Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq

General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq (August 12 1924–August 17 1988) ruled Pakistan from 1977 to 1988. Zia-ul-Haq was the third person in the history of Pakistan to enforce martial law and halt civilian rule in the country.

Legacy

General Zia's most enduring legacy is the political system he left behind. After the partyless elections of February 1985, the 1973 constitution was pulled out of cold storage, and on its back, a series of amendments giving absolute powers to the president were grafted to dismantle any future democratic set up at will. Since then the presidential powers have been used three times to disband elected assemblies. In May 1988 he himself sacked Prime Minister Muhammad Khan Junejo and dissolved the elected assemblies while President Ghulam Ishaq Khan sacked Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and disbanded the national and provincial assemblies, later doing the same again with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was again sacked by President Farooq Leghari using the same powers.

Related Topics:
February - 1985 - 1988 - Muhammad Khan Junejo - Ghulam Ishaq Khan - Benazir Bhutto - Nawaz Sharif

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General Zia also militarized the bureaucracy systematically. By his government's orders, 5 % of all new posts in the higher civil service were to be filled by army officers who, consequently, occupied important civilian positions. No political government has yet the courage to rescind this order.

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