We’ve Learnt Nothing from History

In this book, air Marshal (Retired) M. Asghar Khan presents an insider’s view of Pakistan’s struggle for democracy from the 1960s to the present. The book expounds on the early entry of Pakistan’s armed forces into the country’s politics and the author’s opposition to military rule that began in 1968 with the movement for the restoration of democracy. This movement resulted in the ouster of President Muhammad Ayub Khan in 1969 after eleven years of military rule. The author describes his continued opposition to autocratic and dictatorial rule, especially General Yahya Khan’s Policy of brutal suppression through military action in East Pakistan. He also recounts his strong criticism of the General’s refusal to hand over power to Sheikh Mujibur Rehman and the Awami League, winners of the first-ever free and fair general elections held in Pakistan. The author recalls Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto’s rise to political power during the 1970s, and General Ziaul Haq’s dogmatic and iron-fisted military rule during the 1980s, and elaborates on some pertinent features of Pakistan’s domestic and international situation. The book concludes with the author’s assessment of General Pervez Musharraf’s five years in power consequent upon the reentry of the armed forces in the country’s politics in 1999, after a brief and tumultuous interlude with democracy.