Election of 1965 in Pakistan
Election of 1965 in Pakistan were held on January 2, 1965 . It was presidential election. 80 000 “basic democratic” took part in the vote for the selection of President of Pakistan.
Candidates in 1965 Election
There were two main parties for the 1965 election. The Convention Muslim League and Combined Opposition Parties. Convention Muslim League was a part of Pakistan Muslim league which created in 1962 for the support of Ayub khan. Combined Opposition party consisted of five parties which had not the unique presidential candidate so they chose Fatimah Jinnah as their leader.
In the election of 1965, there were 4 main presidential candidates but main were Ayub Khan and Fatima Jiannah
- Ayub Khan,
- Miss Fatima Jinnah, and
- two unaffiliated individuals.
There was only a one-month campaign period. Both candidates Ayub Khan and Fatima Jiannah used did compaign very effectively for election. It was also limited to nine meetings conducted by the Election Commission. There was no permission for the public to attend the projection sessions.
Fatima Jinnah
Fatima Jinnah during election campaign
Fatima Jinnah was the sister of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. In comparison to others, she had a distinct advantage because she was the sister of the Pakistani founder. After the death of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, she disengaged from politics completely. But against the dictator she took part in the election. In the election of 1965’s campaign she walked through the streets of big cities and rural areas. She kept herself interacting with people. She faced many allegations from the Ayub Khan regime even though she was called a tyrant. In reply to Ayub Khan’s allegations she said that Ayub had given control of the rivers to India during settling the Indus Water issue with India. She gathered a lot of crowds in east and west Pakistan during her campaign.
Ayub khan
In comparison to his competitors, Ayub Khan had a huge advantage over them. As head of state, he took advantage of the state’s resources and did not hesitate to legislate on electoral issues.
All the prominent groups came together to support him because he provided many opportunities to them. Ulema also openly supported Ayub Khan. Because Ulema were against the governance of women.
Results of 1965 election
The election of 1965 was won by Ayub Khan over Fatima Jinnah. Ayub Khan defeated Fatima Jinnah with 64 percent of the vote on the indirect ballot and combined opposition got 35 % Vote. In these elections of 1962, the Ayub Khanwon a landslide victory with a majority..
However, the opposition party only took fifteen seats. The Combined Opposition Party (COP) gained 10 seats in the House of Representatives. The remaining seats went to independent candidates. According to the media and international observers the election was rigged .
