33 years since Zia came to power

[T-Faz]

Zia the Fundamentalist:

Early 1980: Pakistan Turns to Islamic Fundamentalism after Invasion of Afghanistan

General Muhammad Zia ul-Haq seized power in Pakistan in a 1977 coup and declared himself president. The US stopped all economic and military aid to Pakistan as a result of the coup and Zia ruled cautiously in an attempt to win international approval. But immediately after the Russian invasion of Afghanistan (see December 8, 1979), the US allies with Zia and resumes aid. This allows Zia to use Islam to consolidate his power without worrying about the international reaction. He passes pro-Islamic legislation, introduces Islamic banking systems, and creates Islamic courts. Most importantly, he creates a new religious tax which is used to create tens of thousands of madrassas, or religious boarding schools. These schools will indoctrinate a large portion of future Islamic militants for decades to come. [GANNON, 2005, PP. 138-142] Zia also promotes military officers on the basis of religious devotion. The Koran and other religious material becomes compulsory reading material in army training courses. “Radical Islamist ideology began to permeate the military and the influence of the most extreme groups crept into the army,” journalist Kathy Gannon will write in her book I is for Infidel. [GANNON, 2005, PP. 138-142] The BBC will later comment that Zia’s self-declared “Islamization” policies created a “culture of jihad” within Pakistan that continues until present day. [BBC, 8/5/2002]

Zia the Drug Dealer:

Even President Zia is implied in the drug trade. In 1985, a Norwegian government investigation will lead to the arrest of a Pakistani drug dealer who also is President Zia’s personal finance manager. When arrested, his briefcase contains Zia’s personal banking records. The manager will be sentenced to a long prison term. [MCCOY, 2003, PP. 481-482]

According to Alfred W. McCoy, author of The Politics of Heroin, in 1983 Pakistani President Muhammad Zia ul-Haq allows Pakistani drug traffickers to deposit their drug profits in the BCCI bank without getting punished.

This man was truly a curse upon our nation, all the good men in civil and military institutes were demoted, pushed out or resigned.

 

[Desert Fox]

Although i don't agree with many things that Zia did during his time because due to some of his decisions we are still suffering from the effects!

However he did have enough guts to threaten israel to stay away from our nuclear facilities and keep both indian and USSR at bay!

What national security, during Zia's days there was a bomb blast a day and thousands were killed. Read all this and then comment.

I don't see why your blaming Zia for the bomb blasts, Afghanistan was under the occupation of hostile forces who sent in militants into Pakistan to do sabotage! RAW was funding BLA insurgency back then! The same is taking place today but i can assure you that Pakistan is suffering from more bomb blasts than we were during Zia's time, and this time we are facing a ruthless enemy that will go to extreme lengths to achieve its goals!

 

[Old School]

Zia the Fundamentalist:
This man was truly a curse upon our nation, all the good men in civil and military institutes were demoted, pushed out or resigned.

And many were forced into exile if not murdered.

 

[T-Faz]

However he did have enough guts to threaten israel to stay away from our nuclear facilities and keep both indian and USSR at bay!

That was all General Akhtar Abdur Rahman, Zia was only the political front. He was never in charge of military affairs since 1981 and all was overlooked by other more experienced generals.

I don't see why your blaming Zia for the bomb blasts, Afghanistan was under the occupation of hostile forces who sent in militants into Pakistan to do sabotage! RAW was funding BLA insurgency back then! The same is taking place today but i can assure you that Pakistan is suffering from more bomb blasts than we were during Zia's time, and this time we are facing a ruthless enemy that will go to extreme lengths to achieve its goals!

General Rahimuddin Khan had quashed the Balochistan Insurgency in the 80's, he was solely in charge of all this and did a very admirable job. Zia made a blunder when he let Pakistan become an wasy target for attacks by multiple countries through which we suffered very badly.

I was replying to the post of Zaghaga who said security was good under Zia when it clearly was not.

 

[black_magic pk]

gr8 Zia Bashing thread. I am not sure why people bash him for Klashinkof culture? As This culture was in Tribal areas from whole century. Where people have armors at their home. And FATA region was like as from the day of independence where we saw many so-called dramatic leaders or military rulers. Yet, Zia is blamed for this. & it was not Zia alone, 4 major muslim nations jointly announced "Jihad" against soviats. And no body can deny about the threat which Pakistan had that time from Soviat.

I understand why Indians hate him (because He started helping Kashmiri people), but don't know why Pakistani hates him more then anyone.. As i feel, he was better then all democratic/milita governments came after wards. Loans, Corruption, weak governance has brought us to the level this. Where we are now against those who were previously working for us.

Ps: This doesn't means he was good leader or something, But comparing the one who came afterward, he was better.



Now what this means? To any muslim Religion > State, and also no muslim can worship to any one unlike you hindus where u can worship anyone, even a DOG

the thing because of which the todays pakistani media esp the dawn news(which announced kasab is pakistani) shows zia in bad light is because they are being asked to make this guy scapegoat for all our wrong doings and killings of pakistanis in the tribal region. zia made us win the soviet war, god knows what had happened if powers like soviets stayed in afghansitan and breed there. the simple answer is the govt of zerdari a heir of musharraf throne wants to hide his guilt of uneducatedly and guiltfully misleading a country into a war which is not a pakistan war and our blood should not be wasted like this by blaming all the things into the past and to some body.

ofcourse zia had nothing to do when we had 1971 debacle when we lost half of the country other wise it would had been one and only zia to be blamed.

ask the author who was responsible for 1971 divide, for he loves mr bhutto dearly!!

the real question is how long will these killings in the north continue, the answer is simple, when americans leave!!!

 

[sparklingway]

the thing because of which the todays pakistani media esp the dawn news(which announced kasab is pakistani)

Hide the truth then? Gonna give me "greater national interest" BS?

shows zia in bad light is because they are being asked to make this guy scapegoat for all our wrong doings and killings of pakistanis in the tribal region.

You don't make a scapegoat out of a criminal. You just identify him.

zia made us win the soviet war, god knows what had happened if powers like soviets stayed in afghansitan and breed there. the simple answer is the govt of zerdari a heir of musharraf throne wants to hide his guilt of uneducatedly and guiltfully misleading a country into a war which is not a pakistan war and our blood should not be wasted like this by blaming all the things into the past and to some body.

Yeah, Zerdari brought us into this war. We weren't fighting this war since 2001. I guess those operations in Wana, Tirah, and the whole surrounding areas didn't matter.

ofcourse zia had nothing to do when we had 1971 debacle when we lost half of the country other wise it would had been one and only zia to be blamed.

ask the author who was responsible for 1971 divide, for he loves mr bhutto dearly!!

You gonna give me the whole Bhutto split the country into two BS?

ZAB was a man of many flaws. Also anyone' appreciation for ZAB should not matter in this case.

the real question is how long will these killings in the north continue, the answer is simple, when americans leave!!!

I'm guessing very soon the answer to my problems would be that you'll be leaving this forum very soon if anyone else see another hint of terrorist sympathy from your side.

 

[Meengla]

I don't know how someone can imply (as @VSDOC does) with a straight face that Zia had any popular support. His rule was tyranny. Absolute tyranny. I mean he was not the only Martial Law Administrator of Pakistan--there have been three others--but Zia's name is spoken with utmost disrespect by even his own beneficiaries like Nawaz Sharif.
But look at General Ayub Khan's legacy. True he too has his share of sins against the people of Pakistan but Ayub's name is still revered despite the fact that he 'faded away' about 2 decades before Zia. Why is that?
One more point to ponder: General Ayub, General Yahya, and General Musharraf all were forced to leave the scene, often in disgrace. Zia died up in the air and his political heirs made sure Zia got the most televised and orchestrated funeral in the heart of Islamabad and yet--less than 3 months after his death, the people of Pakistan rejected Zia's followers.

Zia managed to rule only because he had the power of jackboots on Pakistanis' necks. Zia got lucky because of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan--that gave Zia great international backing. But...had it not been the Western weaponry and support and Muslim countries' foot soldiers you can bet that the Soviets would still be in Afghanistan. Giving credit to Zia for something like that is rediculous!

 

[zagahaga]

This is a lame excuse my friend.....B/W let me ask are you secure now??? Even a kindergarden kid can tell you that you need to be economically strong and that is your real strength....Just imagine the plight of your country today and think had you been economically strong without radicalization where this mineral rich land often called passage to central Asia would have been???

we as pakistani can balance econo my a security but we need honest people for this job and zia dident fit the description BUT he created the awareness for security ... which mean pakistan is still on the map

 

[Comet]

Every Dictator is a Disaster...

I hope to see the day when people will be happy with their leaders, not in a sense of ethnicity or language or religion, but in entirety.

 

[zagahaga]

evey democrap elected leader steals your money soo be happy

 

[Meengla]

evey democrap elected leader steals your money soo be happy

Politicians the world over are blamed to be corrupt. There are quite possibly very few countries where politicians and the govt-of-the-day is held in high esteem. Yes, people elect them--often in sort of having to choose 'the lesser evil' but somehow the 'system' manages to stay afloat. And don't go too far, the Indian politicians are known to be quite 'corrupt' too and yet I don't see Indians and people of other countries asking for the jackboots to be put upon their necks.

But brainwashed, short-sighted people in Pakistan--especially in the so-called 'educated' class and the blogspace who consider voting in the various assemblies' elections below their dignity--manage to create enough noise to perpetuate instability in Pakistan.

Let the political process evolve. So long as the judiciary and the media are free--which they are indeed in Pakistan, despite my occasional reservation about some of their 'judicial activism'--Pakistan will progress forward.

As to Zia, as I said above, Ayub Khan left power in 1969 but you will still find people praising aspects of his rule. Zia was such a disaster that, other than his son, there is no one left to defend his legacy or to mourn his much-delayed departure.