IN A YEAR punctuated by several notable events-the
dramatic hijacking of a PIA airliner from Karachi to Kabul, the effective
abrogration of the 1973 constitution, the coalescing of opposition parties,
the imposition of Islamic banking, and the revival of economic aid and
military sales from the U.S.-much happened but very little changed in
Pakistan. The martial law government of General Zia ul-Haq, in its fifth
year, continued to proclaim a willingness to turn over power to civilians
but had adopted a political formula for a rule that seemed to leave future
elections more indefinite than ever. The economy maintained its recent
vigour, though problems of budget deficits, low productivity, and population growth continued to cast their shadow over the future. Notwith-
standing its agreements with the U.S., Pakistan retained its non-aligned
course and sustained its nuclear program. Though buffeted by external
and internal pressures, the government held to a steady, largely stand-
offish policy toward the Afghan insurgency.
Author(s): Stephen Philip Cohen and Marvin G. Weinbaum
Source: Asian Survey , Feb., 1982, Vol. 22, No. 2, A Survey of Asia in 1981: Part II (Feb.,
1982), pp. 136-146
Published by: University of California Press
Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/2643940