1977 Pakistani coup d'état
| Operation Fair Play | |
|---|---|
| Part of the Cold war | |
 |
|
| Type | Strategic and Tactical |
| Location | Prime Minister Secretariat, Islamabad |
| Planned by | General Headquarters (GHQ) |
| Objective | Relief of Prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto from the Prime Minister Secretariat |
| Date | 4 July 1977 |
| Executed by | 111th Brigade, X Corps |
| Outcome |
Success of coup d'etat led by General Zia-ul-Haq
|
Success of coup d'etat led by General Zia-ul-Haq
Operation Fair Play was the code name for 5 July 1977, coup by Pakistan Chief of Army Staff General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, overthrowing the government of Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. The coup itself was bloodless, and was preceded by social unrest and political conflict between the ruling leftist Pakistan Peoples Party government of Bhutto, and the right-wing Islamist opposition Pakistan National Alliance which accused Bhutto of rigging the 1977 general elections. In announcing the coup, Zia promised "free and fair elections" within 90 days, but these were repeatedly postponed on the excuse of accountability and it was not until 1985 that ("party-less") general elections were held. Zia himself stayed in power for eleven years until his death in a plane crash.
The coup was a watershed event in the Cold War and in the history of the country. The coup took place nearly six years after the war with India which ended with the secession of East Pakistan as Bangladesh. The period following the coup saw the "Islamisation of Pakistan" and Pakistan's involvement with the Afghan mujahideen (funded by US and Saudi Arabia) in the war against the Soviets in Afghanistan.
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Wikipedia