Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto joined Ayub's regime as the minister �for natural resources, but was later given the portfolio of foreign minister. He was a prominent member of Ayub's cabi�et, and enjoyed his confidence and favour. He gradually appeared on the political scene of Pakistan as a brilliant foreign minister. He was often credited with having played a major role in refashioning China-Pakistan relations. This move was a departure from an unpopular pro-Western orientation in Pakistani . foreign policy. A graduate of Berkeley and Oxford, Bhutto had an unchallenged gift of oration and rhetoric, which brought him recognition not only at home but abroad as well. As foreign minister of Pakistan,
<;�
ue to the anti-India sentiments, he became a symbol of resurgentnationalism. His youth dynamism helped him to enhance his charismatic appeal.
I
During his tenure as foreign minister, Bhutto supported Ayub's political system whole-heartedly, and strongly .supported Ayub's candidacy during the 1 965 Presidential elections. 2 It is worth mentioning that ··in spite of that · close association with Ayub Khan, he was able to m aintain his own identity. It was due to his personality and flamboyance that he was later able to mobilize public opposition so successfully against Ayub Khan. The Tashkent Declaration brought up the disagreement and divergence between Ayub and Bhutto over foreign policy matters. Me·eting under Soviet auspices ( opposed by Bhutto ) at Tashkent in J anuary 1966, India and Pakistan agreed in effect
to a return to the status ante bellum. 3 Pakistan gained
neither a plebiscite in Kashmir nor anything else; far from strengthening his political position, Ayub had impaired , it.
Indo-Pak R e lations 69
The events which took place after the Tashkent Declaration demonstrated clearly to Bhutto _that the Ayu_b era was in its last days. Bhutto let it be known that he had been opposea to the accord made at Tashkent and this persuaded Ayub Khan to . get rid of his foreign ministe�. 4 After leaving the government, Bhutto · considered whether to join �!ready established parties _or to form a "forward bloc" within the ruling party (Ayub's Convention Muslim League). But the latter step could not materiali ze, as Ayub Khan had a very strong hold on the - party, and other members would not cooperate with Bhutto for · fear of displeasing Ayub, who would
have considered this move as a revolt against him. 5 His alignment
with other parties did not seem feasible as they were "reac tionaries" in their outlook. They offered very little to the people
in the face of rapidly -changing circumstances. They continued
to cling to abstraction bf ideology and persisted in invoking Islam as the only panacea for all ills. "6 in this situation, Bhutto did not want himself to be · identified with any of these
political
p
arties. Besides, during his tenure in the cabint as foreigrtminister, he had criticized the opposition parties quite often, which made cooperation with them difficult. Along with these facts, Bhutto was aware of a new change which was arising among people, especially the young generation, in response to exploitation and economic disparities. He wanted to make this upcoming generation as his power base, by making himself the champion of their cause. The time was ripe for any change which could be brought about by a different approach. Under these circumstances, Bhutto decided to form a party of his own. To judge the people's mood, he travelle:i
all over the country. He got a positive response especially from
students and labour. During his tour of the different parts of Pakistan he came out with open and harsh criticism of Ayub Khan. In the meantime, he had found a base among lower-income groups, and as his, followers grew jn number, he decided to form a party of his own. -
The announcement \vas made at Lahore, on December 1 , 1 967. Its ideology was described in four slogans--" Islam is our faith," "Democracy is our Polity," "Socialism is our Econo.my,"
and "All Power to the People."7 In the autumn of 1 968, Bhutto began giving effective political leadership to an anti-Ayub movement centering on student demonstrations, strikes;· and other forms of disorder in the cities of West Pakistan. The main purpose of this movement was to prevent Ayub's re-election· as President in 1 970. It all started in October 1 968 when students began agitating for educational reforms, demanding the repeal of the University ordinance, 8 the reduction in tuition fees and changes in the examination system. Their agitation, . which began with sporadic strikes at Karachi University, was at first peaceful but became increasingly violent as it merged with Bhutto's propaganda campaign against the regime. He was touring West · Pakistan at that time and was delivering many harsh speeches.
Mr. Bhutto was arrested under the emergency regulations on November 1 3, · 1 968 on a charge of inciting the students to riot. His arrest came as a blessing for the Pakistan People's Party
(PP
f:'
) as it enhanced the status and popularity of the party. Itahlo helped in establishing Bhutto as a dedicated crusader against the General. 9 The reaction against Mr. Bhutto's arrest was intense, and riots occurred in many cities of West Pakistan.
Along with West Pakistan, rioting and mass strikes also , started in the East wing, where the demand basically was for regional autonomy. Strikes in East Pakistan were more violent
and more widespread and resulted in a virtuaL,btE;!akdown _ of
all authority.
After his release, Mr. Bhutto speeded the task of the removal of Ayub Khan by addressing public meetings. Under the PPP's flag various rallies and processions were organi zed. In fact, PPP was the only party which observed the "Tashkent Day," in all the important cities of Pakistan. 1 0
I n comparison t o other political parties, the P P P proved to be more successful as it got popular support in the shortest period of time. Its leader,Z.A. Bhutto, was more effective and much more popular with the m asses, as he not only had the charisma, but he was able to communicate with the masses by coming down to their level and by using their language, the language a com mon person could easily understand. 1 1
Indo-Pak .Relations 7 1
Several social realities contributed to Ayub's fall. Pakistan's allegedly remarkable economic growth under his political leader ship was based on a capitalist economic system which brought benefits only to a limited number of families 1 2 and firms, which gre·w disproportionately rich. This obviously created discontent
among the, poor and · middle classes of Pakistan. After the 1 965 War with India, this discontent and growing disenchant ment was manifested in the form of student demonstrations which gained momentum when Bhutto's PPP emerged and presented itself as the champion of their cause.
Under these mounting pressures, Ayub explored the possibi lities of his remaining in power, but being discouraged with the existing uncontrollable situation, he tried to pacify the people by showing · his consent to a restoration of parliamentary govern ment and announced that he would not be a candidate for the Presidency in 1 970. 1 3 Despite this decision, which came on February 2 1 , 1 969, violence continued in East 1 4 and West Pakistan.
Faced with this breakdown of law and order in many parts of the country, President Ayub Khafi announced his resignation on M!'lrch 25, 1 969. Martial Law was proclaimed and order was restored without difficul ty. General Yahya Khan ( the Com mander
in-Chief of the Army), who had been appointed Chief Martial
Law Administrator, assumed the Presidency on March 3 1 , with the explanation that it was necessary to assume the office of Head of State until a new Constitution was framed. 1 5