Election History of Pakistan

-A A +A

 


After coming into being in 1947, Pakistan started developing basic institutions and environment for running the country in a democratic manner. There were no elections for first 15 years because the fledgling Islamic republic could not settle on a constitution. Since then Pakistan has been a tug of war between democratic and dictatorial rules.

 

  • First elections came in 1962, under military dictator General Ayub Khan.
  • The second elections were in 1965. In 1965 elections parliaments were elected indirectly by 80,000 BD members or members of local governments.
  • Ayub’s successor, General Yahya Khan, held polls in 1970, described as the fairest the country had held so far. But in a bitter irony they triggered the country’s most devastating political crisis. Separatist Bengali leader Sheikh Mujibur Rehman’s Awami League party swept the vote in then East Pakistan and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) won a majority in West Pakistan. In the wake of the crisis, a war erupted between Pakistan and India, with the eastern wing splitting off to become an independent Bangladesh and Bhutto becoming prime minister of the smaller, unified Pakistan in 1971.
  • Bhutto held elections in 1977, but the results were marred by allegations of rigging, and a nine-party alliance, “ Pakistan Qaumi Ittehad”, launched a movement against his government. General Ziaul Haq toppled Bhutto in a coup in July 1977 and promised to hold fresh polls within 90 days. They never happened. Zia hanged Bhutto two years later and got himself elected as president in a referendum.
  • General Ziaul Haq held party-less ballots in 1985, and continued to rule for more than 11 years until he was killed in a mysterious plane crash in August 1988.
  • Elections in November 1988 brought the PPP back to power, and Zulfikar Bhutto’s daughter, Benazir Bhutto, became the Muslim world’s first woman prime minister. Just 20 months later, Benazir was sacked by President Ghulam Ishaq Khan over allegations of corruption.
  • Next elections were held in October 1990, when Benazir’s rival Nawaz Sharif won a majority. A power struggle erupted between Nawaz and Ishaq Khan and both resigned under an army-brokered deal in 1993.
  • In 1993 again elections were held in Pakistan and Benazir won the polls. Benazir’s government was again dismissed on corruption charges in 1996.
  • In the 1997 elections, Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz swept to power. The army toppled Nawaz after he tried to sack Musharraf in a dramatic standoff in October 1999, when he refused to allow the army chief’s plane to land in Pakistan after a foreign visit. Musharraf became Chief Executive and sent Nawaz into exile in Saudi Arabia the following year.
  • In 2002, Musharraf held elections and a referendum on him becoming president, and handed power to a breakaway faction of Sharif’s party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid.
  • The next elections were announced to be held in January 2008, Benazir and Nawaz returned from exile to contest elections. Benazir was assassinated on December 27, 2007, and the elections were delayed until February 18, 2008.