1970 Pakistani general election

← 1965 7 December 1970 1977 →
300 of the 313 seats in theNational Assembly 151 seats needed for a majority
Registered	56,941,500
Turnout	57.96%
First party Second party   Leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Party AL PPP Seats won 167 86 Popular vote 12,937,162 6,148,923 Percentage 39.20% 18.63%
Results by constituency
Head of government before election Yahya Khan Martial law Prime Minister Nurul Amin PML

Part ofa series on the
Independence of Bangladesh
Events
Partition of Bengal Bengali language movement Six Point program Agartala Conspiracy Case Eleven Points Programme East Pakistan mass uprising Pakistani general election Non-cooperation movement 7 March Speech Operation Searchlight Proclamation of Independence
Organisations
East Pakistan Renaissance Society Awami League United Front East Pakistan Communist Party Sarbadaliya Chhatra Sangram Parishad Swadhin Bangla Biplobi Parishad Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra
Key persons
Abul Kalam Shamsuddin Habibullah Bahar Chowdhury Mujibur Rahman Khan Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy Serajul Alam Khan Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani Ataur Rahman Khan
Related
Lahore Resolution United Bengal Bangladesh Liberation War International recognition
Bangladesh portal
v t e

Part ofa series on the
History of Bangladesh
Etymology Timeline Traditional Urheimat
Ancient Neolithic 7600 - 3300 BCE Bronze Age 3300 – 1200 BCE     Pundra kingdom c.1280 – c. 300 BCE Iron Age 1200 – 200 BCE Vanga kingdom c.1100 – c. 340 BCE     House of Vijaya 543 BCE - 66 CE Northern Culture 700 – 200 BCE Gangaridai c. 350 – c. 300 BCE Nanda Dynasty c. 345 BCE– c. 322 BCE Mauryan Empire 325 – 185 BCE Samatata kingdom c. 232 BCE – 800 AD Shunga andKushan c. 185 BCE – c. 75 CE Southwestern Silk Road c. 114 BCE – c. 1450 CE Indo-Roman trade relations c. 30 BCE – c. 600 CE Gupta Empire 240 – 550 CE Kamarupa kingdom 350 – 1140 CE
Medieval Jaintia Kingdom 500 – 1835 CE Gauda Kingdom 590 – 626 CE Laur kingdom 600 - 1565 CE Harikela kingdom 600 - 650 CE Gour Kingdom 600 – 1303 CE Khadga dynasty 650 – 750 CE Bhadra dynasty c. 700s CE Pala Empire 750 – 1100 CE Chandra dynasty 900 – 1050 CE Sena dynasty 1070 – 1320 CE Deva dynasty 1100 – 1250 CE Muslim conquest 1202 CE Khaljis of Bengal 1204 - 1231 CE Taraf Kingdom c. 1200s – c. 1600s CE Bhulua Kingdom 1203 – 1600s CE Delhi Sultanate 1204 – 1338 CE     Mamluk Dynasty 1206 – 1290 CE     Khalji Dynasty 1290 – 1320 CE     Tugluq Dynasty 1320 – 1338,1342 CE City State Sultanates     Sonargaon 1338 – 1352 CE     Lakhnauti/Gauda 1342 – 1352 CE     Satagon/Saptagram 1342 – 1352 CE Twipra Kingdom c. 1400 – 1949 CE Bengal Sultanate 1352 – 1576 CE     Ilyas Shahi dynasty 1342 – 1487 CE     House of Ganesha 1414 – 1436 CE     Habshi dynasty 1487 – 1494 CE     Hussein Shahi 1494 – 1538 CE     Suri Interruption 1539 – 1554 CE     Muhammad Shahi 1554 – 1564 CE     Karrani dynasty 1564 – 1576 CE Pratapgarh Kingdom 1489 – 1700s CE
Early Modern Koch Kingdom 1515 – 1956 CE Suri Dynasty 1540 – 1556 CE Baro-Bhuyans 1550 – 1620 CE Portuguese settlement in Chittagong 1528 – 1666 CE Kingdom of Mrauk U 1530 – 1666 CE Mughal Empire 1576 – 1717 CE     Bengal Subah 1576 – 1717 CE     Rajshahi Raj c. 1700s - 1950 CE     Zamindars 1700s - 1900s CE Pratapaditya Kingdom 1602 – 1611 CE Sitaram Ray Kingdom 1688 – 1714 CE Nawabs of Bengal 1717 – 1757 CE     Maratha Invasions 1742 - 1751 CE     Afghan insurrections 1745 - 1750 CE     Siege of Calcutta 1756 CE Shamsher Gazi's Kingdom 1748 – 1760 CE Company Raj 1757 – 1858 CE     Bengal famine of 1770 1770 CE     Bengal Renaissance 1772 - 1913 CE     Faraizi movement 1818 – 1884 CE     The Great Rebellion 1857 – 1858 CE Tariqah-i-Muhammadiya 1830 – 1831 CE     Titumir's rebellion 1830s CE British Raj 1858 – 1947 CE     First Partition of Bengal 1905 CE     Bengal and Assam 1905 - 1912 CE     Bengal famine of 1943 1943 CE     Bengali Prime Minister 1937 - 1947 CE     Noakhali riots 1946 CE
Modern East Bengal 1947 – 1955 CE     Second Partition of Bengal 1947 CE     East Bengali refugees 1947 CE     Bengali language movement 1948 – 1956 CE East Pakistan 1955 – 1971 CE     1964 East Pakistan riots 1964 CE     Indo-Pakistani war of 1965 1965 CE     Six Point movement 1966 CE     1969 Mass uprising 1969 CE     General election 1970 CE     Non-cooperation 1971 CE Liberation War 1971 CE     Declaration of Independence 1971 CE     Provisional Government 1971 – 1972 CE     Bangladesh genocide 1971 CE     Surrender of Pakistan 1971 CE
Contemporary Constituent Assembly 1972 CE Constitution 1972 CE Insurgency 1972 – 1975 CE Bangladesh famine 1974 CE BaKSAL era 1975 CE Assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman 1975 CE Jail Killing 1975 CE Military coups 1975 - 2011 CE Chittagong Hill Tracts conflict 1977 - 1997 CE 1990 mass uprising 1990 CE Caretaker government 1996 CE Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord 1997 CE 2006–08 Political crisis 2006–2008 CE Hasina era 2009–2024 CE Vision 2021 and Digital Bangladesh 2008 CE Bangladesh Rifles revolt 2009 CE International Crimes Tribunal 2009 CE Shahbag protests 2013 CE Shapla Square protests 2013 CE 2013 Quota reform movement 2013 CE 2015 Political crisis 2015 CE 2018 Road-safety protests 2018 CE 2018 Quota reform movement 2018 CE Smart Bangladesh 2022 CE July Revolution 2024 CE Aftermath of the July Revolution 2024 – present CE
Related articles Timeline of Bangladeshi history Bangladeshi art Bengali literature
Bangladesh portal
v t e

General elections were held inPakistan on 7 December 1970 to elect members of theNational Assembly. They were the first direct general elections since theindependence of Pakistan and ultimately the only ones held prior to theindependence of Bangladesh. Voting took place in 300 general constituencies, of which 162 were inEast Pakistan and 138 inWest Pakistan. A further thirteen seats were reserved for women (seven of which were in East Pakistan and six of which were in West Pakistan), who were to be elected by members of the National Assembly.^[1]

The elections were a fierce contest between twosocial democratic parties, the west-basedPakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the east-basedAll-Pakistan Awami League. The Awami League was the sole major party in the east wing, while in the west wing, the PPP faced severe competition from the conservative factions ofMuslim League, the largest of which wasMuslim League (Qayyum), as well asIslamist parties likeJamaat-e-Islami (JI),Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) andJamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan (JUP).

The result was a victory for the Awami League, which gained an absolute majority, winning 160 of the 162 general seats and all seven women's seats in East Pakistan. The PPP won only 81 general seats and five women's seats, all in West Pakistan. In theprovincial elections held ten days later, the Awami League again dominated in East Pakistan, while the PPP were the winning party inPunjab andSindh. TheMarxistNational Awami Party emerged victorious inNorthwest Frontier Province andBalochistan.

The National Assembly was initially not inaugurated as PresidentYahya Khan and the PPP chairmanZulfikar Ali Bhutto did not want a party from East Pakistan in federal government.^[2] Instead, Yahya appointed the veteranBengali politicianNurul Amin asPrime Minister, asking him to reach a compromise between the PPP and Awami League. However, this move failed as the delay in inauguration had already caused significant unrest in East Pakistan. The situation deteriorated further whenOperation Searchlight occurred under the orders of Yahya resulting in a civil war that led to the formation of the independent state ofBangladesh.^[3] The Assembly was eventually inaugurated in 1972 after Yahya resigned and handed power to Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Bhutto became Prime Minister in 1973 after the post was recreated by anew constitution.

On 23 March 1956 Pakistan changed from being aDominion of theBritish Commonwealth and became anIslamic republic after framing its ownconstitution. Although the first general elections were scheduled for early 1959, severe political instability led PresidentIskander Mirza to abrogate the constitution on 7 October 1958. Mirza imposedmartial law and handed power to theCommander-in-Chief of thePakistan Army, GeneralMuhammad Ayub Khan. After assuming presidency, President Ayub Khan promoted himself to the rank ofField marshal and appointed GeneralMuhammad Musa Khan as the new Commander-in-Chief.

On 17 February 1960 PresidentAyub Khan appointed a commission underMuhammad Shahabuddin, theChief Justice of Pakistan, to report a political framework for the country. The commission submitted its report on 29 April 1961 and, on the basis of this report, anew constitution was framed on 1 March 1962. The new constitution declared the country the Republic of Pakistan and brought about apresidential system of government, replacing theparliamentary system of the 1956 constitution. The electoral system was madeindirect, and the "basic democrats" were declaredelectoral college for the purpose of electing members of the National and Provincial Assemblies. Under the new system,presidential elections were held on 2 January 1965 which resulted in a victory for Ayub Khan. As years went by, political opposition against President Ayub Khan mounted. InEast Pakistan, leader of the Awami League,Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was one of the key leaders to rally opposition to President Ayub Khan. In 1966, he began theSix point movement for East Pakistani autonomy.^{[citation needed]}

In 1968 Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was charged withsedition after the government of President Ayub Khan accused him forconspiring with India against the stability of Pakistan.^[4] While a conspiracy between Mujib and India for East Pakistan's secession was not itself conclusively proven,^[5] it is known that Mujib and the Awami League had held secret meetings with Indian government officials in 1962 and after the 1965 war.^[6] This case led to anuprising in East Pakistan which consisted of a series of mass demonstrations and sporadic conflicts between the government forces and protesters.^[4] InWest Pakistan,Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who served asforeign minister under President Ayub Khan, resigned from his office and founded thePakistan Peoples Party (PPP) in 1967. Thesocialist political party took up opposition to President Ayub Khan as well.

Ayub Khan succumbed topolitical pressure on 26 March 1969 and handed power to the Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Army, GeneralAgha Muhammad Yahya Khan. President Yahya Khan imposed martial law and the 1962 Constitution was abrogated. On 31 March 1970, President Yahya Khan announced aLegal Framework Order (LFO) which called for direct elections for a unicameral legislature. Many in the West feared the East wing's demand for countrywide provincial autonomy.^[7] The purpose of the LFO was to secure the future Constitution which would be written after the election^[8] so that it would include safeguards such as preserving Pakistan's territorial integrity and Islamic ideology.^[9]

Theintegrated province of West Pakistan formed on 22 November 1954 was abolished and four provinces were retrieved:Punjab,Sindh,Balochistan and theNorth-West Frontier Province. The principles ofrepresentation was made on the basis of population, and since East Pakistan had more people than the combined population of the four provinces of West Pakistan, the former got more than half seats in the National Assembly. Yahya Khan ignored reports that Sheikh Mujib planned to disregard the LFO and that India was increasingly interfering in East Pakistan.^[10] Nor did he believe that the Awami League would actually sweep the elections in East Pakistan.^[11]

A month before the elections theBhola cyclone struck East Pakistan. This was the deadliesttropical cyclone in world history, killing an estimated 250,000-500,000 people. The government was severely criticised for its response to the disaster.

The general elections of 1970 are considered one of the fairest and cleanest elections in the history of Pakistan, with about twenty-four political parties taking part. The Awami League, a Bengali nationalist party dominated East Pakistan, while in the West thePakistan Peoples Party, a leftist and nominallydemocratic socialist party, was a major power. The Pakistani government supported the pro-Islamic parties since they were committed to strong federalism.^[12] The Jamaat-e-Islami suspected that the Awami League had secessionist intentions.^[13]

The continuous public meetings of the Awami League in East Pakistan and the Pakistan Peoples Party in Western Pakistan attracted huge crowds. The Awami League, a Bengali nationalist party, mobilised support in East Pakistan on the basis of itsSix-Points Program (SPP), which was the main attraction in the party's manifesto. In East Pakistan, a huge majority of the Bengali nation favoured the Awami League, underSheikh Mujib. The party received a huge percentage of the popular vote in East Pakistan and emerged as the largest party in the nation as a whole, gaining theexclusive mandate of Pakistan in terms both of seats and of votes.

The Pakistan Peoples Party failed to win any seats in the east. On the other hand, the Awami League failed to garner any seats in the west.^[14] The Awami League's failure to win any seats in the west was used by the leftists led by Zulfikar Bhutto who argued that Mujib had received "no mandate or support from West Pakistan" (ignoring the fact that he himself did not win any seat in East Pakistan).^{[citation needed]}

Bhutto uttered his infamous phrase "idhar hum, udhar tum" (We rule here, you rule there) – thus dividing Pakistan for the first time orally.^[15]

Some Bengalis sided with the Pakistan Peoples' Party and tacitly or openly supported Bhutto and the democratic socialists, such asJalaludin Abdur Rahim, an influential Bengali in Pakistan and mentor of Bhutto^{[citation needed]} who was later jailed by Bhutto. Jamat-e-Islami, while supporting allowing the Awami League to form a government, was also against the fragmentation of the country. Conversely, several prominent figures from West Pakistan supported allowing the Awami League to rule, including the poetFaiz Ahmad Faiz and rights activist Malik Ghulam Jilani, father ofAsma Jahangir,G.M Syed the founder of Sindhi nationalist party Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz (JSQM) and Abul Ala Maududi, the leader of Jamat-e-Islami.

However, the political position in West Pakistan was completely different from East Pakistan. In West Pakistan, the population was divided between different ideological forces. Theright-wing parties, led underAbul Maududi, raised thereligious slogans and initially campaigned on anIslamic platform, further promising to enforceSharia laws in the country. Meanwhile, the founding party of Pakistan and the national conservativeMuslim League, that although was divided into three factions (QML,CML,MLC), campaigned on a nationalist platform, promising to initiate the Jinnah reforms as originally envisioned by Jinnah and others in the 1940s. The factions however criticised each other for disobeying the rules laid down by the country's founding father.

The dynamic leadership and charismatic personality ofZulfikar Ali Bhutto was highly active and influential in West Pakistan during these days. Bhutto's ideas and the famous slogan "Roti Kapra Aur Makaan" ("Food, Clothing and Shelter") attracted poor communities, students, and the working class to his party. Under Bhutto's leadership the democratic left gathered and united into oneparty platform for the first time in Pakistan's history. Bhutto and the left-leaning elements attracted the people of the West to participate and vote for the Peoples Party based on a broad hope for a better future for their children and families. As compared to the right-wing and conservatives in West Pakistan, Bhutto and his allies won most of the popular vote, becoming the pre-eminent players in the politics of the West.

A total of 1,957 candidates filed nomination papers for the 300 National Assembly seats. After scrutiny and withdrawals, 1,579 eventually contested the elections. The Awami League ran 170 candidates, of which 162 were for constituencies in East Pakistan. Jamaat-e-Islami had the second-highest number of candidates with 151. The Pakistan Peoples Party ran only 120 candidates, of which 103 were from constituencies inPunjab andSindh, and none in East Pakistan. ThePML (Convention) ran 124 candidates, thePML (Council) 119 and thePML (Qayyum) 133.

All thirteen women's seats were uncontested.^[16]

The government claimed a high level of public participation and a voter turnout of almost 63%. The total number of registered voters in the country was 56,941,500 of which 31,211,220 were fromEast Pakistan and 25,730,280 were fromWest Pakistan.

Party		Votes	%	Seats
				General	Women	Total
	All-Pakistan Awami League	12,937,162	39.20	160	7	167
	Pakistan Peoples Party	6,148,923	18.63	81	5	86
	Jamaat-e-Islami	1,989,461	6.03	4	0	4
	Council Muslim League	1,965,689	5.96	7	0	7
	Pakistan Muslim League (Qayyum)	1,473,749	4.47	9	0	9
	Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam	1,315,071	3.98	7	0	7
	Markazi Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan	1,299,858	3.94	7	0	7
	Convention Muslim League	1,102,815	3.34	2	0	2
	National Awami Party (Wali)	801,355	2.43	6	1	7
	Pakistan Democratic Party	737,958	2.24	1	0	1
	Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Thanvi)	521,764	1.58	0	0	0
	Other parties	387,919	1.18	0	0	0
	Independents	2,322,341	7.04	16	0	16
Total		33,004,065	100.00	300	13	313
Registered voters/turnout		56,941,500	–
Source: Nohlenet al.,[17]Bangladesh Documents

List of members inEast Bengal:^[18][19]

List of members fromPunjab,Sindh,North West Frontier Province,Federally Administered Tribal Areas, andBalochistan:^[20][21]

The elected Assembly initially did not meet as PresidentYahya Khan and the Pakistan Peoples Party did not want the majority party from East Pakistan forming government. This causedgreat unrest in East Pakistan. The military junta responded by executingOperation Searchlight, which led to theBangladesh War of Independence, with East Pakistan becoming the independent state ofBangladesh. The Assembly session was eventually held when Yahya resigned four days afterPakistan surrendered to Bangladesh andZulfikar Ali Bhutto took over. Bhutto became the Prime Minister of Pakistan in 1973, after the post was recreated by the new Constitution.

• Members elected Election Commission of Pakistan

• 1970 Pakistani general election
• 1970 elections in Asia
• 1970 elections in Pakistan
• General elections in Pakistan
• Independence of Bangladesh

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use British English from July 2016
• All Wikipedia articles written in British English
• Use dmy dates from July 2016
• All articles with unsourced statements
• Articles with unsourced statements from May 2023
• Articles with unsourced statements from May 2024
• Election and referendum articles with incomplete results