Combined Opposition Parties

The Combined Opposition Parties (COP) was a Pakistani coalition of 6-13 political parties founded in 1965, to run in the 1965 presidential, and general election against field marshal Ayub Khan and his authoritarian regime.^[1]

The COP was founded in attempt to challenge the controversial leader Ayub Khan in the then upcoming election. The COP accused Ayub Khan of bad governance and being anti-democratic. The COP advocated for an end to the martial law which had been imposed by Ayub Khan since 1958.^[1]

The exact number of parties in the Combined Opposition is not exactly known but studies claim it consisted of the 5,6 or 13 leading opposition parties,^[1] the party members included the Socialist National Awami Party (NAP) led by Maulana Bashani, and its northwestern faction, the National Awami Party (Wali) led by Abdul Wali Khan, The Islamist party, the Jamaat-e-Islami led by the popular Abul A'la Maududi, the Council Muslim League led by Khawaja Nazimuddin in opposition to Ayub Khan, the lesser-known Niazam-e-Islam Party of Chaudhry Mohammad Ali^[1] and the East Pakistani Awami League led by Mujibur Rehman.^[1]

The fact that many of these party members' ideologies were contradictory, demonstrated that Ayub Khan's policies were extremely unpopular.^[1]

Khawaja Nazimuddin, president of the Council Muslim League, traveled Pakistan, and met with the leaders of various political groups,^[1] he talked about the political state of affairs as the presidential election of January 1965 was getting closer. Talks began between major political movements and parties throughout the country for a united front in politics.

As a result, on July 21, 1964, in Dhaka, the opposition parties united to form the Combined Opposition Parties (COP).^[1]

The COP did not have one exclusive leader, as it was a coalition of several parties with independent leaders. When the 1965 elections took place, It was disputed who should have run for president on behalf of the COP against Ayub Khan, the Left-wing parties such as the NAP and NAP(W) clashed with the Right-wing Jamaat-e-Islami, causing neither side to reach a clear candidate. Khawaja Nazimuddin was thought of as the best option but his elderly condition hindered any idea of party leadership,^[2] therefore it was decided that Fatima Jinnah would run for president due to her neutrality in ideology among the differing parties, as well as due to the fact that she was instrumental in Pakistan's creation and she was the sister of Pakistan's founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah.^[3]

Fatima Jinnah led the campaign against Ayub Khan in 1965 and urged Pakistanis to vote with care in the elections, and became a serious contender against Ayub's campaign and his party, the Convention Muslim League.^[3]

The Combined Opposition parties laid out their nine points as an official manifesto and ideological principle in 1964. Chaudhry Muhammad Ali unveiled the following points for the parties ideology:

Demands for full guarantees of all basic rights of the people; direct election based on adult franchise; federal parliamentary structure guaranteeing full provincial autonomy, curtailment of the powers of the President; independence of judiciary based on separation of judiciary from the executive; withdrawal of ban on the functioning of political parties and release of all political prisoners and repeal of all repressive laws. Removal of economic disparity between the two Wings of Pakistan and to equalize the per capita income between the two Wings; to provide equality of opportunity and the widest possible distribution of wealth; effective and speedy settlement of refugees; and effective measures for flood control in both Wings. Full guarantee for the rights of minorities, in particular their right to practice their religion and develop their culture. Other points were solution of the Kashmir problem in accordance with the UN resolutions; an independent foreign policy keeping in view the honor and interests of Pakistan; implementation of Islamic provisions of the constitution and establishment of true Islamic society along with amendments of the Family Laws Ordinance.

- The Nine Points of the COP, ^[1]

Other than the nine official points, the party was strictly Anti-Ayub Khan, accusing him of founding a military dictatorship. The COP advocated for an establishment of a Parliamentary Democracy in the country where the Constituent assembly was re-empowered, the party also held Islamic tendencies, due to membership by the Jamaat-e-Islami and Maududi.

Ayub Khan responded to the 9-point manifesto by establishing his own manifesto of industrialism, growth, secularism and the self-determination guarantee to Kashmiris.^[4]

Since the COP's inception, the party has faced criticism, challenges and crackdowns by Ayub Khan's government. Ayub Khan accused Miss Jinnah of being a weak leader and that she was being exploited by the COP's power hungry, corrupt leaders.^[5][6]

Her campaign was plagued with unfair and unequal election campaign, poor finances, and indirect elections through the Democratic System were some of the primary problems she faced. However, she had overwhelming support among the public.^[6]

The election results came in favor of the incumbent President Ayub Khan, who, despite losing the popular vote, won 62.43% of the Electoral vote. Fatima Jinnah won 35.86% of the electoral college votes.^[7] Jinnah was however extremely successful in some areas of the country. She had swept across major urban centres such as Karachi and Dhaka. Ayub also faced disappointing results in East Pakistan. However, Ayub had decisively triumphed in rural Pakistan. As majority of the Electoral College consisted of representatives from the rural setup, Ayub was able to win a clear majority.^[3]

The election results were not accepted by the Combined Opposition Parties, who accused Ayub of rigging. The COP staged demonstrations and protests, however, didn't gain much public support as Fatimah Jinnah, accepted the election results. The Election had an effective result. It further strengthened the role of Women in politics in Pakistan.^[8]

The COP discussed in sessions following the presidential election to determine the course of action for the next national and provincial assembly elections. The leaders of this session discussed boycotting the elections as being unrealistic.

The alliance COP extremely disappointed with the results of these elections, which were a total failure. The reason for this was because COP lost motivation following the presidential election and ran a grudgingly for office.^[9] The defeat of COP in the presidential and subsequent national and provincial assembles elections did not render the organization useless. The COP, thereafter lost its strength and unity as the Council Muslim League made efforts to dominate it. Miss Jinnah though the unanimous candidate of all the component parties of the alliance showed her sympathies for the League and advised other parties of the COP to merge into Council Muslim League and fight against 'undemocratic force' with unity and discipline.^{[10][full citation needed]} The parties focused on their respective political agendas respectively and the alliance became ineffective and politically useless. The alliance splintered and dissolved, as the remaining leadership merged with the Council Muslim League.^[11]

• Hussain, Akhtar (January–June 2018). "Politics of Combined Opposition Parties (Cop) During Ayub Khan Era (1958-1969)" (PDF). Journal of the Punjab University Historical Society. 31 (1).