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By the end of December 1983, it appeared that the Movement for the Restoration of Democracy (MRD) was in no mood to surrender despite its political activists serving jail terms and also being flogged. In Sindh alone, it is estimated that more than 20,000 people were arrested while the number of people whipped was more than 4,000.
The incidence of public lashing had become all too frequent, as martial law authorities thought that it would bring down violence. Human rights organisations protested the detainment of political prisoners without trial and claimed that they were held incommunicado since their arrest. None of those incarcerated had a right to appeal their military court convictions either.
Chief Martial Law Administrator General Ziaul Haq had already been advised by some saner elements in his cabinet that if he continued to behave harshly with political activists and leaders, there was a danger of agitation escalating. They advised him to use other means of settling the political issue.
Gen Zia softens stand on harsh punishments but bureaucrats oppose decision to allow Benazir a safe passage out of the country
After weighing the idea from all aspects it was decided to open talks with the MRD leadership. Leuitenant-General S.M. Abbasi, the military governor of Sindh, was tasked with making contact with the MRD. He did so by talking to the friends of the detained leaders.
Since the junta’s intention of bringing peace had to be proved genuine, a batch of 2,000 jailed political workers was released unconditionally. Gen Abbasi opposed seeking a bond from the released workers as a condition for their release, but the case of releasing leaders was a tad trickier. Their release was still being considered at higher levels, but Gen Abbasi remained in constant touch with these leaders.
As reports of these conciliatory moves began circulating, PPP leaders in jail thought that they were being offered a walkover. But their cheerful period was short-lived; Gen Zia was not a dictator to step down under MRD agitation pressure either. Reports soon came in that there was no such proposal before the military government.
Meanwhile, an ailing Benazir Bhutto who had been shifted to Karachi on Aug 15, 1981 and lodged in Karachi Central Jail in solitary confinement, was being advised by her doctors to go abroad for medical treatment. Till the end of 1983, she had not applied for permission to leave but soon, it had become obvious that certain proposals were being discussed by Gen Zia to allow her to leave the country and have her ear infection treated.
While most MRD leaders including Abdul Hafeez Pirzada and Maulana Shah Ahmad Noorani were in London ‘pondering’ over the future strategy of the MRD, Islamabad was rife with rumours that MRD leaders would soon be freed, after the government gets assurances that they would not join such activities in future that inflicted damage to national assets.
And thus, in the first week of January 1984, began the government’s new plan to bring all rival groups to peace and possible talks.
By now, the rumour mill was abuzz with word that Benazir was soon heading abroad for medical treatment. Begum Nusrat Bhutto was already in London, undergoing treatment for cancer; she had left Pakistan in November 1982.
As reports of these conciliatory moves began circulating, PPP leaders in jail thought that they were being offered a walkover. But their cheerful period was short-lived; Gen Zia was not a dictator to step down under MRD agitation pressure either. Reports soon came in that there was no such proposal before the military government.
But Benazir’s application procedure was complicated and took a long time, as many bureaucrats feared that she could be “too vocal” in exposing the atrocities of the military government. When the application reached the General, he was with a couple of officers and a personal friend. Speaking about the subject, some opposed the idea but Gen Zia said: “We do not have any quarrel with the ladies. One has gone abroad and the second can leave. I will pray for their welfare.” Perhaps this was the only kind opinion Gen Zia had expressed about the Bhutto family.
On Jan 9, 1984, Benazir was intimated by the Sindh government that she could now leave the country.
The next day, on Jan 10, Benazir left for London along with her sister Sanam Bhutto. After received medical treatment, she left for the United States on March 6, 1984, where she met with politicians, government officials and the Pakistani Diaspora, telling them about what had happened in Pakistan and what Gen Zia was up to.
A week before Benazir flew into London, on Jan 2, 1984, the General told a meeting of senior editors and journalists that elections in the country would be held as scheduled, and he would allow the shortest possible time for electioneering. Although he had a clear preference for non-party elections, at this meeting, he said the decision about it would be announced later.
It has always been claimed that political movements in Pakistan begin from urban centres but looking at the overall effectiveness of the MRD movement in 1983, it was for the first time that the people of the rural Sindh, in harsh times and with sincerity of purpose, proved a strong force determined to achieve their end. Their strong will and solidarity displayed a rare example in the history of Pakistan; they had managed to escort their leader away from the clutches of dictatorship.
Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, June 28th, 2015
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