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"Partyless democracy is like non-alcoholic beer" 😂. Good god, Shekhar ji. Gimme 20k and I'll come work for you.

I am originally from Afghanistan but live in USA . I really appreciate your analysis. That was probably one of the major events of the 20th century after world war 1 and 2.

Why the obsession with Zia? Interesting, how people like to find one person/event to lay the blame upon. Pakistan was rotten long before Zia. Pakistan was never a country. It was a "jaagir" for Muslim elites who feared economic/political alienation in a "secular" India. Jinnah was merely a broker. Once religious "high" was over, these elites pinned the obsession of people on Kashmir and India. It was none other than the "secular" Bhutto who declared the "thousand years war" against India which was later shaped into "Bleed India by thousand cuts" by Zia. So when people blame Zia for fundamentalism, they are wrong. Pakistan was born out of fundamentalism.

Under Zia rule Pakistan lost siachin glacier to indian army in 1984 and Benazir even offered her bangles to Zia and Pakistan army for humiliated defeat in siachin

Zia looks like a Bollywood villain

If not Zia there would have been some other person to fill his shoes. The mentality he represented was always there, which is quite evident from that country's history before Zia (1947-1977). In 1971 they killed 3 million Bengalis, attacked India several times. They also had already used their non state actors during 1947 and 65 wars. They had already banned Ahmadiya sect. I also don't agree with you on Jinnah. He said different things to different people on different occasions. What actually matters is not his words but his actions.

Gen Zia ul Haq (mard e mujhahid) was the person who dug the grave of Pakistan. And he did his work quiet efficiently, I must say.

Indira Gandhi. She is THE WOMAN!! May she rest in peace. As a Bangladeshi i absolutely loved that woman. She in her saree did all the globe trotting to help form Bangladesh. Many lives were saved by her due to her actions. Far far far more important than Zia ul Haq.!!!

Pakistan`s Zia ul-Haq was stationed in Jordan from 1967 to 1970 as a Brigadier.Pakistani and Jordanian army massacred twenty-five thousand Palestinians in Jordan`s refugee camp when they rioted because of poor living conditions.The dreadful event is known as "Black September"

Islam in Pakistan has produced strange and contradictory characters . Bhutto , a Democrat sow the seeds of islamization, which was further nurtured by a still peculiar character in uniform , Zia-Ul-Haque ,who turned his country into a modern global jihadi centre. So effective, it is the Bhutto ,who is the father and grand-master of jihadi outfits with Zia as his disciple. But at the centte of it all is the Islam as the driving for for both of them. 2). Like Mughals, succession has never been peaceful in Pakistan since its birth. In this the Pakistanis are emulating mughals, if not in culture.

Overdose of Pakistan. There are 200 other countries and half a dozen neighbors. This obsession with Pakistan is now getting little irritating. Is it the punjabi obsession? Same thing that killed Pakistan. Maybe a discussion on Tamilnadu politics and their breakaway tendencies would be interesting or anything else.

It's contradictory to state that Zia "Islamized" Pakistan; The very premise of Pakistan was political Islam; All Zia might have done is to instutionalize that!

Pakistan is not a country it's a mindset ~ JSD

Basic cause of all the miseries in the world today is traceable to Islam. The day Islam was born is the most unfortunate day in the history of the mankind. Why blame Zias, Aurangzeb, khalji, Ghazni and tughlaqs? Islam sanctified violence.

This episode has completely misplaced timing and priority. We have discussed Zia many times in prior episodes. We could have discussed Shinzo Abe's death and it's impact on certain policies that Japanese government may take, rupee crisis and why we are not exporting as much as we aim for, Sri Lanka's govt collapse and what can be a permanent solution to its financial crisis etc etc.

Thanks! Keep up the good work shekarji especially cut the clutter and national interest

One important thing which I guess should be highlighted is that he used the time during soviet war very smartly by building nuclear weapons technology very quickly, he knew that right now americans need him to defeat soviets so he used this opportunity and made quick progress to build nuclear weapons and Americans remained mum in this time period.

Nah, I have to disagree with you on this one. Neither did Nehru, Indira, or Zia had the most lasting impact. It has to be narasimha rao, Nothing comes near to the path he set up for us in 1991, it has led us to where we are now and where we will be in the future.

"Partyless democracy is like a non-alcoholic beer"😊😊

❤ Love to ShekarGupta for his uncanny but truly a Educative for sure.. the profession of a Dedicated Journalists

Surprising that SG sir didn’t choose to talk about assassinated ex president ABE … which would have been contemporary topic

Dear Shekhar sa'ab Please make CTC on internal politics of China, prospects of Mr Xi's third term, also please convey the message how powerful/weak is China currently in backdrop of Evergrande/economic slowdown/taming of business tycoons etc. Is anti-Xi coalition is cropping up? Yours faithfully Watching CTC since 2019

More than Zia's coup, your coup was far more brutal, Coupta ji

This is incredible. Thanks for taking time to put this out for us.

I have taken the subscription today and feels great to watch this CtC as a member, first. Guys do take the print's subscription to support unbiased, uninfluenced journalsim.

You are to obsessed with Pakistan... There are many important topics within India and in geopolitics (except pakistan) as well... Enough of this jokistaan

As far his impact on India is concerned, I think it was his policy on Khalistan movement. But I didn’t see any mention of it in your article.

I am from Pakistan and I must say that Mr. Shekhar has a great understanding of Pakistani politics. Zia continues to haunt us all.

Pakistan was bound to go in that way. if not Zia ul haq, someone else would have taken them towards extreme Islamist ideology. Just like Afghanistan went back to extremism, paxtanis will also go the same way.

Superb analysis, Shekar Ji, I re-learned this conversion to fundamentalist Islamism, today, through your analysis. Salute you, Sir.

SG sir. Thank you very much for the fantastic history explainer. Also may I suggest Sri Lanka protests as a topic for any upcoming CTC episode. Thank you sir.

Zia ul Haq Was the One who made truly Islam Religion of Peace into Piece For themselves & also for rest of the World....

Finally Pakistanis dancing till date of zia tunes 😅😂

I live in Pakistan, and sometimes I wonder will Pakistan Really Collapse just because of Economy, The answer is no. Why? Pakistan is never dependent on economy, The economy is for ruling elites to make more reserves, get luxury items, smuggle goods to AFG and other central states. There is no check and balance, Otherwise we see cheapest oil at some places as well, its just that is from Banned neighbors and is used by people to get extra benefit ( you know what I mean ). We see lots of $$ being traded by people in private sector, which is even more than people can imagine. Moral of story: Whenever Pakistan collapses it wont be because of economy and it never was an economy issue😅. It will be because of its ruling Elite.

I am not aware of the influence of Gen Zia on India but here in Pakistan the legacy of his impact has been a disastrous and still continue his legacy also included the Sharif brothers who consider him thier political father both of whom are corrupt & involved in Money Laundering

He is remembering zia more than Pakistani media.

Every politician from Pakistan is a character. Times have changed now, Ab, IMF Nachayega, US chakrayega aur China Satayega. Sad that this Nation couldn’t give anything to the world except terror and destruction. Now its self destroying.

Mr Gupta, pls archive your cut the clutters, they are a goldmine. We will need this for the future.

Sir why you people only talk about pakistan.not our states like South india

As usual a good brief on Pakistani politics from Shehkar sb. Loved the way he always add a story to the whole context.

“Not just to his country, but his nation!” - SG 2

This was a very informative presentation, I really enjoy listening to Shekhar's analyses.

Had Pakistan been a part of INDIA. Hindus would be working and Pakistanis enjoying free rations and medical facility without working and attacking Hindus as well

Jinnah did not imagine it to be a Islamic republic .. joke 😂

You are absolutely right. Thanks Toronto.

Modi will be most important person in India in first 100 years of independence

There are some common misconceptions peddled here by SG. Jinnah didn't intend Pak to be Islamic state and said so in 1947. However, Jinnah retracted his statement soon after and said in Jan 11 in Karachi Bar Association: "I could not understand a section of people who deliberately wanted to create mischief and made a propaganda that the constitution of Pakistan would not be made on the basis of Shariat.” Sharia based Constitution cannot be considered Secular.

Today only Me & A friend both Army Veterans discussed this Chap. Issue is the present generation is unaware how things changed during the period.

Very well presented . Vajpayee's quote was most appropriate . Pakistan has been affected most by Zia .

Very interesting. Shekhar has unmatched political insight.

Being a Pakistani, I appreciate your in-depth knowledge about Pakistan and giving your time to topics related to Pakistan Although at time you become unnecessarily patriotic when talking about Pakistan but it’s completely natural Overall I appreciate your Analysis...

Did Zia Islamise Pakistan mind or reflect that mind ? Elites may have not been islamised but masses were always close to Zias ideology

Dear Mr. Gupta: Thank you for the great presentation. Former Pakistani President and CMLA General Zia -ul - Haque was possibly the most skilled dictator to rule a country. He worked through the matrix of America-Soviet rivalry, enmity with India, and efforts to entrench his own power very effectively to determine results conducive for him. For quite some time matters went quite well for him. But, subsequently as is the case with almost all dictators, resentments started coming out like steam from a pressure cooker. Opposition to him was growing within the country, Russians were threating him, and relations with India reflected perpetuation of mistrust laced with surface courtesies. Perhaps most important was the collective aftermath of paranoia, tyranny, aggressive predilection, and religious extremism in Pakistan. His death from an unresolved plane crash was above all the aftermath of the social turbulence and orgy in Pakistan. The initiator tragically became its own victim, after causing misery for so many. As the world struggles with coping economic hardships, political high-handedness, and religious fundamentalism, we in India would have to keep devising methods to manage our relations with Pakistan effectively. After all, as the illustrious political commentator and editor, Inder Malhotra, once put it, India would have to learn to live with Pakistan as any less fortunate person does with a bad kidney. General Zia's long stint in power in Pakistan has made the India's relations with Pakistan more prolonged and more challenging. With Regards, Ranajoy Sen

Regarding Zia ul-Haq: Perhaps 'most consequential' not 'most important.'

People here commenting that Pakistan was always a fundamentalist country should do some reading of subcontinental politics. While Pakistan was envisioned as a motherland for subcontinental Muslims, the founding fathers could hardly be called fundamentalists. In fact, early Pakistani leaders were very much from the same fabric as the early Indian leaders. The difference is that early Indian leaders did a good job of keeping the military professional, building fairly robust democratic institutions and avoiding fundamentalist blowback. Pakistan could not do that. And over time, the failure of the 'system' allowed the regression to fundamentalism. And those saying the anti-India POV in Pakistan stems from Islamic fundamentalism - I'd argue that by the same definition, the Afghan population (and the Middle East too) could also be construed as fundamentalists. Why isn't the anti-India sentiment as strong there as it is in Pakistan? Nepal is not an Islamic country, why is the anti-India sentiment so strong there? We must acknowledge that the Indo-Pak hostility has a historical/geopolitical/cultural aspect to it too. Calling Pakistan "rotten from the start" is an excuse to ignore the nuances of human character and history.

Gupta ji should write a book on his journalist career experience

What a handsome fellow, fine facial hair and uniform to match? Pity his God couldn't protect him in the end 😂😂

I so remember Zia changed the laws that a woman's testimony on court was valued at half that of a man's testimony

Even Government of India, does not give this much focus, attention to Pakistan and Pakistani politics, that Shekar Gupta (CTC) does.

ziaism is a lesson for India too. No matter what religion and state should be separated at any cost

Remember zia was not a radical islamists he was just a islamist

Pakistan called Fatima jinnah an Indian agent this is Pakistan’s legacy

Excellent Excellent episode... i watch cut d clutter before going to sleep...extremely satisfied vd d knowledge gained...

Gupta ji doing what gupta ji does best...! love and respect from Pakistan... the worst legacy zia left us with is the power he passed on to the bloody mullah's who are so damn powerful now and blackmail every aspect of the government...! just imagine even the generals are getting fed up of this power but cant do jack shit about it... that's the true legacy of Zia...!

You have not explained the root cause behind why Pakistan from a liberal and moderately Islamic country took a turn for hard Islamism after 1971. Pakistan turned to Islamism not out of choice but pressure from Saudi Arabia. Pakistan became bankrupt after the crushing defeat in 1971 and lost East Pakistan from where Pakistan used to get 70% of its foreign exchange and was almost 50% of Pakistan's GDP. Pakistan with its huge military could in no way fund its budget after separation of East Pakistan. This is when they turned to the Saudis to bail them out. The Saudis agreed to help them on the condition that Pakistan became a real Islamic country. This started the process of Islamization of Pakistan. 1978 civil war in Afghanistan only helped this process further setting Pakistan on a course 180 degrees different from what Jinnah had envisaged. Pakistan's economic stability was ensured by massive aid from USA and Saudi Arabia. With the exit of USSR from Afghanistan and collapse of the Soviet Union USA started tightening the screws on Pakistan from the 1990s. This is when the economic woes of Pakistan started which was kept afloat with aid from USA and Saudi Arabia not because of its inherent strengths. Sept 11, gave another brief respite to Pakistan but now with complete withdrawal of USA from Afghanistan Pakistan is back to square one. Now even the Saudis are reluctant to fund Pakistan generously as their own economy dependent on petro dollars is in decline. In a nutshell, without the crutches of Saudi Arabia and America, Pakistan cannot go far as a nation. It simply doesn't have the resources to fund its government a trap which is also applicable to Afghanistan making these multi ethnic countries highly unstable.

What a superb analysis Shekhar Sir!! 👏

You have provided a real valuable insight into jehadi culture and it is a real threat in Kerala state where from funding is being provided for pan India operation other than may be in Bengal, Assam and J&K.

Comeon Shekhar Ji.. look at Pak now. If he left a damn lasting so called legacy why is his country so backward now? Indian leaders on the contrary were poised and calm and lifted up the country.

When I was in college,( St. Stephen's College , Delhi, (1975-80) ,for some time, Presidents of both Pakistan ( Gen Zia ) and India ( Fakhrudin Ali Ahmad ) were ex-students of our college.

Zia has in a sense brought Pakistan to its knees over time. Thank you for a nice video

Thank you, great history lesson put in context, this is the first time these things make sense to me.

Thanks SG, for a gr8 analysis!! What a world of difference from the other channels of Lallu n Panju, Nation wants to know, No spin, Big Debate etc

Art of Story Telling!!! SG sir, superb!!

Sorry guptaji. Not interested in Pakistani politics.. khali wali them . Talk on india and world politics or anything else but except Pakistan

All the love aside he is the one who have India Siachen Ayub khan lost 65 war Yaya khan lost 71 and half Pakistan Zia lost Siachen Musharraf lost Kargil They ought to learn with every dictator they lose wars territory and respect of India as an enemy. Now Rahul Gandhi is a bigger threat than Pakistan

Fabulous recapitulation & analysis! 👍

Very eyeopening episode, Shekharji. Great anecdotes too.

From the start Pakistan was result of failed political ambition of jinnah... Successive leaders of Pakistan should have acknowledged this and course corrected away from religion oriented political setup.. What really broke Pakistan was 1971 defeat. It pushed them more into religious fanaticism...

The credit for the creation of Bangladesh should go to the Indian armed forces not Indira Gandhi sure she gave the go ahead but it was the armed forces who made it happened

The most important personality in this region in our lifetime is former pm Sri PV Narsimha Rao. Nobody can surpass the impact he created by his policy making.

Zia impacted the Indian librandus only, no one else.

It turned out that this pygmy from Punjab turned out to be the best man ever happened to Pakistan. The country became the least likable country in the world. Talent flew. Capital flew. The country slowly became a basket case. With him around, a medieval theocracy descended into the Stone Ages. During his rule, Pakistan army became in fact a "Criminal Enterprise." American weapons, Saudi aid, Afghan drugs all went into the coffers of the soldiers of Islam. So steeped in corruption, the soldiers of Islam went missing when the NAVY seal rounded up the most wanted man from the soil of Pakistan. His rule in fact might have paved the way towards the extinction of Pakistan unless it reverses its regression. He is a loser and made Pakistan a nation of losers. Losers do not make history. Pakistan was not relevant in 1947. After a genocide in 1971, the remaining Pakistan is on a deathbed. The winner is Nehru. He steered India to win, win and win.

Shekhar sahib, General Zia used Islam for political purposes as an adept politician, whether he was actually a fundamentalist is a different story. As for the kind of brand of Islam that Osama bin Laden/AlQaeda brought to our region is not part of his legacy. They follow an extremely harsh philosophy which has it roots in Gama Islamiya in Egypt and probably goes back to Abdul Wahab from 18th century Arabia. You would need to do some deep research in order to follow the sequence of history.

SG loves Pakistan and covers Pakistan more than due

With all due respect, it is time for Mr. Shekhar Gupta to enjoy a well-deserved retirement. I am in my fifties and I rarely think about Pakistan, and when I speak with younger Indians, Bangladeshis, or Sri Lankans, they never think about Pakistan at all. Pakistan is entirely irrelevant to the wide world (except as nuisance value). Also, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was a much much much more impactful person than General Zia-Ul-Haq by pretty much any objective criterion, Mr. Gupta simply reveals his Punjabi bias in his ignorance of the Eastern and Northeastern parts of undivided India.

Zia was the true follower of his leader Muhammad. Both were influential. Positive or Negative? You can decide.

Hallmark of a leftist journalist in India. He will say that Jinnah and his vision for Pakistan was actually "secular", that Pakistan later lost its way. Its laughable. The rest of the episode on General Zia is spot on though. Shekhar Sir's personal anecdotes are second to none. I am surprised though Sir that you never discussed Shinzo Abe's death and his impact on India, Asia and the world in any CTC episode or even in National Interest.

MJ Akbar has time and again argued that Islamization began under Ayub Khan.

We should discuss more on china only barrier is Mandarin

VP Singh also had an enduring impact given his brief tenure. Caste politics.

Am I the only one who thinks Yahya Khan looks like brezhnev??😂😂

Man-goes Zia was cremated mid-air

SG sir There are many topics in India to cover 🙃🙏

Learnt a new word: 'Obsequious'

Shekhar ji you missed Zia’s role in supporting Khalistani movement with men, materiel, motivation, training and refuge which instigated violence and terror attacks across the borders into India’s Punjab and elsewhere and in reaction what all happened in 80’s and 90’s in India.

Dear Sir ~ I thank you for your presentation. It provides a clear perspective upon a complicated history across multiple cultures , societies and politics.

Gupta Ji you are a rockstar! Keep up the good work 👍🏼

Really good analysis which is usually missed by a lot of who don’t did too much into why something had happened and who were the players and politics behind the event.

The real lesson for us is that Modi is doing the same to India today by hindutvisation with seeding a rot in the economy, society, democracy and institutions