The question of land and agrarian reform has become the most pertinent post-conflict agenda at this historical juncture while the country is undergoing a restructuring process. State restructuring is about the restructuring of the economic and political power. In Nepal, the land ownership pattern still determines the economic prosperity, social status and the political power of any individual or family. Therefore, the question of land and agrarian reform has been so critical issue at this point of time.

The last two years have been a period of rebound and cautious optimism in Nepal. After having been hit by two large earthquakes in 2015 that killed over 9,000 people and rendered many more homeless, and having suffered through a long, tortuous constituent assembly process that finally resulted in a new constitution, the country has seen progress on political and economic fronts in the recent past. Governance, however, remains an issue.

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto emerged as the populist leader in the elections of 1970 with his Pakistan People’s Party established in 1967. Bhutto had worked in Ayub Khan’s cabinet for a long time and he knew the weaknesses of incumbent government. Having established his party, he challenged the policies of Ayub government and pioneered the movement for the downfall of Ayub regime. The elections of 1970 yielded polarized electoral mandate in which Awami League won thumping majority in East Pakistan while Pakistan People’s Party outdid rivals in the West Pakistan.