Ayub Khan’s Basic Democracy and Political Continuity in Contemporary Pakistan

Abstract

The paper looks at the concept of political ‘hybridity’ within the broader framework of Pakistan’s domestic politics. Whilst analysing Pakistan’s domestic politics, most analysts tend to view the country’s political system as authoritarian and label it as a military dictatorship. Whilst this has been true for most of Pakistan’s history since it came into existence in 1947, it is also equally important to look at the role played by the more democratic elements of Pakistani society in politics, and the interactions that have taken place between the more democratic forces on the one hand, and the more authoritarian elements on the other. This paper moves away from traditional ways of viewing Pakistan’s domestic politics and focuses more on the grey areas, instead of viewing the country in black or white terms. In doing so, the paper has a strong focus on Ayub Khan’s concept of Basic Democracy.

Charisma, populism, and the formation of national identity: Sheikh Mujib and Bengali nationalism

“…Between the years 1960 and 1965 public‐sector investments doubled, and a few large enterprises arose in both manufacturing and service sectors that were owned and controlled by Bengalis; Riaz argues that the Six‐Point program, 2 which ignited the eventual independence movement, was an articulation of the grievances of this new Bengali moneyed class (2016, p. 20). It was in this new era that Mujib took up the baton of the new East Bengal petit‐bourgeois, who included the urban educated, and the rural newly better off small landholding farmers who'd been empowered both economically and politically in the preceding decade under Ayub Khan's economic policies and his policy of Basic Democracy (Choudhury, 2018; Khan, 1985, p. 844; Islam, 2007; Maniruzzaman, 2018; Mukherjee, 2016).…”

A relatedness-based model of transformational leadership: a case study of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and 1960s East Bengal

“…Between the years 1960 and 1965 public-sector investments doubled, and a few large enterprises arose in both manufacturing and service sectors that were owned and controlled by Bengalis; Riaz argues that the six-point program, which ignited the eventual independence movement, was an articulation of the grievances of this new moneyed class (Riaz, 2016, p. 20). It was in this new era that Mujib took up the baton of the new educated East Bengal petit-bourgeoisie, who included the urban educated, and the rural newly better off small landholding farmers who'd been empowered both economically and politically in the preceding decade under the military strongman Ayub Khan's economic policies (Choudhury, 2018; Khan, 1985, p. 844; Islam, 2007a, b; Maniruzzaman, 2018; Mukherjee, 2016).…”

Constitutionalism in Pakistan: The Yahiya Khan Interregnum

“…But the war of 1965 had a undesirable influence on the economic condition of Pakistan and the ensuing political tensions led to a mass protest to remove Ayub Khan from power in 1968. General Yahiya Khan, was commander in Chief of Pakistan and had key role to maintain law and order, supported the idea of resignation of Ayyub Khan (Mukherjee, 2016). General Ayyub Khan resigned in March 1969 and General Muhammad Yahiya Khan took over as president and in the history of Pakistan for the second time imposed martial law by abrogating the constitution of 1962.…”