Preparing for Elections in 1977

Abstract

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s fall from power came swiftly and unexpectedly. On 7 January 1977 he announced the dates for the national and provincial elections. The national poll was to be held on 7 March 1977 and the provincial elections three days later. In both elections, the Pakistan People’s Party won impressive victories in three of the four provinces of the country. The opposition had campaigned vigorously for the national election, and if the attendance at public meetings was any indication of support, it could expect to win many more seats to the National and Provincial Assemblies than it had done in 1970. The opposition, therefore, found it difficult to accept the results when they were announced by the Election Commission; charging that Bhutto and his associates had massively rigged the elections, they opened a campaign against the government that quickly gained momentum. Only a month after the Prime Minister, with great confidence, made his victory speech the army was battling with protesting mobs in all the major cities. Unable to control the mounting violence, Bhutto was forced to impose military rule in the principal urban areas, thus inviting the armed forces into the political arena. On 5 July 1977, the Prime Minister was toppled from power by a coup d’état led by General Zia ul Haq, the army chief of staff.