Speech of Miss Fatima Jinnah on the Presidential Election, Basic Democracy, and the Indus Waters Treaty

Sub title : Address to the people of Pakistan and members of the Basic Democracies, criticizing the one‑man rule of Field Marshal Ayub Khan

Subject: Miss Fatima Jinnah | Presidential election 1965 | Ayub Khan | Basic Democracy | Electoral college

Date of publication: 1965

Language: English

Page: 39 p.

Source: National Archives of Pakistan

Serial no: 28869

Keyword: Miss Fatima Jinnah -- Ayub Khan -- 1965 presidential election -- Basic Democracy -- Electoral college | Indus Waters Treaty -- Martial law -- Corruption -- Democracy | Adult franchise -- Press freedom -- One‑man rule -- Pakistan | Sutlej -- Beas -- Ravi -- Mangla Dam -- Tarbela Dam.

Abstract: This political speech, delivered by Miss Fatima Jinnah during the 1965 presidential election campaign, addresses the people of Pakistan and the members of the Basic Democracies (electoral college). She reminds the voters of the trust placed in them by the nation and warns of the pressures and temptations they will face. She recounts the tragedy of the 1947 partition and the four years of Martial Law (1958–62) as consequences of past inaction. She strongly criticizes President Ayub Khan for signing the Indus Waters Treaty, which she claims gave away three rivers (Sutlej, Beas, Ravi) to India, resulting in the loss of water for nearly 75 lakh acres of irrigated land and imposing a burden of nearly one thousand crore rupees on the nation for replacement dams like Mangla and Tarbela. She accuses Ayub Khan of offering joint defence to India during the Sino‑Indian war, which would have endangered Pakistan’s sovereignty. She condemns the one‑man rule for destroying political institutions, weakening the judiciary, demoralizing the civil administration, and causing rampant corruption and price rises

Description: This document is a political speech transcript from the 1965 presidential election campaign in Pakistan, delivered by Miss Fatima Jinnah, the sister of Quaid‑i‑Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. She speaks directly to the members of the Electoral College (Basic Democrats) and the general public. She accuses President Ayub Khan of imposing a dictatorship disguised as “Basic Democracy,” of signing away Pakistan’s river waters to India under the Indus Waters Treaty, and of offering military cooperation to India. She highlights the economic burden of replacing lost water supplies, the suppression of political parties and the press, the corruption of the regime, and the suffering of the common man due to rising prices. SCANNED BY: NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF PAKISTAN.

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