LAHORE: Professor Ghafoor Ahmed was one of the members of the team of the Pakistan National Alliance (PNA) that negotiated with Zulfikar Ali Bhutto for holding new elections after the opposition had refused to accept the outcome of the March 1977 general elections held by the PPP government. He writes in his book Phir Marshal Law Aagya that when an agreement had almost been reached, the team received a message from Air Marshal (retd) Asghar Khan, who was a member of the PNA, to not to go into an agreement with Mr Bhutto and guaranteed that the army would hold elections within 90 days. The army toppled Mr Bhutto’s government the same night, imposed martial law in the country and assumed power. Earlier, the air marshal had also written a letter to General Ziaul Haq, asking him to take over power from Mr Bhutto.
After the imposition of martial law, Air Marshal (retd) Asghar Khan withdrew himself from the front line of the PNA and took a backseat. General Zia, despite his promise of holding elections within 90 days, did not do so and remained in power until August 1988.
The opposition accused Mr Bhutto of using government funds in the 1977 election campaign. What has never come out in the open was the source of the funding of the nine political parties that formed the PNA, which contested those elections and then also held a civil disobedience campaign for months. We are all very grateful to Air Marshal (retd) Asghar Khan for pursuing his petition in the Supreme Court for 16 years, which has brought to light the distribution of Rs140 million among politicians during the 1990 election campaign. However, in view of his prominent position in the PNA, let him also explain the source of funding of that alliance and his own ‘role’ in it. Let us hear all about it before it is too late.
Anwar Khalil Sheikh
Published in The Express Tribune, October 23rd, 2012.
