Then came the historic day of December 2, 1988, when after 11 years of dictatorship, a democratic government was established in Pakistan. Ishaq Khan was president, and Benazir received the position of prime minister under the condition that she would keep him in office. Benazir agreed and announced that she would do the same, even though she refused to accept any deal or compromise, claiming that the PPP did not have enough votes to elect his president. The Pakistan Peoples Party lacked the electoral support necessary to elect their president, and their internal strife was curtailed by this approach.
however the deteriorating state of the world has caused significant issues. The United States, which gave Zia’s dictatorship $5 billion in aid during the Afghan War, disregarded Pakistan’s nuclear programme throughout the Democratic era, and offered contemporary weapons like the F.16 Through the Pressler Amendment, he imposed sanctions on Pakistan. Because to the passing of President Reagan, America was no longer in need of Pakistan in Afghanistan. When the Afghan War began,
President Reagan utilised his discretionary powers to override these sanctions whenever the US Congress voted to forbid Pakistan’s nuclear programme by giving personal guarantees. But George Bush, the new president, rejected the personal promise and imposed sanctions. The United States even kept the F16s that Pakistan paid for when the country was under sanctions. Due to the suspension of F-16 operations and the termination of US help, Pakistan’s economy and defence were threatened. As a result, Pakistan’s democratic government came under intense pressure. In addition to the context of American sanctions, India began testing its weapons during the Benazir era. Pakistan also demonstrated the potency of its own missile programme in response. Pakistan successfully tested the UNZA missile.
These missile launches upset both India and America. They vowed to produce nuclear warhead carrier missiles in Pakistan as well. Yet it was also true that Pakistan, as an independent nation, valued defence over aid. Pakistan carried out two additional ballistic missile tests shortly after. Due to this, US President George W. Bush decided against providing a personal promise to Congress and instead imposed penalties on Pakistan. Pakistan went through a difficult time. It may have appeared like Benazir Bhutto could not handle the circumstances because she was new to the game and also quite young, but this never actually happened.
She created the “excellent relations with strategic triangle” strategy, kept Ghulam Ishaq Khan in office, gave the “medal of democracy” to General Aslam Baig, head of the army, and did not oppose General Hamid Gul’s appointment as head of the ISI. However, Hamid Gul was not yet satisfied. He had two big dreams, and he desired something else. First, he demanded that establishment officials be in charge of foreign policy, particularly with regard to Afghanistan and India.
Additionally, he wished to support the Khalistan movement in Indian Punjab in order to avenge the division of East Pakistan. Benazir disagreed with this idea. 2nd… Hamid Gul requested assistance from the Mujaheddin to take control of Jalal abad, a town close to Kabul, in order to form a pro-Pakistani government in Afghanistan. Second dream was approved by Benazir. General Hamid Gul, the head of the ISI, began operations in Jalalabad with the approval of Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. Additionally, the US and Saudi Arabia supported this operation. 10,000 Mujahideen carrying Stinger missiles attacked Jalal abad in March 1989. According to reports, Osama bin Laden was also one of these assailants. Before then,
The numerous cities of Afghanistan had a civil war. Different Mujaheddin factions were engaged in conflict with Najibullah’s Afghan government in numerous provinces. Attack on Jalalabad also aimed to topple the Najibullah administration. Initial Afghan helicopters and parts of Jalalabad were taken by Arab and Afghan militants. However, Antonov aircrafts from Kabul arrived in the interim, and Stinger missiles were unable to intercept them. The Mujaheddin were severely defeated because they were unable to combat these planes. The expedition failed after more than 3,000 Afghan Mujahedin were murdered. Benazir became irate,
She replaced him as core commander of Multan with Hamid Gul after removing him as DG ISI. We should be aware that during those times, the Jamaat-e-Islami, PPP, and Muslim League all advocated military participation in Afghanistan. There were only two voices against this notion. Achakzai and Wali Khan They both frequently cautioned that Pakistani conflict will also break out as a result of the action in Afghanistan. Another accusation emerged in the first year of the Benazir administration, and it continues to impact Pakistani politics today.
And this was the claim that India had been given a list of Sikh separatists. Has Benazir actually given India the list of Sikh leaders? Do these lists actually exist in Pakistan? If not, why did Aitzaz Ahsan, the interior minister under the Benazir government, travel to India? Please “like” and “share” this video so that we may continue this series and better educate you about Pakistani history.
Siachen, Sialistan Sikh lists, Bhutto, and Gandhi
You are currently viewing Pakistan’s story’s seventeenth episode. Did Benazir Bhutto provide India a list of Sikhs? Was there a covert pact between Rajiv Gandhi and Benazir Bhutto? We will discuss all of this in Dekho, Suno, and Jano’s story about Pakistan. The Khalistan movement was raging in Indian Punjab in 1988. This movement sought to establish a separate Sikh state in Indian Punjab. However, the struggle for liberation in occupied Kashmir was at its height. In the meanwhile, a SAARC summit was held in Islamabad in December 1988. Outside of the SAARC meeting,
Rajiv Gandhi, the Indian Prime Minister, and Benazir Bhutto met. Benazir Bhutto and Rajiv Gandhi were the only people there at the private, behind-closed-doors meeting. This was Benazir Bhutto’s biggest diplomatic blunder. Because the prime minister addresses all global concerns in the presence of state employees, no meeting with the prime minister is ever private. This meeting had no witnesses in order to be referred to as a certified meeting, made known to the public, and entered into the record while disobeying all state regulations. As a result, it was only natural for rumours and speculation to arise. As a result, no decisions were made during this meeting.
However, newspapers were outlining the course of events. In the meeting, it was decided to strengthen relations between Pakistan and India, according to Pakistani newspapers. Pakistan allegedly pledged to stop supporting the Sikh separatist movement if there was any backing from Pakistan, according to Indian newspapers. Rajiv Gandhi responded by promising to withdraw the Indian army from Siachen. In Pakistani publications, this inside account of the meeting—via Benazir Bhutto and Rajiv’s friends—repeated frequently. Although Rajiv Gandhi or Benazir Bhutto herself never acknowledged these rumours, the following things happened: Later, when Rajiv Gandhi returned to India,
Aitzaz Ahsan, the interior minister, afterwards travelled to India. After his return, India began to arrest and murder Sikhs. At this point, it appeared as though Aitzaz Ahsan had provided India a list of Sikh separatists. In the meantime, a confession made by Indian Interior Minister Bota and reported in Pakistani media enhanced the perception that assistance for Sikh separatists had ended. He charged Pakistan with indoctrinating Kashmiris, but he also noted that Pakistan had kept its word to distance itself from the Khalistan movement. Indian Sikhs who emigrated watch what they say Without a doubt, Benazir Bhutto contributed to the Khalistan movement’s decline during this time.
After attending the SAARC summit numerous times, news of Pakistan’s request to the Indian Prime Minister to withdraw Indian soldiers from Siachen came in publications. Rajiv Gandhi and Indian diplomats, however, rejected any such guarantees. In July 1989, a few months after the conference, Rajiv Gandhi visited Pakistan. According to Times of India, Benazir Bhutto lamented that the Siachin commitment had not been kept. The Indian military establishment, according to the Indian Prime Minister, was not prepared to leave Siachen. However,
He will be able to keep his pledge once the elections are over. But Rajiv Gandhi was unable to become prime minister of India following the 1989 elections, therefore this promise remained just that: a promise. Even now, this account of the Khalistan movement is repeated, and this accusation follows the PPP like a stinger missile. Aitzaz Ahsan, the time’s interior minister, provides some clarification regarding this accusation. I’ve been repeating that if I had delivered the Sikh lists, I would have been executed. How can a civilian obtain access to any ISI list? first place He also gave it to India, giving them numerous army chiefs.
so many DGs of ISI arrived And I keep urging you to take my case. General Hamid Gul, who was fired from his position as director general of the ISI by Benazir Bhutto and is regarded as the PPP’s ideological rival, also disputed the existence of such lists. view his other comments Following the Delhi Sikh massacre and Indra Gandhi’s slaying Approximately 6,000 Sikhs migrated to Pakistan. Since there was no hard border at the time, the border was rather open when we found them in the cells. The Ministry of Interior was then handed a list of about 1100 Sikhs, which was just a list of those Sikhs.
These people weren’t our agents. However, they later began murdering them. And you are aware that Pakistan consistently engages in odd behaviour. And you would be familiar with Benazir’s well-known remark. I could never put an end to the Khalistan movement if I did not assist India. eminent journalists from Pakistan Arif Nizami relates a conversation in which he confronted the ISI director in front of Army Chief General Wahid Kakar. When General Wahid was the army’s top commander, he invited a few editors and owners to a high-level briefing similar to lunch. He also had the ISI’s head with him. Whose name do I presently lack I therefore questioned the isi chief about the legitimacy of this accusation. Because Aitzaz Ahsan is frequently held responsible
According to him, no such lists were ever sent in. Therefore, it is likewise a misinformation. A fascinating account of the election battles between the PPP and IJI was presented to you in Pakistan History Episodes 14 and 15. In which you observed that both sides turned it into a conflict between Islam and “KUFR”. Today, we’ll demonstrate how this conflict persisted even after the election. Right-wing activists pressured Benazir Bhutto when he was prime minister to implement Islamic law. Punjab’s Chief Minister was Nawaz Sharif.
He declared that Punjab would have Islamic laws in order to make Benazir Bhutto politically uncomfortable. May 1989 saw the implementation of measures for QAYAM E SALA, free education for Huffaz, and mandatory Nazarah Quran. Nawaz Sharif claimed that he was taking these actions for social advancement so that the State wouldn’t be led astray by secularism. Pakistan’s SPARKO launched Badar1, the first satellite of any Islamic nation, into orbit in 1990. Badar1 has the capacity to orbit the planet once every 98 minutes. The newspaper’s headline at the time read, “Multan witnesses birth of test tube baby.”
And in Pakistan’s medical history, it was regarded as a major accomplishment. During this time, the nuclear and missile programmes advanced as well. It is also true that, despite their vehement condemnations of one another, Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif agreed on the nuclear and missile programmes. Pakistani military and leadership maintained its nuclear and missile programmes. All of this was occurring at the time the Ulema began publishing FATWAS opposing the reign of the woman. To the contrary,
Asif Zardari, Benazir’s husband, was the subject of numerous allegations of corruption. He was referred to as Mr. 10% and charged with taking bribes from government projects. PPP government was still in place despite all of this political unrest, and then a catastrophe occurred. This catastrophe turned out to be the ppp government’s final error. What was the most recent error?
What Sindh-related news caused people to quit buying newspapers? And what was the historical event known as the “midnight jackal”? Next episode will cover all of this. If you missed earlier episodes of Pakistan Story, you can view them all by clicking the playlist. Join the channel to receive all updates. Additionally, activate the bell symbol to receive timely notifications.Contact Us