Abstract
The Elections for National Assembly of Pakistan were held on 7th March 1977. Prime Minister ZA Bhutto’s ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) got a landslide victory. The opposition alliance, Pakistan National Alliance (PNA) did not accept the results of elections. Consequently, a mass movement - Nizam-e-Mustafa Movement (the movement for the system of Prophet) was triggered.Despite the appeasing efforts as well as accommodating actions of Bhutto and democratic wishes of a section of PNA leadership, the movement ended with the imposition of Martial Law in Pakistan on 5th July 1977. Following section is an attempt to analyse the proposals as well as actions of Bhutto which he undertook to appease the movement. With the help of content analysis of the primary sources like autobiographies of involving figures, judicial record, impartial archival records of British government it is maintained that Chief Election Commissioner, instead of appeasing the crisis, increased the controversies to malign Bhutto. A number of Bhutto’s offers and concessions did not bear fruits. It waspartly because of the underhand associations of Army Chief General Zia-ul-Haq with a fragment of PNA leadership and in part due to misguidance of his apparent expression of allegiance to Bhutto who was entrapped to his false information. The efforts and desires to resolve electoral crisis through electoral and political means failed in the face of violence and behind the scene trickeries.
Keyword(s)
Election dispute, Rigging, Movement, negotiations, Martial Law