|IDA alliance]] under [[Pakistan Muslim League|PML]]. | ||
==History== | ==History== | ||
The [[Pakistan Peoples Party|PPP]] came in [[Power (politics)|power politics]] after the [[Instrument of Surrender (1971)|loss]] of [[East | The [[Pakistan Peoples Party|PPP]] came in [[Power (politics)|power politics]] after the [[Instrument of Surrender (1971)|loss]] of [[East Pakistan]] in 1971. After uplifting the martial law in 1972 and promulgating the [[Constitution of Pakistan|constitution]] in 1973, the PPP made slow efforts to advance the "[[Islam and democracy]]" in the country, but intensified the [[Socialism in Pakistan|socialism]] with a vengeance.<ref name="Country studies US">{{cite web|last=Country studies US|title=History of Pakistan Peoples Party and the Left in Pakistan|url=http://countrystudies.us/pakistan/69.htm|publisher=Country studies US|access-date=19 May 2013}}</ref> First and foremost, the [[Nationalization in Pakistan|nationalisation program]] was carried out to centralise the large-scale industries, private-sector and commercial corporation to set up the strong [[Public sector|state sector]].<ref name="Country studies US"/> Resentment and heavy disapproval came from the elite [[Corporate sector of Pakistan|corporate sector]] and PPP intensified its public programs at the social circles.<ref name="Country studies US"/> Although the general elections were to be held on half of 1977, Bhutto made a move and called for holding the general elections on 7 January 1977.<ref name="Story of Pakistan press">{{cite web|title=1977 General elections and Right wing populism|date=June 2003 |url=http://storyofpakistan.com/general-elections-1977/|publisher=Story of Pakistan press|access-date=19 May 2013|display-authors=etal}}</ref> | ||
Early calls for the elections | Early calls for the elections were intended to not give the opposition enough time to make decisions and arrangements for the forthcoming elections.<ref name="Story of Pakistan press"/> Immediately after the announcement, Bhutto started his election campaign and began allotting party tickets to party's candidates.<ref name="Story of Pakistan press"/> Sensing the difficulty of facing PPP alone, the conservative mass began to consolidate when [[Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan|''JeI'']] contacting the [[Pakistan Muslim League]] (PML) and [[Tehrik-e-Istiqlal|TeI]].<ref name="ABC-CLIO">{{cite book|last=Lyon|first=Peter|title=Conflict between India and Pakistan : an encyclopedia|year=2008|publisher=ABC-CLIO|location=Santa Barbara, Calif.|isbn=978-1576077122|page=131|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vLwOck15eboC&q=pakistan+national+alliance&pg=PA131}}</ref> The other small parties too joined the alliance and initially called for ending the [[Stagflation in Pakistan|era of stagflation]] in the country and its manifesto was to bring back the 1970 prices.<ref name="Story of Pakistan press"/> | ||
On social views, the implementation of Islam was its primary election slogan. They promised to enforce Islamic laws "[[ | On social views, the implementation of Islam was its primary election slogan. They promised to enforce Islamic laws "[[Nizam-e-Mustafa]]" and the [[Sharia law]]s.<ref name="ABC-CLIO"/> The PNA's parties were a conglomerate of diverse views and of contradictory causes and united by common dislike of PPP's autocratic policies <ref>{{Cite book |last=Publications |first=Europa |url=https://books.google.ca/books?id=LclscNCTz9oC&dq=asghar+khan&pg=PA1163&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=asghar%20khan&f=false |title=The Far East and Australasia 2003 |date=2002 |publisher=Psychology Press |isbn=978-1-85743-133-9 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=as>{{Cite thesis |last=Suhail |first=Adeem |date=May 2011 |title=The Pakistan National Alliance of 1977 |url=http://hdl.handle.net/2152/ETD-UT-2011-05-3621|publisher=University of Texas at Austin}}</ref>: | ||
{| class="wikitable sortable | {| class="wikitable sortable" style="width:auto;min-width:50em" | ||
! colspan=5 | PNA Divergence | ! colspan=5 | PNA Divergence | ||
|- | |- | ||
! Political parties !! Presiding leadership !! Position !! Color !! Fate | ! Political parties !! Presiding leadership !! Position !! Color !! Fate | ||
|- | |- | ||
| [[Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan|Jamaat-e-Islami]] ({{colour|#00AAE4|JeI}}) || [[Abul A'la Maududi]]<br />[[Mian | | [[Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan|Jamaat-e-Islami]] ({{colour|#00AAE4|JeI}}) || [[Abul A'la Maududi]]<br />[[Mian Muhammad Tufail]] || [[Right-wing politics|Right-wing]]|| {{colour box|#00AAE4}} || {{Color|green|In alliance with Zia}} | ||
|- | |- | ||
| [[ | | [[Pakistan Muslim League]] ({{colour|#1a7647|PML}}) || [[Nawaz Sharif]]<br />[[Chaudhry Zahoor Elahi]]<br />[[Pir Pagara]] ||[[Centre-right politics|Centre-right]]|| {{colour box|#1a7647}} || {{Color|green|In alliance with Zia}} | ||
|- | |- | ||
|[[Tehrik-e-Istiqlal]] ({{colour|#0BDA51|TeI}}) || [[Asghar Khan]] || | |[[Tehrik-e-Istiqlal]] ({{colour|#0BDA51|TeI}}) || [[Asghar Khan]] || Right-wing ||{{colour box|#0BDA51}} || {{Color|red|In opposition to Zia}} | ||
|- | |- | ||
|[[ | |[[Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan]] ({{colour|#123524|JUeP}}) || [[Shah Ahmad Noorani]] || Right-wing || {{colour box|#123524}} || {{Color|green|In alliance with Zia}} | ||
|- | |- | ||
|[[ | |[[Pakhtun-khwa Milli Awami Party|Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party]] ({{colour|Orange|MAP}}) || [[Mahmood Khan Achakzai]] || [[Left-wing politics|Left-wing]]|| {{colour box|orange}} || {{Color|green|In alliance with Zia}} | ||
|- | |- | ||
|[[ | |[[Balochistan National Party (Mengal)|Balochistan National Party]] ({{colour|#FFD700|BNP}}) || [[Akbar Bugti]] || Left-wing ||{{colour box|#FFF700}} || {{Color|purple|Neutrality with Zia}} | ||
|- | |- | ||
|[[ | | [[National Awami Party (Wali)|Awami National Party]] ({{colour|#E62020|ANP}}) || [[Khan Abdul Wali Khan]] || Left-wing || {{colour box|#E62020}} || {{Color|red|In opposition to Zia}} | ||
|- | |- | ||
| [[ | | [[Pakistan Democratic Party]] ({{colour#E62020|PDP}}) || [[Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan]]||Centre-right || {{colour box|#1a7647}} || {{colour|green|In alliance with Zia}} | ||
|- | |- | ||
| [[ | |[[Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam|Jamiat Ulema e Islam]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
|[[Khaksar Tehrik|Khaaksaar Tehrik]] | |||
|- | |||
|[[All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference]] | |||
| | |||
|} | |} | ||
===Right-wing populism and violence=== | ===Right-wing populism and violence=== | ||
{{Main|Right-wing politics and violence}} | {{Main|Right-wing politics and violence}} | ||
At this platform, the modern European style-influenced forces formed an alliance with totally opposite of [[Islamic extremism|hard-line Islamist forces]].<ref name="Story of Pakistan press" /> The alliance decided to contest the elections under one election symbol "''plough''" and a green flag with nine stars as its ensign.<ref name="Story of Pakistan press" /> | At this platform, the modern European style-influenced forces formed an alliance with totally opposite of [[Islamic extremism|hard-line Islamist forces]].<ref name="Story of Pakistan press" /> The alliance decided to contest the elections under one election symbol "''plough''" and a green flag with nine stars as its ensign.<ref name="Story of Pakistan press" /> | ||
[[File:Flag of IJI.svg|200px|thumb|Each star represented the parties under this alliance. There were nine parties, therefore flag's star represented the nine stars.]] | [[File:Flag of IJI.svg|200px|thumb|Each star represented the parties under this alliance. There were nine parties, therefore flag's star represented the nine stars.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Aziz |first=Shaikh |date=2013-07-28 |title=A leaf from history: The opposition alliance |url=http://www.dawn.com/news/1032515 |access-date=2026-03-13 |website=Dawn |language=en |quote=The nine-party alliance was called nau sitare (nine stars) and its flag too bore nine stars.}}</ref>]] | ||
Contesting the 1977 elections jointly the PNA launched a national campaign against the government after the controversial and allegedly rigged results showing the Peoples Party as an overwhelming victory in the general elections.<ref name="Facts On File"/> The agitation caught the Peoples Party and its political scientists, by surprise and after several months of street fighting and demonstrations. Under advised by his advisers, Bhutto opened negotiations with the then PNA leadership but whether or not it would have been signed by all PNA parties or by Bhutto remains open to speculation. In a single unusual anti-Bhutto bloc, the alliance seemed to be effective when tapping a wave to remove Bhutto from government.<ref name="Facts On File">{{cite book| | Contesting the 1977 elections jointly the PNA launched a national campaign against the government after the controversial and allegedly rigged results showing the Peoples Party as an overwhelming victory in the general elections.<ref name="Facts On File"/> The agitation caught the Peoples Party and its political scientists, by surprise and after several months of street fighting and demonstrations. Under advised by his advisers, Bhutto opened negotiations with the then PNA leadership but whether or not it would have been signed by all PNA parties or by Bhutto remains open to speculation. In a single unusual anti-Bhutto bloc, the alliance seemed to be effective when tapping a wave to remove Bhutto from government.<ref name="Facts On File">{{cite book|first=James |last=Wynbrandt|title=A brief history of Pakistan|year=2008|publisher=Facts on File|location=New York|isbn=978-0816061846|pages=210–240|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xQGwgJnCPZgC&q=pakistan+national+alliance&pg=PA212}}</ref> | ||
Meanwhile, Bhutto's trusted confident and a lifelong companion dr. [[Mubashir Hassan]] tried to handle the situation on behalf of Bhutto by bringing the alliance on a table to reach an agreement of co-existence and a vital political solution.<ref name="Carnegie Endowment for International Peace">{{cite book|last=Haqqani|first=Husain|title=Pakistan : between mosque and military|year=2005|publisher=Carnegie Endowment for International Peace|location=Washington, DC|isbn=0870032143|edition=1. print.|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/pakistanbetweenm00haqq}}</ref> On other hand, Hassan advised Bhutto | Meanwhile, Bhutto's trusted confident and a lifelong companion dr. [[Mubashir Hassan]] tried to handle the situation on behalf of Bhutto by bringing the alliance on a table to reach an agreement of co-existence and a vital political solution.<ref name="Carnegie Endowment for International Peace">{{cite book|last=Haqqani|first=Husain|title=Pakistan : between mosque and military|year=2005|publisher=Carnegie Endowment for International Peace|location=Washington, DC|isbn=0870032143|edition=1. print.|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/pakistanbetweenm00haqq}}</ref> On other hand, Hassan advised Bhutto not to rely either on establishment or use the force to curb the alliance.<ref name="Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"/> An agreement was eventually reached in June 1977 and Bhutto was to sign it on 5 July.<ref name="Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"/> However, despite the enthusiasm of the negotiating team, other PNA leaders had reservations about the agreement.<ref name="Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"/> In response, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto also tried to crush the power of this alliance, with the help of his agencies such as [[Federal Security Force|FSF]] and [[Pakistan Army Rangers|Rangers]] and for this reason was also considered for the cause of Bhutto's hanging on 4 April 1979.<ref name="Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"/> In a coup staged by General Zia, Bhutto was removed from office with majority of his colleagues.<ref name="Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"/> | ||
===Authoritarianism and PNA split=== | ===Authoritarianism and PNA split=== | ||
{{Main|Rightwing authoritarianism|Right-wing extremism}} | {{Main|Rightwing authoritarianism|Right-wing extremism}} | ||
The conservatives and Islamist fronts went to | |||
The conservatives and Islamist fronts went to [[General Zia-ul-Haq]], [[Chief of Army Staff (Pakistan)|Chief of Army Staff]] and Admiral [[Mohammad Shariff]], [[Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (Pakistan)|Chairman]] of the [[Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee]], and convinced them to remove Bhutto and no other agreement is reached with Bhutto and his colleagues remained stubborn.<ref name="Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"/> The absence of a formal agreement between the government and the PNA was used as an excuse by the [[Pakistan Armed Forces|Pakistan Defence Forces]] under its chairman Admiral Mohammad Shariff which led to stage a Coup d'état (see ''[[Operation Fair Play]]'') by [[General Zia-ul-Haq]] to break the impasse. Those justifying the coup, argue that no agreement had been reached between the two sides.<ref name="Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"/> | |||
===Controversy regarding foreign support=== | ===Controversy regarding foreign support=== | ||
{{Main|Pakistan-United States relations}} | {{Main|Pakistan-United States relations}} | ||
On 5 July 1977, the [[Pakistan Peoples Party|PPP]] accused the United States of plotting the coup and maintained that the coup had tacit consent from the United States.<ref name="Ashgate"/> A few before the martial law, Bhutto had indicated that few foreign powers had been engineering his downfall, though he did not name which foreign powers.<ref name="Ashgate"/> Several Pakistani scholars and researchers have given credence to Bhutto's claim.<ref name="Ashgate">{{cite book|last=Hussain|first=Rizwan|title=Pakistan and the emergence of Islamic militancy in Afghanistan|year=2005|publisher=Ashgate|location=Burlington, VT|isbn=0754644340|pages=80–82|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TRW_M_xybyYC&q=Pakistan+National+Alliance+and+US&pg=PA82}}</ref><ref name=Praeger>{{cite book|last=Nizamani|first=Haider K.|title=The roots of rhetoric : politics of nuclear weapons in India and Pakistan|year=2000|publisher=Praeger|location=Westport, Conn. [u.a.]|isbn=0275968774|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tcTfwCZ0lR4C&q=Pakistan+National+Alliance+and+US&pg=PA90|edition=1. publ.}}</ref> The veracity of these claims are difficult to verify since the United States has strongly rejected any claims of their involvement in downfall of Bhutto.<ref name="Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"/> Though, former [[U.S. Attorney General|American Attorney General]] [[Ramsey Clark]] did questioned the "knowledge, hence the tacit approval" of the coup staged against the PPP.<ref name="Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"/> | |||
In 1998, [[Benazir Bhutto]] publicly announced her belief that her father was "sent to the gallows at the instance of the superpower (most believe it to be USA) for pursuing the nuclear capability,<ref name="DawnWireService (DWS)">{{cite news|last=Malick|first=Nasir Malick|title=Benazir vows to fight on people's side|url=http://www.lib.virginia.edu/area-studies/SouthAsia/SAserials/Dawn/1998/16May98.html#bena|access-date=17 November 2011|newspaper=DawnWireService (DWS)|date=10 May 1998}}</ref> though she did not disclosed the name of the foreign power.<ref name="DawnWireService (DWS)"/> | In 1998, [[Benazir Bhutto]] publicly announced her belief that her father was "sent to the gallows at the instance of the superpower (most believe it to be USA) for pursuing the nuclear capability,<ref name="DawnWireService (DWS)">{{cite news|last=Malick|first=Nasir Malick|title=Benazir vows to fight on people's side|url=http://www.lib.virginia.edu/area-studies/SouthAsia/SAserials/Dawn/1998/16May98.html#bena|access-date=17 November 2011|newspaper=DawnWireService (DWS)|date=10 May 1998|archive-date=17 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201217140219/https://asianstudies.github.io/area-studies/SouthAsia/SAserials/Dawn/1998/16May98.html#bena|url-status=dead}}</ref> though she did not disclosed the name of the foreign power.<ref name="DawnWireService (DWS)"/> | ||
==Alliance members== | ==Alliance members== | ||
The Alliance unusually consisted of 9 parties, with | The Alliance unusually consisted of 9 main parties, with completely different ideologies, backgrounds, and political goals who opposed Bhutto and his government: All nine together made the Pakistan National Alliance.<ref name=as/><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.ca/books?id=LclscNCTz9oC&dq=asghar+khan&pg=PA1163&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=asghar%20khan&f=false |title=The Far East and Australasia 2003 |date=2002 |publisher=Psychology Press |isbn=978-1-85743-133-9 |language=en}}</ref> | ||
# [[Tehreek-e-Istiqlal|Tehrik e Istaqlal]] (TI) | |||
# [[Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan|Jamaat e Islami Pakistan]] (JIP) | |||
# [[Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam|Jamiat Ulema e Islam]] (JUI) | |||
# [[Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan|Jamiat Ulema e Pakistan]] (JUP) | |||
# [[Pakistan Muslim League]] (PML) | |||
# [[National Democratic Party (Pakistan)|National Democratic Party]] (NDP) | |||
# [[Pakistan Democratic Party]] (PDP) | |||
# [[Khaksar Tehrik|Khaaksaar Tehrik]] (KT) | |||
# [[All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference]] (AKMC) | |||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
Latest revision as of 06:09, 29 March 2026
Pakistan National Alliance پاکستان قومی اتحاد | |
|---|---|
| Presidium | Abul A'la Maududi (JI) Shah Ahmad Noorani (JuP) Chaudhry Zahoor Elahi (PML) Asghar Khan (TeI) |
| Founded | 5 January 1977 |
| Dissolved | 24 January 1978 |
| Ideology | Conservatism Capitalism |
| Political position | Right-wing |
| Colors | Green Template:Colour sample |
| Slogan | Nizam-e-Mustafa (1977) |
| Party flag | |
 | |
The Pakistan National Alliance (Urdu: پاکستان قومی اتحاد, Acronym: PNA), was a populist and consolidated right and left political alliance, consisting of nine political parties of the country. Formed in 1977, the country's leading right-wing parties agreed upon to run a political campaign as a single bloc against the left-wing socialist Pakistan People's Party (PPP) of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in the 1977 general elections.
Despite each parties standing with a different ideology, PNA was noted for its large physical momentum and its right-wing orientation, originally aimed to oppose Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and the PPP.[1] Despite its right-wing populist agenda, the alliance performed poorly in the 1977 general election and levelled accusations of rigging the elections. After months of spontaneous violent political activism, the martial law came in effect under chief of army staff General Zia-ul-Haq who made call for a political retribution. By 1978, the alliance met its end when parties diverged in each of its agenda. The left-wing parties later would form the MRD alliance under PPP to oppose President Zia-ul-Haq in the 1980s and the right-wing forming the IDA alliance under PML.
History[edit | edit source]
The PPP came in power politics after the loss of East Pakistan in 1971. After uplifting the martial law in 1972 and promulgating the constitution in 1973, the PPP made slow efforts to advance the "Islam and democracy" in the country, but intensified the socialism with a vengeance.[2] First and foremost, the nationalisation program was carried out to centralise the large-scale industries, private-sector and commercial corporation to set up the strong state sector.[2] Resentment and heavy disapproval came from the elite corporate sector and PPP intensified its public programs at the social circles.[2] Although the general elections were to be held on half of 1977, Bhutto made a move and called for holding the general elections on 7 January 1977.[3]
Early calls for the elections were intended to not give the opposition enough time to make decisions and arrangements for the forthcoming elections.[3] Immediately after the announcement, Bhutto started his election campaign and began allotting party tickets to party's candidates.[3] Sensing the difficulty of facing PPP alone, the conservative mass began to consolidate when JeI contacting the Pakistan Muslim League (PML) and TeI.[4] The other small parties too joined the alliance and initially called for ending the era of stagflation in the country and its manifesto was to bring back the 1970 prices.[3]
On social views, the implementation of Islam was its primary election slogan. They promised to enforce Islamic laws "Nizam-e-Mustafa" and the Sharia laws.[4] The PNA's parties were a conglomerate of diverse views and of contradictory causes and united by common dislike of PPP's autocratic policies [5][6]:
| PNA Divergence | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Political parties | Presiding leadership | Position | Color | Fate |
| Jamaat-e-Islami (Template:Colour) | Abul A'la Maududi Mian Muhammad Tufail |
Right-wing | In alliance with Zia | |
| Pakistan Muslim League (Template:Colour) | Nawaz Sharif Chaudhry Zahoor Elahi Pir Pagara |
Centre-right | In alliance with Zia | |
| Tehrik-e-Istiqlal (Template:Colour) | Asghar Khan | Right-wing | In opposition to Zia | |
| Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan (Template:Colour) | Shah Ahmad Noorani | Right-wing | In alliance with Zia | |
| Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (Template:Colour) | Mahmood Khan Achakzai | Left-wing | In alliance with Zia | |
| Balochistan National Party (Template:Colour) | Akbar Bugti | Left-wing | Neutrality with Zia | |
| Awami National Party (Template:Colour) | Khan Abdul Wali Khan | Left-wing | In opposition to Zia | |
| Pakistan Democratic Party (Template:Colour) | Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan | Centre-right | Template:Colour | |
| Jamiat Ulema e Islam | ||||
| Khaaksaar Tehrik | ||||
| All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference | ||||
Right-wing populism and violence[edit | edit source]
At this platform, the modern European style-influenced forces formed an alliance with totally opposite of hard-line Islamist forces.[3] The alliance decided to contest the elections under one election symbol "plough" and a green flag with nine stars as its ensign.[3]
Contesting the 1977 elections jointly the PNA launched a national campaign against the government after the controversial and allegedly rigged results showing the Peoples Party as an overwhelming victory in the general elections.[8] The agitation caught the Peoples Party and its political scientists, by surprise and after several months of street fighting and demonstrations. Under advised by his advisers, Bhutto opened negotiations with the then PNA leadership but whether or not it would have been signed by all PNA parties or by Bhutto remains open to speculation. In a single unusual anti-Bhutto bloc, the alliance seemed to be effective when tapping a wave to remove Bhutto from government.[8]
Meanwhile, Bhutto's trusted confident and a lifelong companion dr. Mubashir Hassan tried to handle the situation on behalf of Bhutto by bringing the alliance on a table to reach an agreement of co-existence and a vital political solution.[9] On other hand, Hassan advised Bhutto not to rely either on establishment or use the force to curb the alliance.[9] An agreement was eventually reached in June 1977 and Bhutto was to sign it on 5 July.[9] However, despite the enthusiasm of the negotiating team, other PNA leaders had reservations about the agreement.[9] In response, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto also tried to crush the power of this alliance, with the help of his agencies such as FSF and Rangers and for this reason was also considered for the cause of Bhutto's hanging on 4 April 1979.[9] In a coup staged by General Zia, Bhutto was removed from office with majority of his colleagues.[9]
Authoritarianism and PNA split[edit | edit source]
The conservatives and Islamist fronts went to General Zia-ul-Haq, Chief of Army Staff and Admiral Mohammad Shariff, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, and convinced them to remove Bhutto and no other agreement is reached with Bhutto and his colleagues remained stubborn.[9] The absence of a formal agreement between the government and the PNA was used as an excuse by the Pakistan Defence Forces under its chairman Admiral Mohammad Shariff which led to stage a Coup d'état (see Operation Fair Play) by General Zia-ul-Haq to break the impasse. Those justifying the coup, argue that no agreement had been reached between the two sides.[9]
Controversy regarding foreign support[edit | edit source]
On 5 July 1977, the PPP accused the United States of plotting the coup and maintained that the coup had tacit consent from the United States.[10] A few before the martial law, Bhutto had indicated that few foreign powers had been engineering his downfall, though he did not name which foreign powers.[10] Several Pakistani scholars and researchers have given credence to Bhutto's claim.[10][11] The veracity of these claims are difficult to verify since the United States has strongly rejected any claims of their involvement in downfall of Bhutto.[9] Though, former American Attorney General Ramsey Clark did questioned the "knowledge, hence the tacit approval" of the coup staged against the PPP.[9]
In 1998, Benazir Bhutto publicly announced her belief that her father was "sent to the gallows at the instance of the superpower (most believe it to be USA) for pursuing the nuclear capability,[12] though she did not disclosed the name of the foreign power.[12]
Alliance members[edit | edit source]
The Alliance unusually consisted of 9 main parties, with completely different ideologies, backgrounds, and political goals who opposed Bhutto and his government: All nine together made the Pakistan National Alliance.[6][13]
- Tehrik e Istaqlal (TI)
- Jamaat e Islami Pakistan (JIP)
- Jamiat Ulema e Islam (JUI)
- Jamiat Ulema e Pakistan (JUP)
- Pakistan Muslim League (PML)
- National Democratic Party (NDP)
- Pakistan Democratic Party (PDP)
- Khaaksaar Tehrik (KT)
- All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference (AKMC)
See also[edit | edit source]
- Islami Jamhoori Ittehad
- Politics of Pakistan
- History of Pakistan
- List of political parties in Pakistan
- Movement for Restoration of Democracy - a nine-party alliance formed to oppose Zia-ul-Haq
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Navaz Sharif – A man between enemies Archived 11 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Country studies US. "History of Pakistan Peoples Party and the Left in Pakistan". Country studies US. Retrieved 19 May 2013.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 "1977 General elections and Right wing populism". Story of Pakistan press. June 2003. Retrieved 19 May 2013.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Lyon, Peter (2008). Conflict between India and Pakistan : an encyclopedia. Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO. p. 131. ISBN 978-1576077122.
- ↑ Publications, Europa (2002). The Far East and Australasia 2003. Psychology Press. ISBN 978-1-85743-133-9.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Suhail, Adeem (May 2011). The Pakistan National Alliance of 1977 (Thesis). University of Texas at Austin.
- ↑ Aziz, Shaikh (28 July 2013). "A leaf from history: The opposition alliance". Dawn. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
The nine-party alliance was called nau sitare (nine stars) and its flag too bore nine stars.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Wynbrandt, James (2008). A brief history of Pakistan. New York: Facts on File. pp. 210–240. ISBN 978-0816061846.
- ↑ 9.00 9.01 9.02 9.03 9.04 9.05 9.06 9.07 9.08 9.09 Haqqani, Husain (2005). Pakistan : between mosque and military (1. print. ed.). Washington, DC: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. ISBN 0870032143.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Hussain, Rizwan (2005). Pakistan and the emergence of Islamic militancy in Afghanistan. Burlington, VT: Ashgate. pp. 80–82. ISBN 0754644340.
- ↑ Nizamani, Haider K. (2000). The roots of rhetoric : politics of nuclear weapons in India and Pakistan (1. publ. ed.). Westport, Conn. [u.a.]: Praeger. ISBN 0275968774.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Malick, Nasir Malick (10 May 1998). "Benazir vows to fight on people's side". DawnWireService (DWS). Archived from the original on 17 December 2020. Retrieved 17 November 2011.
- ↑ The Far East and Australasia 2003. Psychology Press. 2002. ISBN 978-1-85743-133-9.