Bhutto Hangs On, but His Troubles Grow

A politician is like a spring flower: he blossoms, he blooms, and a time comes for him to fade.

--Zulfikar All Bhutto

Pakistan's Prime Minister clung desperately to power last week, firmly convinced that his own time to fade had not yet come. But Bhutto's troubled and unhappy nation was plunged into its worst political crisis since the 1971 civil war, which ended in the breakaway of its eastern sector to become the independent country of Bangladesh.

Facing widespread disorders and opposition demands for his resignation, Bhutto clamped martial law on Karachi, Hyderabad and Lahore, three of Pakistan's largest cities. A round-the-clock curfew was in effect there and in Lyallpur and troops had orders to shoot to kill all violators. The government's get-tough tactics seemed only to infuriate its opponents--and trouble its supporters.

Bared Chests. Some demonstrators fought police hand to hand with daggers and sticks; others bared their chests and dared security forces to shoot them. Although police backed away from many confrontations, troops in Karachi fired on an impromptu demonstration, which had been organized during a curfew break to allow residents to shop and attend Muslim services. At least 20 people were killed and 200 wounded. Last week's violence raised the death toll to about 250 since the troubles began nearly two months ago. At least 4,000 people have been injured and 35,000 arrested.

An opposition-sponsored general strike demanding Bhutto's resignation shut down business and industry in Rawalpindi and the capital of Islamabad. Air transportation was intermittent and road traffic virtually at a standstill as opponents of the government blocked intersections and pulled people from bicycles on their way to work. Even within government ranks, opposition began to surface. Pakistan's ambassadors to Greece and Spain, both retired military officers, resigned in protest. Air Marshal Abdur Rahim Khan, who had been Ambassador to Spain, warned that Bhutto could provoke "a true civil war." In Washington the State Department stopped a $68,000 shipment of tear gas, which had been widely used by Pakistani police in quelling disorders. Said a spokesman: "It's just a question of prudence."

Bhutto's current difficulties date from the March 7 parliamentary elections, in which his ruling Pakistan People's Party won 155 out of 200 seats in the National Assembly. The opposition Pakistan National Alliance, a coalition of nine parties, won only 36 seats. They charged that Bhutto's party henchmen had "massively and immorally rigged" the election by terrorizing polling places and stuffing ballot boxes.

Refusing to take its seats in the Assembly, the opposition demanded 1) Bhutto's resignation, 2) dissolution of the National Assembly, 3) new elections, under the supervision of the army, and 4) restoration of civil liberties. Bhutto not only rejected their demands but also had most opposition leaders arrested. Last week he accused them of trying to stage a "civilian coup d'etat." Askeijl if he would resign, he replied: "Why should I? I am legally, politically and morally Prime Minister of Pakistan. The people are with me."

Among other things, the opposition had demanded that the government act to reinforce Pakistan's character as an Islamic state. Last week Bhutto announced that he would introduce legislation to ban alcohol, gambling and nightclubs. He also offered to hold new elections for provincial assemblies in the Punjab, Sind, Baluchistan and the North-West Frontier. If the National Alliance got a majority of votes in the polling, Bhutto promised, he would then dissolve the National Assembly and order a new general election.

Belated Concessions. Had Bhutto made such concessions six weeks or a month ago, there is a chance they might have quashed the rising opposition to his government. But it may be too late. The opposition's call for a jihad (holy war) against the Prime Minister has unleashed repressed grievances among Pakistanis embittered by summary arrests and imprisonment of government critics even before the current disorders.

Yet even if the Prime Minister were to step down under pressure, it is not certain that the country would get a democratically chosen successor. The military, which apparently still backs Bhutto, has taken over control of Pakistan twice before; it would not surprise anyone if it did so once again to prevent all-out civil war.

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