Contemporary South Asia
Pakistan and Bangladesh
Explain why Pakistan failed to build a stable democracy.
Pakistan has swung between army rule and elected government many times:
| Ruler | Period and how |
|---|---|
| General Ayub Khan | took over soon after the first constitution; later faced popular protest |
| General Yahya Khan | military rule; in power during the 1971 crisis |
| Zulfikar Ali Bhutto | elected government, 1971–77 |
| General Zia-ul-Haq | removed Bhutto in 1977 |
| Benazir Bhutto | elected in 1988 |
| General Pervez Musharraf | removed Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in 1999 |
Elected leaders have governed since 2008, but the army remains powerful.
Why democracy has been weak in Pakistan:
- the strong position of the military, the clergy and the landowning aristocracy;
- conflict with India, which the army uses to justify its dominance;
- Western support: the US and others backed military rulers for their own strategic reasons, for example during the Cold War and the 'war on terror'.
Yet democracy has deep roots too: Pakistan has a free and courageous press and a strong human rights movement.
Bangladesh: until 1971 it was East Pakistan. Its people resented West Pakistan's domination and the attempt to impose Urdu instead of their Bengali. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman led their struggle. His Awami League won the 1970 election, but the result was ignored and he was arrested. The army's brutal repression drove millions into India as refugees. India supported the freedom movement, and after the 1971 war, Bangladesh became independent.
Democracy did not settle at once. Mujib was assassinated in 1975; General Ziaur Rahman and then General H.M. Ershad ruled. Mass protests forced Ershad out in 1990, and multi-party democracy has run since 1991.
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