The 1997 Election
Background
On November 5, 1996, President Farooq Leghari dismissed Benazir Bhutto‟s government and dissolved the National Assembly on November 6, 1996 with the support of the Army Chief General Jehangir Karamat. Although President Leghari used article 58 (2)(b) to remove the government and dissolution of assembly by blaming the Bhutto government of corruption, mismanagement, restricting the independence of judiciary through the proposed accountability law, extra-judicial killings, the recording of telephone calls of judiciary, and imminent economic collapse. However, this dismissal of government was done with the help of Army troops that cordoned-off the PM house, also arrested Benazir Bhutto‟s husband, Asif Ali Zardari, from the Governor House in Lahore, and handed over to civilian authorities. Later on, the Provincial Assemblies were also dissolved.
Benazir Bhutto challenged this dissolution in the Supreme Court that upheld the dissolution of the National Assembly and removal of the Bhutto government in the last week of January 1997. President Farooq Leghari appointed veteran political leader Malik Meraj Khalid, as the caretaker Prime Minister. Caretaker Chief Ministers were appointed in the provinces and fresh elections were scheduled for February 3, 1997.
In the seven tribal agencies named Bajaur, Orakzai, Mohmand, Khyber, Kurram, South and North Waziristan and tribal areas adjoining to six districts of KPK ( Peshawar, Kohat, Dera Ismael Khan, Tank, Bannu and Laki Marwat), there was adopted universal adult franchise by the caretaker administration on December 14, 1996. Therefore, during 1997 elections, elections to 8 FATA seats for the National Assembly were held on the basis of adult franchise. Further, in 1997, the elections to the Provincial Assemblies were also held on the same day for the first time.
The Contending Players
In 1997 elections, again the major competing parties were PML-N and the PPP. However, 47 political parties including several newly established parties and factions nominated their candidates for the National Assembly election. Along with major faction of PML i.e. PML-N, five other factions also fielded their candidates in election. Similarly, two factions of the PPP also entered into election field. One major faction of PPP was the PPP-Shaheed Bhutto (PPP-SB) party, which was established by Murtaza Bhutto in March 1995. However, after his assassination on September 20, 1996, his widow, Ghinwa Bhutto, took the command of the party that contested the 1997 election. Although these factions thought important initially, how<