This photograph shows Ghaus Baksh Bizenjo, a prominent MRD leader, speaking at a protest rally in Karachi’s Lyari area in 1983. MRD was a populist and left–wing political alliance formed to oppose and end the military government of President General Ziaul Haq. Directed and chaired by Benazir Bhutto of Pakistan Peoples Party, its primary objectives and aims were to restore democracy and gaining civilian control of the military.
Formed in February 1981, the alliance brought together PPP, Awami National Party (ANP), Pakistan Muslim League (Khwaja Khairuddin group), Pakistan Democratic Party, Tehreek-e-Istiqlal, Awami Tehreek, Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Islam, and Mazdoor Kissan Party. The alliance was rooted in rural areas of Sindh and remained mostly nonviolent. Though it launched one of the most massive nonviolent movements in South Asia, failure to expand beyond its southern stronghold combined with effective repression from the military led to its demise.
Ghaus Bakhsh Bizenjo was former governor of Balochistan and president of the Pakistan National Party. He was a controversial political figure in the country. His dogged adherence to the cause of ‘national rights’ earned him both grudging admiration and condemnation.
Bizenjo envisaged a loose federation based on the 1940 Pakistan Resolution, in which the central government would hold only the portfolio of defence, foreign policy and customs, while all other matters would remain with the provinces. American journalist Selig S. Harrison in his book, ‘In Afghanistan’s Shadow’ writes of Bizenjo: “He is one of the ablest politicians in Pakistan and could have played a major role in Islamabad but for his Baloch identity and his commitment to the Baloch cause.”
Bizenjo also suffered for his convictions. Imprisoned by successive regimes, he spent a major part of his long political career behind bars.
While still a student at Aligarh University, Bizenjo actively participated in the freedom struggle, and as the end of the British colonial rule approached, he and other Baloch nationalist leaders formed the Kalat National Party with the objective of establishing an independent Balochistan. Later after Partition, he emerged a leader of the National Awami Party, and also held the office of its Secretary General. He came into political prominence during the Ayub regime when he was elected to the National Assembly from Lyari in 1965, defeating the official candidate. He was later disqualified and tried on a charge of high treason and accused of writing anti-One Unit slogans on currency notes. He was awarded 14 years rigorous imprisonment. He was released in 1969, during the last days of the Ayub era, after serving three years of his sentence.
In 1970, Bizenjo was elected to the National Assembly from Balochistan and was appointed the first civilian governor of the province in 1972, a post he held for a very brief period. The NAP government was later dismissed and Bizenjo with other Baloch leaders was implicated in the famous Hyderabad Conspiracy Case.
Bizenjo’s role in the national struggle and his respected status as the eldest top-ranking Baloch politician have earned him the popular title of “Baba-i-Balochistan.”
Formed in February 1981, the alliance brought together PPP, Awami National Party (ANP), Pakistan Muslim League (Khwaja Khairuddin group), Pakistan Democratic Party, Tehreek-e-Istiqlal, Awami Tehreek, Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Islam, and Mazdoor Kissan Party. The alliance was rooted in rural areas of Sindh and remained mostly nonviolent. Though it launched one of the most massive nonviolent movements in South Asia, failure to expand beyond its southern stronghold combined with effective repression from the military led to its demise.
Ghaus Bakhsh Bizenjo was former governor of Balochistan and president of the Pakistan National Party. He was a controversial political figure in the country. His dogged adherence to the cause of ‘national rights’ earned him both grudging admiration and condemnation.
Bizenjo envisaged a loose federation based on the 1940 Pakistan Resolution, in which the central government would hold only the portfolio of defence, foreign policy and customs, while all other matters would remain with the provinces. American journalist Selig S. Harrison in his book, ‘In Afghanistan’s Shadow’ writes of Bizenjo: “He is one of the ablest politicians in Pakistan and could have played a major role in Islamabad but for his Baloch identity and his commitment to the Baloch cause.”
Bizenjo also suffered for his convictions. Imprisoned by successive regimes, he spent a major part of his long political career behind bars.
While still a student at Aligarh University, Bizenjo actively participated in the freedom struggle, and as the end of the British colonial rule approached, he and other Baloch nationalist leaders formed the Kalat National Party with the objective of establishing an independent Balochistan. Later after Partition, he emerged a leader of the National Awami Party, and also held the office of its Secretary General. He came into political prominence during the Ayub regime when he was elected to the National Assembly from Lyari in 1965, defeating the official candidate. He was later disqualified and tried on a charge of high treason and accused of writing anti-One Unit slogans on currency notes. He was awarded 14 years rigorous imprisonment. He was released in 1969, during the last days of the Ayub era, after serving three years of his sentence.
In 1970, Bizenjo was elected to the National Assembly from Balochistan and was appointed the first civilian governor of the province in 1972, a post he held for a very brief period. The NAP government was later dismissed and Bizenjo with other Baloch leaders was implicated in the famous Hyderabad Conspiracy Case.
Bizenjo’s role in the national struggle and his respected status as the eldest top-ranking Baloch politician have earned him the popular title of “Baba-i-Balochistan.”