A Very Personal Account of Pakistan's Downfall Under Zia ul Haq--the Proto Taliban President

[Zarvan]

Oh, the dramas!! By 1988 Zia had ruled a 4th of Pakistan's history (starting from 1947)--and he had about 11 years of the time. A long time. The color tv in Pakistan was introduced around 1976--I remember that: Rumors were that watching color tv would give 'eye cancer'. Haha.

Anyway, there were plenty of great shows in the 1970s: Uncle Urfi, Shehzori, Khuda Ki Basti... in the very fledgling years of PTV.

Zia gets no credit for the glorious period of the PTV in the 1980s... Absolutely None!! IF he had his way... the air hostesses and the PTV newscasters would be WITHOUT makeup. Oh, hell, I remember now: No less than the Queen of Melody (Maleka e Tarranum) Noor Jehan once had to give a public interview that she had asked General Zia to allow Urdu Feature Films to be shown on Pakistan Television. Yes, Zia even called Pakistan's movie industry as 'Fahash' (Obscene)--one of his favorite words!

Anyway, I don't expect any pity vote or sympathies here. These are my personal accounts of Pakistan's history. Moderators should retain them. Who knows a complete picture may emerge in the future. It's better to know where we came from...apply the knowledge in future. And as far as I know---all the major TV anchors in Pakistan over 40 are acutely aware of the dangers of religious Fascism.

We were a moderate Islamic Country. We should stay like that.

There is no such thing as moderate. Islam is Islam and we would return to Islam.

 

[Aasimkhan]

This is a rambling and a very personal account of the events in Pakistan from the 1970s through the 1980s. No expertise in history or philosophy or politics is being claimed here. The hope is that Pakistanis (and the world at large) would know that theocracy is a disaster eventually--you don't want to end up like Saudi Arabia or Iran. Pakistan almost did.

I don't know if I will have a lot of time to narrate these. I am fine and healthy. I am only in my 50's, for crying out loud. But who knows?

There are some videos shared here, just to illustrate things.

#1: Nazia Hassan shot to fame via Bollywood movie 'Qurbani'

#2: Nazia and her brother singing a great song together in 1980:

#3: Nazia Singing a great song in early 1980s. Much more covered up than #2 song above:

And here's a bit of personal account:
Nazia and I are a few weeks apart in age! I saw Nazia and Zoheb in PTV's 'Hum Hee Hum' show ran by Sohail Rana in early 1970s. My dad called the tv station. The producer said, yes, bring your children over for the recording. We (3 brothers, a sister, a cousin) went there. Mr. Rana auditioned us--basically saying something loud. We were In! The show was recorded, we saw ourselves and Nazia/Zoheb on tv a few days later. Yay!!

That was the personal account. Needless to say I always had a crush on Nazia. Like many other people. The news of her death came to me too late while I was deeply lost in the American labyrinth decades later. It still hurts. She was not only a great singer but beautiful and above all a great ambassador for Pakistan.

Now coming to more serious topic.

While #1 video via Bollywood brought Nazia to global fame, there was nothing wrong/obscene in video #2: Pakistan was, despite ALL the accusations against Zulfi Bhutto for Islamization, a liberal country then. A Sufi country!! But General Zia thought to turn Pakistan into another Saudi Arabia--he even tried to make Arabic the official language to 'unite' people. People like me and tons of people in their 40s+ are rightfully suspicious of such bigots. We DON'T want to become another Iran or Saudi Arabia...

And that brings to the video #3: See how covered Nazia is? General Zia tried to even ban PTV newscasters ladies and PIA ladies from putting on makeup--the ladies refused!!

In this rambling post..I am trying to say that Pakistan has always been a moderate Sufi society. PLEASE don't buy into the modern Haramkhors like the TLP Khadim Rizvi or anyone else like him. The 'liberals' in Pakistan can be sometimes too breast-beating even for my taste--and I am a staunch liberal myself--but Pakistan's salvation lies through open discourse and liberalism. I am seeing the the rise of liberalism in Pakistan. Let's not be extremists in either ways.

I will add more to this... But I am glad this is off my chest already.

You are not allowed to play monkey with orders of Quran and Sunnah SAW whether you are a liberal or a mullah. Don't create a new cult on pak defence. U are not allowed to go against orders of Islam in Pakistan. That's it

 

[gangsta_rap]

Have some introspection man! And recognize the evil rulers of Pakistan, topped by General Zia ul Haq.

Very hard to do that when the data does not support that point. GDP growth spiked under Zia, poverty dipped and literacy rose up. These indicators went down during democratic periods.

 

[Aasimkhan]

No, I strongly disagree.
Benazir Bhutto came to power because of her father ZAB. Same as Haseena Wajid in Bangladesh. Or Indira Gandhi in India. All because of their paternal lineages. All these societies, including Pakistan, are essentially looking at these ladies through the lens of powerful men--and not at these ladies. The 'US Cannot accomplish in this century' is a bogus argument: The US is an educated society. It can only accept so many of Bushes or Clintons. I won't go that in this thread now.

Zia DID introduce radicalization in Pakistan. There are no two voices about that. Why do you think that Pakistanis of all stripes still love GENERAL Ayub Khan over all the military rulers of Pakistan? Why is Zia at the bottom of the heap? Zia had Nawaz Sharif try to use Zia's 'legacy' but the legacy was so wrong that EVEN Nawaz Sharif distanced himself from Zia--and Nawaz was Zia's protege!!

Have some introspection man! And recognize the evil rulers of Pakistan, topped by General Zia ul Haq. A guy who ruled Pakistan a 4th of Pakistan's history by 1988 but is till reviled, while General Ayub Khan abdicated his rule in 1969 but is still alive in the hearts of a majority of Pakistanis. WHY SO?!!!

Zia was no.more evil than zardari or bhutto or Nawaz shareef. He was a good practicing Muslim and a good soldier who died with his boots on. Cut the propaganda man

 

[nahtanbob]

Very hard to do that when the data does not support that point. GDP growth spiked under Zia, poverty dipped and literacy rose up. These indicators went down during democratic periods.

GDP growth during military dictatorships has to do with incoming American aid. it happened in the 1960s, 1980s and 2000s

 

[Numerous]

Liberalization leads to hellfire.

You want liberalization? Give your kids to the liberals in the west for 20 years, then see the "salvation" lol. Becharay might not even know whether they're a boy or girl anymore.

 

[Chhatrapati]

Why people think that liberalization is inversely proportional to women's clothing?

Being a liberal is about accepting dissent views, and being tolerant towards them.

 

[cocomo]

Why people think that liberalization is inversely proportional to women's clothing?

Being a liberal is about accepting dissent views, and being tolerant towards them.

Before you think about such abstract issues, first learn to take a sh!t properly by providing Indians with facilities. Does liberalism include enslaving the white race and may getting that white booty free of charge for the inferiority ridden Hindus?

 

[Super Falcon]

Zia was a curse on us after his politics we never took off he served his masters jews and us

 

[Awan68]

Yeah Zia destroyed Pakistan so much that our enemies had to blow him out of the sky to save Pakistan....Talk sense man..... Under Zia we held and defeated Soviet Union in Afghanistan who had arrived with the intent of carving out an independent commie Baluchistan. He was the most adept leader after Jinnah....Regarding Islamization, well Pakistan was founded on the basis of Islam, there is no moderate Islam , just the commands of Quran which u cant change. If u think that dance tapa is progress then may Allah have mercy on ur soul.

 

[Musafir117]

Liberalism have no future neither in Pakistan nor any where in the world. This is concept which is now getting rejected every where. And if your standard is crap on tv than under Zia time best dramas were produced in Pakistan.

Zia was a curse and Pakistanis still suffering what he did to nation.
He close Hira mandi to let all kanjar khana to move in every mohallah of city, he put restrictions on PTV ( ba Prada) and put vcr vcs in market so each house can watch any tyoe of “ shows “ on tv. He bring Heroine to Pakistan via Afghanistan and all type weapons in market, not least bring Islamic extremism in country and promote Jehadis which haunts years and years and still bitting us in various forms. He was a Munafiq sinner and blown in air none of his body part found but a jaw.
Mujra and almost naked type performing anywhere now the stage shows are not watchable specially with family.
There is no war of liberalism or Islamic ideologies in Pakistan the problem is we are lost somewhere between that.

 

[Numerous]

When I see liberals wanting 'moderate Islam', they just want Islam not to be followed. Western governments use the same language all the time.

 

[Lincoln]

Very hard to do that when the data does not support that point. GDP growth spiked under Zia, poverty dipped and literacy rose up. These indicators went down during democratic periods.

What good is it? Look at where that period has gotten us to today.

Yeah Zia destroyed Pakistan so much that our enemies had to blow him out of the sky to save Pakistan....Talk sense man..... Under Zia we held and defeated Soviet Union in Afghanistan who had arrived with the intent of carving out an independent commie Baluchistan. He was the most adept leader after Jinnah....Regarding Islamization, well Pakistan was founded on the basis of Islam, there is no moderate Islam , just the commands of Quran which u cant change. If u think that dance tapa is progress then may Allah have mercy on ur soul.

The most adept leader was Ayub Khan probably.

We defeated Soviet Union, so what? Who was to control the Kalashnikov culture, the Afghans, the radicalization through religion, the harsh removal of our own culture and identity. Have you seen a video of the Queen's visit to Pakistan in 1961, it screams prosperity, culture. Under Zia we may have had military successes, some jets, a little American aid, but in return we got...

Mindsets radicalized.
Militancy and terrorism.
Loss of culture and identity.
Drug and guns issues.
No serious infrastructure or civilian development, most put on Military.

Pakistan was at its peak during Ayub's time. And no, not because it was "liberal," moderate at best. It was most liberal under Bhutto.

The army is trying its best to now throw that idea out of the window and into the bin.

 

[Meengla]

Today Imran Khan often cites the 'dictator' Ayub Khan's era as the golden era of Pakistan. And rightly so. Today Imran Khan's cabinet members, and even Imran Khan himself, often cite ZAB's genius in many affairs of Pakistan, topped by his starting the nuclear program. Heck, even PMLN leaders now reluctantly admire ZAB.

And that all makes me happy. Pakistanis are looking back and analyzing what went right or wrong in Pakistan. It's a national introspection. It's always good to do so for any nation.

I have no personal enmity toward Zia. Under him, my family business prospered in Karachi. Noone I personally know was harmed. I would never call him a 'traitor' etc. But I do and will continue to call Zia a curse on Pakistan because of his internal policies. Under him the body politic of Pakistan was destroyed, monsters like MQM and the drug/Kalashnakov culture was introduced. Instead of restricting Afghan refuges to camps, he allowed them to spread through Pakistan, with disastrous consequences for Pakistan's social fabric and security.

Islam was NEVER ever under threat in Pakistan. But Zia, in order to propagate his rule, used religion as a tool. This is not a liberal's assessment--it's a consensus in Pakistan that Zia was very bad for Pakistan. That he had an absolute rule for a quarter of Pakistan's history by 1988, that he left behind powerful proteges like Nawaz Sharif, and that he is consistently categorized as among the worst of Pakistan's leaders should tell you something!

If he had his way, Pakistan would be another image of Iran under Khomenei. But, as I indicated above, there is a reversal in Pakistan toward the Pakistan which existed before 1980. This Pakistan is still a conservative Muslim country. It doesn't have bikini clad women on beaches or rowdy redlight districts and open bars. But it's also a more open Pakistan which allows dissent, which allows the youth some freedoms, which tolerates the minorities betters. That's the kind of Pakistan which Jinnah envisioned in his Aug. 11, 1947 speech.

 

[xyxmt]

I have seen Zia's Era and I did not see any Islamization except him reciting Bismillah & durood before speaking and every hypocrite on TV shows does that now-a-days. True there was some un-islamic activities that he banned like prostitution and alcohol and I am sure our problem are not because of this. Yes he continued Jihad in Afghanistan with more intensity which was actually started in Bhutto's time. Now many think tanks say he was wrong in creating Taliban and Afghan jihad but like anything in the history, you can judge it afterwards with the results you currently have without knowing the results of "otherwise option" which could never be known and doesn't seem as dangerous now as Soviet Union no more and Putin seems much nicer.

I have few Questions here, If Zia was responsible for Islamization of Pakistan then who was responsible for

- Hinduization of India
- Islamization in Turkey, Iran and many other Muslim countries
- Who is responsible for seeing Muslim women in Hijab born and raised in Canada, UK, US and etc.
- who is responsible for leftist, anti immigration movement rising in Europe
- most of all who is responsible for electing Trump.

I will let everyone ponder on that

added: In my opinion Internet is responsible for Islamization, Hinduization, new form of Killer Budizm and many other ills of today's world.