Adil Najam
Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and Field Marshal Ayub Khan. According to the 126 visitors who voted in the third ATP blog poll (earlier: here and here), these two did more ‘good’ for Pakistan than any of the leaders who followed them. (Of course, we should add that the Poll did not ask for an evaluation of whether the ‘bad’ they did was greater than the ‘good’; nor was the current government of Gen. Pervez Musharraf included).
Choices: (a) Ayub Khan; (b) Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto; (c) Zia-ul-Haq; (d) Benazir Bhutto; and (e) Nawaz Sharif
(Click image for larger picture)
The result is a split decision, but a very clear split decision.
Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto got the most votes (52 votes; 41%), but is practically neck-to-neck with his erstwhile mentor-turned-nemesis Ayub Khan (48 votes; 38%). In the context of this Poll and how voting went, the honest thing is to declare them co-winners. The other three - Zia ul Haq, Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif - combined get only around half as many votes from ATP readers as either of these two! A review of the comments posted with the poll seem to verify these sentiments.
Of course, this is simply a ‘pulse of the blog’ poll and is NOT a scientific or representative survey. And, while one must (again) caution against over-analyzing these results, there are a number of striking elements in the results that are worthy of note, or at least of further discussion:
- First, it is striking that the two people our readers voted most overwhelmingly for were both thrown out of office through massive street protests; albeit amongst very different circumstances (the later aided by a military coup and an eventual execution)!
- Second, although my guess is that the average ATP reader is fairly older than readers of most Pakistani blogs, it is fair to say that most of our readers (and I assume voters) are too young to remember either Ayub Khan’s or ZAB’s eras. More likely that they know of them either from hearing about those times from others or (in Ayub’s case) staring at the back of painted trucks. One wonders, then, if the passage of time has had a ‘healing effect’ on the memories we have constructed of them.
- Notwithstanding the above points, it is quite clear from the margins in the poll as well as the comments that Z.A. Bhutto and Ayub Khan are considered to be WAY above all others. This, however is not a surprise finding and only verifies the view expressed by in one comment that Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif are not considered to be of the same ‘league.’ This would be so, at least partly, because they never had the type of ‘real power’ that Ayub and ZAB did and also did not stay in power long enough in continuous stretch.
- The biggest surprise to me was Zia ul Haq getting as few votes as he did (11 votes, 9%). He did have absolute power. He was at the helm for a very long time. And he orchestrated very significant changes that continue to be difficult to undo. I would have expected that he does have a residual constituency of support that is not captured by any of the others. I assume that constituency just does not visit ATP!
- Fifth, although Benazir Bhutto got the least votes (5 votes; 4%) I do not feel too sorry for her. My assumption is that BB’s father over-shadowed her (as he always, rightly, has). Had he not been in the list I assume a lot of those votes would have gone to Benazir. However, I am no longer convinced that all of them would have gone to her. Midway through the poll I kept thinking what might have happened if the poll only have Zia, Benazir and Nawaz as choices? I think the proportions of the votes would be very difficult, but I have no idea how. Politically, the fact remains that her constituency - although still sizable - remains largely hereditary.
- Finally, my other big surprise was Nawaz Sharif, who got more support than I had expected (10 votes, 8%). I had though his constituency would view Zia as the ‘father figure,’ but it seems not. Although his Bomb test was cited in the comments, my sense is that most people understand than the Bomb was ‘Bhutto’s choice and Sharif’s necessity.’ Maybe for those who get to use these things, highways, airports, overpasses, and infrastructure do matter in the end.
So there. These are some of my quick thoughts on the results as they panned out. What would you add?
I wonder, how the future might view Gen. Musharraf’s legacy in comparison to these?
My guess is that he probably wants to be seen in Ayub’s mould. However, I have a feeling that history will ultimately judge him on whether and how much he is able to undo the imprints that Zia left on the country. As Chou En Lai once said about the French Revolution, ‘Its too early to say!’
Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto indeed was a great leader It is amazing that ZAB got the highest number of votes in your polls in spite of the fact that there was campaign against him by some of the governments that followed him and an organized efforts were made to defame him, on the other hand, we use to read about Ayub in our text books while Ayub was in power. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto’s achievements are not limited to the era when he was in power but in fact he played a vital role during Ayub Khan’s rule also. Many of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto’s policies and achievements originated during Ayub rule and PPP first rule continues to provide strength to Pakistan and to the people of Pakistan. If you listen to his speeches, still looks relavent. May Allah grant the best in Jannah to Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, other leaders of Pakistan, people of Pakistan and Muslim ummah, and may Allah forgive all of our mistakes. (ameen).
Ur polls after 30 years of Bhutto’s Shahadat tells everyone in the Power corridors that
ZINDA hai BHUTTO ZINDA Hai
I am really pleased to know that we have a very strong think tank filled with people like the all above. but i am still very uncertain about my nation future, whats going on and what more we require and how we will come to our original path which we set in time of partition. Why we can not see our INSIDE IMAGE. Please tell me if anybody can understand my feeling.
If Benazir come in govt it will be a big task for her to manage the Dark Territory I think it would be more worst than her previous experience as he got govt after 11 dark years of zia.
I do agree with the persons who think that Benazir is different from his father but I also consider Benazir more mature and experienced than ever.
May ALLAH save our country and give us the courage to live with pride and integrity.
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Ask the reverse of this question, who did the most harm?, and there ain’t even any competition. Kaana Jarnail decimates the competition, as he destroyed an entire decade for Pakistan, injecting the vast majority of the ills that plague us to this day.
Its a shame and its a tragedy for this country that
sometimes politics is so often effortlessly explained.
Education is a power and we the handful of educated
people living within the large majority of deprived class.
They are the ones who always suffer and they are the ones
always change history of this country.
I am surpirised in a way by looking at the results of the
poll.thank god Ms.Fatima jinnah was not included in this
poll otherwise it would have been a disturbing
experience.
Adil Najam explains the results.
First, it is striking that the two people our readers
voted most overwhelmingly for were both thrown out of
office through massive street protests; albeit amongst
very different circumstances (the later aided by a
military coup and an eventual execution)!
Abeit :
There was a mass protest against the Air Marshall and
result was division of our beloved homeland.
Bengalis,pashtuns,Balochs,sindhis,kashmiris, no more
wanted to live with us(Punjabis) if the army does not go
back to the barracks
What happened to the mass protests ?
Awami league became the only ruling party of
Bangladesh.
Peoples party became the ruling party of west
pakistan.
what happened to the mass protests against Mr.Bhutto’s
government ?
PNA(pakistan Nataional Alliance,Where is the PNA or
even where was the PNA movement after Bhutto’s
demise. The popular movement against Mr.Bhutto,for
whom the people chanted slogans.Those patriots who
people believed in like saviours.Those who stood
against a dictator,where were they after the fall of
the power hungry Prime Minister.
Did they disappear into the corridors of power.Where
were the people who followed them.Why are these
heroes or your heroes abscent in this poll.
Put them in the poll too.