Before taking the decision to hold mid-term elections, Z.A. Bhutto and his advisers had to take into account all the factors that could possibly thwart their ambitions of continuing the power they had acquired after the 1970 elections and sad departure of East Pakistan. The year 1976 began with thinking on these lines, with many questions remaining unanswered, such as when to hold polls if they were to be held.
The dismissal of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governments had put a blot on PPP’s record, and fractured its structure; due to this it was a difficult juncture to undertake an adventure that could cost the party heavily.
With major opposition parties in a state of disarray in 1976, the PPP leadership became conscious of the emergence of the National Democratic Party (NDP) led by Sardar Sherbaz Khan Mazari, a tribal chief from Roojhan Mazari, and Begum Nasim Wali Khan, wife of the jailed National Awami Party (NAP) leader. After the killing of Hayat Mohammad Khan Sherpao in February 1975, Wali Khan and other NAP leaders were being tried in Hyderabad jail, in the case known as Hyderabad Tribunal case. Begum Nasim Wali joined hands with Sardar Sherbaz Mazari, who had previously actively supported Miss Fatima Jinnah against Ayub Khan in the presidential elections of 1964. In the 1970 elections, which resulted in the separation of East Pakistan, Mazari had contested as an independent candidate and was elected as a National Assembly member. He was among those who opposed military action in East Pakistan.
Though a signatory to the 1973 Constitution and once a friend of Bhutto, Mazari had opposed PPP action in Balochistan and formed the NDP to fill the vacuum created by the ban on NAP. With the formation of the NDP, Sardar Mazari led the opposition in the National Assembly till 1977. He remained active in politics after the July 5, 1977 coup which led to Bhutto’s ouster. The NDP suffered a split when ultra-left elements led by Sardar Khair Bakhsh Marri pleaded for waging a struggle for the separation of Balochistan. Finally, Wali Khan and Mazari separated.
Begum Nasim Wali was among the first Pakhtun women who took active part in politics in a male-dominated society. She was the daughter of Nawabzada Mohammad Khan Hoti and sister of former communication minister Azam Khan Hoti. Begum Wali had developed a deep understanding of the politics of Pakistan. This was not accidental but was necessitated by the developments that led her to take charge. In 1976 the ban on NAP brought workers of the defunct party to her. With Sardar Sherbaz Mazari as head of the NDP, this clear-headed woman led the party as its vice-president.
The formation of the NDP was a factor that had to be considered by the PPP leadership before announcing mid-term elections. However, it failed to do so initially. The PPP saw the opposition in a state of confusion, which favoured Bhutto the most. Bhutto could not understand the move by jagirdars, landed aristocrats and notables who were not with him at the inception of the party but were now joining the PPP en masse to serve their interests. The party supporters from the lower strata considered the PPP as their own; it had pledged prosperity for them and they hoped that one day the leader would fulfill his promise.
These new entrants had, obviously, joined the party with the purpose of promoting their own cause. Bhutto’s inner cabinet which included Rafi Raza, Rao Rashid, Maulana Kausar Niazi, Hafeez Pirzada and Khan Abdul Qayyum had their reservations about the new aspirants joining the party. The other old guards had been either sacked or had quit the party after being considered a spent force. Official reports about the new applicants were conflicting. This made it difficult for Bhutto to move ahead. Time was slipping fast and important issues were being delayed.
Bhutto was sure of one thing: the opposition was not organised and he must reap the benefit of this. All his partners and advisers agreed on this point but disagreed on the best way to exploit it. This delayed everything to the extent that the opposition parties began to get more organised. By now it was close to the end of 1976.
Bhutto thought it was too early to formally launch an election campaign. Perhaps he banked too much on his ‘achievements’ and the jiyalas.
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