PRESIDENT YAHYA KHAN'S ADDRESS TO NATION ON JULY 28, 1970

My dear countrymen,

Assalam-o-Alaikam.

I have, from time to time, kept the nation abreast of developments in various spheres because people in all walks of life should know about major events as

well as decisions of the Government on important issues. Many significant events have occurred and decisions have been taken during the past four months, Time has, therefore, come for me to address you again.

New Provinces

Another important event which has taken place since I spoke to you last is the restoration of pre-1955 provinces in West Pakistan. The decision, as you know, was taken some months ago on the basis of the wishes of the people and I am glad to say that it has been possible to achieve the re-establishment of these provinces on the target date. I am sure you appreciate that a great deal of administrative work has gone into giving practical shape to what, a few months ago, was only a wish.

The mere formal restoration of the old provinces, however, is not going to solve any problems. What is required now is to make all-out efforts to examine the reasons why such a step was necessary and how matters can now be improved. The main achievement of this restoration has been to bring the Administration closer to the people in various regions of West Pakistan, It is also to give a greater sense of participation in the happenings in this Wing to the people of far-flung areas. Let me also caution you that what happened on the Ist of July was only the first step. The process of consolidation will continue for months until things really settle down in all sectors of the administrative field. On the one hand, the administration will have to work doubly hard and on the other, the people will have to be patient and make constructive contribution in the fulfilment of the purposes for which separate provinces were restored.

Furthermore, it is extremely important that the restoration of the old provinces must not lead the people of various regions towards the dangerous path of parochialism. All that has happened is that West Pakistan, instead of being one administrative unit, is now composed of four administrative units. That is all. It has been done for the good of the people. It has been done with the hope that this will help in eradicating suspicions and a sense of deprivation on the part of certain regions of this Wing. In fact it is my firm belief that when the people begin to manage their own affairs in their provinces, their attitude towards their neighbouring and other provinces would be that of brotherliness and co-operation rather than that of hostility and separation.

In practical terms, any tendency to consider anyone who does not happen to be born and brought up within the boundaries of a particular province as an outsider will not be tolerated because as a Pakistani he has an inherent right to live, work and prosper in any part of Pakistan.

Talking on the national plane I am glad to tell you that our election machinery has been working with tremendous zeal and efficiency under the direction of the Chief Election Commissioner.

As you are aware a major portion of the work relating to elections has already been completed by the Chief Election Commissioner and his staff.

By God's help we have been able to keep to our planning schedule for general elections. The forthcoming election day will indeed be a great day for Pakistan and it is my prayer that it will be a precursor of greater well-being and prosperity for this country.

Talking about elections I might add that it is my firm resolve that these elections are free and fair. To ensure that there is no violence, coercion and othermal-practices during these elections, I shall employ all necessary forces at the disposal of the Government.

Now I come to a subject which is both important and of interest to all of us. I mean the political activities that have been taking place in this country during the past few months.

My own assessment of this matter is that after a rather over enthusiastic and violent start which in some ways, was understandable, things have, by and large, settled down. Abuse and counter-abuse have decreased and the use of violence is less evident in public meetings and processions and other political activities. The credit for this can be shared equally by the people, the political leaders and the Administration. The people decried violence, the political leaders saw that such methods were counter-productive and the Administration was understanding yet firm. We must not, however, be complacent and must try to see that violence and other destructive practices are completely eradicated from our political activities.

I would like at this stage to make a comment or two on the substance of what has been happening in the political field. Due to various reasons into which I do not propose to go at this stage, I regret to say that the division between parties has tended to become much too sharp. The uncompromising positions adopted by certain parties will have to be changed and tolerance towards each other is essential if the end product of all the activities of these past few months is to be beneficial to the people of Pakistan and is to contribute towards the integrity of this country. In this connection I would particularly like to mention the need for curbing violence and maintenance of law and order. Let there be no mistake on one point. The country is under Martial Law. The Martial Law authorities, under my directions, have been tolerating a number of actions including statements and speeches which no Martial Law regime would have ever tolerated.

Upto now there were very good reasons for this attitude; the main one being that political activity in this country had in the past been curtailed and almost crippled to the extent that without nourishment and encouragement it would never have got off the ground. If the Martial Law authorities had gone strictly by Martial Law Regulations and Orders in every case right from the start, there was a possibility that the main objective of this regime, namely, the transfer of power, would have been unduly delayed and even jeopardized.

The plan under which the Martial Law authorities had, on occasions, to ignore breaches of Martial Law Regulations and Orders has, I know, been misconstrued in certain quarters as weakness. These people did not understand that this attitude was deliberate and was in fact inherent in the situation obtaining in the country. The task of my Government has been a difficult and delicate one. On the one hand we had to keep the forces of disorder in check and on the other, we had to ensure that development of political activity was not discouraged in any way.

Let me at this stage explain to you as to how this regime has tried to bring back.political life in this country step by step.

In the first phase which commenced with the imposition of Martial Law and ended round about July 1969 the most important element of this plan was not to ban political parties. I remember that this caused both surprise and relief amongst our political parties, intellectuals and all others interested in this subject. The reason for their being surprised was that, normally speaking, the first action of any Martial Law regime is to ban political parties, for the existence of Martial Law regime side by side with political parties is a most unusual phenomenon. During this phase, however, we took care to see that whilst political pares were not banned, their activities were considerably restricted. This was, of course, deliberate and in keeping with the plan of reviving political life in a gradual manner.

The next phase which lasted from August 1969 to December 1969 saw considerable freedom of action in the political field although certain checks were stilt maintained. By about this time I had taken and declared decisions on certain major issues such as restoration of pre-1955 Provinces in West Pakistan and one man one vote.

The next phase commenced with the 1st of January this year when full scale political activity was allowed and all restrictions were removed except for certain guidelines which were issued in the form of a Martial Law Regulation.

So you see, the nourishment and bringing up of political activity went hand in hand with certain major decisions which had a direct bearing on such activity.. I am happy to note that this main plan of ours has worked out well.

The present is the last phase.

Now that I have prepared the ground in every possible way for a peaceful transfer of power to the elected representatives of the people, there is no further requirement for handling of breaches of Martial Law, such as creating disaffection against the Government, violence and such other crimes, in a soft manner. From now on, in the interest of our national objectives, we will take strict action against all cases of. unlawful behaviour. Any breaches of Martial Law Regulations and Orders and all other laws will be dealt with effectively. Having successfully created a sense of confidence in the leaders of political activity, I am now certain that this change of stance on the part of the Government is absolutely essential if we are to have civilized political behaviour-for this is the only path that leads to the National Assembly and the preparation of a Constitution which would be acceptable to the people of Pakistan.

We have just over two months left for general elections and it is essential that political leaders and political workers exercise due care in what they say and what they do. Democracy pre-supposes tolerance. Let us show that we are fit for democracy by displaying tolerant behaviour throughout this election period that is in front of us. Accusing each other and accusing the Government will not get any one anywhere.

As we approach the date of our general elections it is imperative that our leaders channelize the nation's political energy into civilized and constructive lines.

If this is done, we can look to the future with confidence.

I have said it before and I want to say it again that the tendency to have double standards in the matter of law and order must be curbed. You cannot, on the one hand, ask the Government to create peaceful conditions in the country and, on the other, raise a hue and cry of law breakers who are arrested and dealt with. Political leaders must realize that all are equal in the eyes of law.

I might tell you that this lawlessness in certain areas and by certain groups has resulted in the issuance by me of a very clear direction to Governors as well as the Martial Law Administrators of all Provinces and Zones to make the maintenance of law and order their first and foremost concern. They have been directed to take speedy, firm and effective action against any kind of lawlessness. Those who deliberately and systematically try to break the law and create confusion and instability are the enemies of the people. I am glad to note that the people have now begun to realize this fact and on a number of occasions Lave themselves decried calls for general strikes which disrupt normal life and have condemned attacks on the economy of the country. Let there be no mistake: the people and the Government are one on this issue. The law breaker will be given no quarter by the people and the Administration.

We have set ourselves certain clear cut goals including that of the restoration of democracy in this country. We will not allow anyone to come in the way of the achievement of this objective because this is what the people of Pakistan want and this is what I have pledged to give them.

Since I last spoke to you, there have been anti-Muslim riots in the Indian State of Maharashtra resulting in serious loss of life and the uprooting of thousands of innocent and unfortunate members of the Muslim minority in India.

I know how deeply disturbed our people have been over these tragic events which have shocked the conscience of the world. In addition to India's obligations under the Liaquat-Nehru Pact of 1950, the protection of the life and property of the Muslim minority in India is indeed a matter of concern for the entire international community, because it is essentially a question of protection of human and fundamental rights. We earnestly hope that the Government of India would take strong steps to afford adequate protection to the Muslims in India, as indeed to all minorities in that country.

It is our sincere desire to promote good neighbourly relations with India. It is, however, regrettable that our main disputes with her, which are the root cause of bad blood between our two countries, remain unsettled.

In the recently concluded talks on Farakka, India has at least conceded our right to the Ganges waters, although the question of quantum has still been left undecided. That is the crux of the problem.

It is unfortunate that India has not shown any inclination for the settlement of the Kashmir dispute. International disputes of this nature must be resolved on the basis of equity and justice and respect for international agreements. A mere repetition by one party that the dispute does not exist or has resolved itself does not make it vanish into thin air. It continues to exist and cries out for a proper solution acceptable to the parties to the dispute.

In the Middle East, our Arab brethren are continuing their struggle to assert their inalienable rights. We fully support their resolve to resist aggression.

Our co-operation with the brotherly countries of Iran and Turkey continues to attain new dimensions. In May this year, I met His Imperial Majesty the Shahanshah of Iran and His Excellency the President of Turkey in Izmir. We were all glad to find ourselves in unison on many issues facing the world. Our three countries are dedicated to work for peace in our region as well as in the world. We recognize the basic need for relying on ourselves and are exerting together to bring about a rapid improvement in the standard of living of our peoples. This common endeavour has further strengthened our solidarity.

Finally a word of caution. The people of this country are, by and large, fully capable of identifying dangers and pit-falls that exist in empty slogans and tall promises. I would, therefore, expect those who aspire to administer this country in the future to explain the realities of the nation's economic, social and political ills as well as the limitations that a developing country tends to suffer from. There is no magic wand which can resolve difficult problems overnight. Future leaders and administrators must understand that it is only careful planning and hard work which result in benefits for the people. Developing countries must be prepared to undergo hardships and sacrifices in order to achieve an honourable and respectable place in the comity of nations. The road to prosperity is a long and arduous one. There are no short cuts. Political leaders must have the courage to explain hard realities to the people and to avoid making statements which might mislead them. They are not prepared to accept hollow claims. They have a right to demand, and they will demand, honesty in word as well as in deed from their leaders.

My dear countrymen, there are just over two months left for general elections. This is the first time that the entire country will go to polls on the basis of adult franchise and elect their representatives who, as their first task, will make the Constitution for Pakistan and then later form the Central Legislative Assembly.

This period is of great importance and the future of the country will depend a lot on how each one of us conducts himself. Every voter must appreciate the value and importance of his vote and cast it in favour of men who will serve this country in a selfless and patriotic manner. The political parties and the candidates will have to show that they are men on whom the electorate can rely.

Above all, during this period there is need for a great deal of self-discpline on everybody's part. The Administration will naturally do its best to keep the atmosphere peaceful and tranquil. But in this task they will need the active assistance and full co-operation of every one of you. I have no doubt that such assistance and co-operation will be forthcoming.

Let me congratulate you on what has been achieved so far and wish you every success in our great endeavour. So, go forth and participate in the great and challenging task of national polls with confidence in yourself and full faith in Almighty Allah.

Khuda Hafiz.

Pakistan Paindabad.

(THE DAWN, Karachi-July 29, 1970)

Source: Bangladesh Documents, vol-I, p.87-92