No doubt the launching of Movement of Restoration of Democracy (MRD) in 1981 was silenced by General Ziaul Haq through the use of brute force, but the MRD had made a wise decision to defer their struggle till August 14, 1983. But when it resumed, MRD activists met with the might of the state again; in three provinces, these activists were brutally silenced again, but in Sindh, their movement attained unprecedented popularity.

It began in Karachi with a protest rally at Regal Chowk on August 14, 1983. This time, the campaign was led by Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi, who perhaps wanted to contradict reports that he was hobnobbing with the military government. The plan was to hold rallies to raise awareness, and wherever necessary, court arrests.

Gen Zia returns from a visit to Turkey to find Sindh in disarray

The event went off as planned. Here, in the presence of protesting activists, Jatoi came and courted arrest. In due time, arrests made were in such large numbers that lock-ups and prisons became overcrowded. This forced the police to keep the detainees in some sport stadiums. In other parts of Sindh too, agitations continued successfully and sometimes violently.

Among the constituent parties of the MRD, the Sindhi Awami Tehrik (SAT), led by Rasool Bakhsh Palijo, participated in the movement quite actively. In some places, the SAT went much further than the rest.

Accounts from inside the jails, however, were disconcerting.

It was reported that some party leaders were now quarrelling over the allocation of portfolios in a new set-up, after they were strongly assured that they were about to form a government as a result of the fall of the Gen Zia government in the aftermath of the MRD agitation.

After returning from Turkey, the General visited some parts of Sindh where agitation was on high fever. During his visit to places such as Dadu and Badin, he was welcomed by some very ugly scenes. The General was forced to camp in Sukkur.

Many political workers who had escaped arrest were shocked to discover that instead of planning the future strategy of the campaign, the top leadership inside lockups was discussing the future structure of the would-be government and the official positions they aspired to get. Nor did those outside the jails believe that Gen Zia would bow down so easily either.

Compared to the other provinces, the MRD attracted great support in Sindh since for the first time, the rural populace had begun feeling the pinch of the anti-people policies of the government. This was a positive development.

When the MRD had resumed its movement in August 1983, Gen Zia was on a visit to Turkey. Intelligence agencies reported the MRD situation to him, but in a toned-down manner.

After returning from Turkey, the General visited some parts of Sindh where agitation was on high fever. During his visit to places such as Dadu and Badin, he was welcomed by some very ugly scenes. The General was forced to camp in Sukkur.

Later on, during a talk with his aides in Islamabad, Gen Zia said that this unrest was the work of bandits planted by local PPP leaders and waderas, and therefore, if need be, a couple of army divisions could be sent under the garb of clearing the jungles along the banks of the River Indus.

He was warned, however, that this situation could turn uglier and the government needed more intelligent tactics to defuse it.

shaikhaziz38@gmail.com

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine June 14th, 2015

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