Field Marshal Mohammad Ayub Khan’s Diary
Dearmembers, Assalamu Alaikum.I have just finished reading the published(Oxford University Press)diaries of Field Marshal Ayub Khan, former President of Pakistan. The book covers the period from September 66 to November 72.He could not write diary before because of pre-occupations and after because of sickness, as the editor of the book Craig Baxter said . Though the dairy contains many light things such as duck shooting, still it is an impotant document on politics of Pakistan, its active political figuires, the reasons for break-up of Pakistan into two parts. It appeared to me that the dairy contains his sincere views at the time and date he wrote his notes in his own hand .The book has been published after 25 years of his death as he said to his family and as such his views on individuals , policies, foreign policy matters should be assessed in the setting of his time of writing. After reading the book, I better understood the circumstances of break-up of Pakistan( please see the diary from January 69 to middle of 72).Ayub Khan reached the conclusion early in 69 that the demands of East Pakistani leaders would lead to partition and even loose confederation would not work. The demands if met would even dismember West Pakistan into four states.By the end of 1970 he reached the conclusion that one Pakistan has become impossible because of the conditions created by most important politicians and he privately thought that Pakistan Army should withdraw from Dhaka after reaching an arrangement with Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. His views on Mr Zulfiqer Ali Bhutto, General Yahya and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman are extremely negative, they all, in his view, were hindrances for an acceptable and practical solution of the problem at hand at that time. Yahya and Bhutto complicated the matter most when India and others were looking for opportunity to disrupt the country. This book also gives a good idea about the difficulties of conducting foreign policy for a non-super power country. Shah Abdul Hannan
