Once assured of full control over conditions in the country and with elections postponed, General Ziaul Haq set the wheels in motion for a longer stay at the helm. That meant juggling commitments on both the international front and the local one.

Gen Zia had begun meeting with other heads of Islamic states to generate support for his takeover. He had already met King Khalid of Saudi Arabia as well as the Shah of Iran; he now decided it was time to meet the Afghans. On October 10, Gen Zia proceeded to Afghanistan to meet President Sardar Daud Khan, and exchange views on the prevalent regional situation. Five days later, Zia spoke to the Shah of Iran about the exchange held in Kabul.

While Gen Zia balanced his regional commitments, at home were Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) activists and supporters, staging protests in various cities after Bhutto’s indictment in the Nawab Kasuri murder case. The protesters wanted to force the military government to set Bhutto free, but were arrested and punished by military courts, sometimes by whipping and at others, through incarceration.

Away from the streets, Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi, former federal minister and Sindh chief minister, retained hopes of being invited to join a “national government” that the Military Council might create for the running of day-to-day governmental business. Jatoi even called upon agitating PPP activists and supporters to observe their protests peacefully — this was perhaps a gimmick that Jatoi believed would elevate his position before Gen Zia, but the tactic did not bear fruit. Jatoi’s friend, Ghulam Mustafa Khar, was equally hopeful of being rewarded in exchange for extending support to the regime till elections were held. Their message was very clear: there existed some elements in the PPP rank that could help the Military Council.

PPP rejects chance to meet Gen Zia as Khar, Jatoi await offers from greener pastures

Meanwhile, the Lahore High Court (LHC) had begun hearing evidence in the Nawab Kasuri murder case. Bhutto’s lawyers challenged the cancellation of his bail on October 9 by a five-member bench of the LHC. The pretext used for cancellation was that the accused might be sentenced to capital punishment or a life term and hence bail needed to be denied. Bhutto’s legal team also raised the question of the LHC’s suitability to try the case; their argument was that the acting chief justice might act against the accused as the judge bore an anti-Bhutto bias.

Gen Zia was getting anxious; he wanted to gauge the reactions of political leaders about the postponement of elections and to tweak his plans accordingly. He thus invited various political parties’ leaders to meet with him, including those from the PPP and the Pakistan National Alliance (PNA).

The PPP’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) met on October 10 at Lahore to deliberate a response to the invitation. Their response outlined four conditions to meet: release Bhutto; end political workers’ arrests; provide a firm date for elections, and extend assurance to hold free and transparent elections.

The PPP made it clear that if Martial Law authorities did not reply to their suggestions, they would not attend any proposed meetings. Since there was no reply, no meeting was held with Gen Zia.

The PNA leadership met twice to formulate its response to Gen Zia’s invitation. The central committee convened on October 8, resolving that the Alliance wanted new dates for elections to be announced and that the accountability process should be completed before the polls. The PNA central committee made clear that it wanted polls at the earliest, while also decided that the Alliance would in no way join any consultative body or national government formed by the Military Council.

Another meeting of the PNA was held three days later, on October 10. Tehrik-i-Istaqlal chief Asghar Khan argued that an alternative leadership was a must for all systems. Irrespective of whether the PNA joined the government or not, he said, a shadow cabinet needed to be formed. Khan believed that this would help people keep faith that there would be a cabinet in waiting whenever elections were held. He clarified that he was not personally ambitious about getting a position in such a setup, but if the martial law government agreed to the three points, the prevailing political vacuum could be ended.

After discussing various aspects of the meeting, the PNA leaders proceeded to meet with Gen Zia on October 13.

At the meeting, Gen Zia complained to the PNA leadership that the PPP had not accepted his invite, and he, therefore, would not contact it in future. Mufti Mahmood suggested that the PPP be banned and a reference against it be filed in the Supreme Court. The PNA leaders suggested that voters’ lists and constituencies should be reviewed, while a new date of elections should also be announced without delay.

Gen Zia responded that for the time being, it was not possible to fix a new date; but as soon as the accountability process drew to a close, elections would be held within 60 days. Gen Zia, however, granted the PNA’s demand of allowing political activities to resume. The ban would be lifted on November 1, he promised.

Zia’s next phase was away from home and the politics of the region. On October 30, he set off on a six-day visit to Turkey, Libya, Kuwait, and Jordan, where he met the incumbent rulers and assured them of close cooperation. The twin objectives of these visits were to brief his counterparts about why the Bhutto government was overthrown and to gain legitimacy from them; implementation of an Islamic system in Pakistan was his new political tool.

In Turkey, Gen Zia clarified his position vis-a-vis assuming power and promulgating martial law. Turkish leaders advised him to reintroduce democracy, and in that regard, to hold elections at the earliest. During the same journey, Gen Zia also visited Libya to meet with Muammar Gaddafi, who was considered to be an admirer of the deposed prime minister, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

Upon his return from the whirlwind trip, the General seemed content. It was time to switch focus to the domestic front, once again.

Next week: Zia’s martial law validated

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Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, June 29th, 2014