Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto emerged in the
political arena of Pakistan as a true follower of her great father Shaheed
Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and continued her struggle with her unmatched wisdom and
political vision.
Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto in his
lifetime had decided to train and groom his daughter as his heir as he had
found in her all political capabilities and abilities. Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto
was sent to Harvard University for higher studies and Oxford, where she was
elected as the President of the Oxford Union, the only Pakistani student,
proving her unmatched leadership capabilities. She joined foreign office on her
return as internee to learn foreign diplomacy and meanwhile she also had
practical training in media management by working as anchor for sometimes in
PTV. She visited various countries with her father and met number of world
leaders across the world, and attended National and International events at
various forums with her father. She witnessed as to how her father fought for
the cause of the country and how her father reached at and signed Shimla
Agreement with the then Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, on 2 July 1972. She
witnessed during the proceedings as to how prudently her father Shaheed ZA
Bhutto articulated the return of 90,000 prisoners of war from India and
retrieved back thousands of square miles of Pakistani land.
Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto remained
active and attached with her father to enhance her political skills and to
learn the real matchless qualities of leadership of Shaheed ZA Bhutto.
Shaheed Z A Bhutto had refused to bow his head before a dictator and we
witnessed how Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto followed footsteps of her father and
refused to bow before Gen Zia and her other powerful opponents rather she
continued her struggle against him after her father was hanged by the
dictatorial regime of Gen. Zia in a flimsy case against him. To block her
movement for the restoration of democracy, she along with her mother were
imprisoned and tortured but she did not submit to the wishes of the
dictator.
While she along with her mother and
brothers was in exile, the dictatorial regime of Gen. Zia manoeuvred murder of her
younger brother Shah Nawaz Bhutto in France and made possible the departure of
the wife of Shah Nawaz Bhutto from France although she was the main suspect in
his murder case. This shock was enough for any common person to break him but
Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto did not budge to the tactics of Gen. Zia regime.
She made a historical come back on April 10,
1986 after more than two years in exile and this historic come back made her
opponent nervous though she had stated that she did not believe in the politics
of revenge while she was returning to restore the democracy and to work towards
wellbeing of her country. The world witnessed that her arrival in Lahore was
unprecedented, which shook the corridors of power in Islamabad. Subsequently
she came under the attacks of dictators and other political opponents. She
suffered and experienced worst kind of political victimisation and persecution
at the hands of Gen. Zia and his ideological heirs throughout her political
life.
Her arrival back in April 1986 set the
trend in favour of Benazir Bhutto and her foes could not block her struggle by
threats, guns, house arrests and all sort of victimisation by the
dictator. The dictator’s nervousness was visible from his announcement
with warning that he would impose yet another hard martial law to block her way
but she ignored all the warnings and threats, and she continued to travel
throughout the country and kept on addressing public gatherings in various
cities and villages of the country. The world witnessed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto
emerging as a stronger and brave leader and hard way of politics and sufferings
made her a leader with determination to get the country free of dictatorship
and she mobilised the masses for democracy. Her struggle worked and got
the democracy restored with the power of her people.
The world still remembers her first
oath taking ceremony on December 2, 1988 when she became the first woman Prime
Minister in Muslim world. On the occasion she wore green dress resembling the
flag of Pakistan to express her unmatched love for her country. Her strong
speech as first women Prime Minister in Islamic world is still echoing in the
ears of every Pakistani.
Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto’ sculpture
in her that green dress is placed in Madame Tussaud’s Museum London in her
memories and in recognition of her services and to remind the visitors about
her charismatic and towering political personality. She is the only political
personality from the third world countries whose incomparable services were
recognized universally.
The mind-set of the Establishment
and her stern opponents did not accept Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto and they
continued to hatch conspiracies against her. An Elite intelligence Agency
distributed huge funds amongst the opposition politicians to influence general
elections in 1990 against the PPP led by Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto. The way,
she was ousted from power not only for once but twice is a tragic and darker
chapter of Pakistani history.
It was ironical that during her
second stint as Prime Minister, he another brother Mir Murtaza Bhutto was
mysteriously killed near his house at Karachi on 20thSeptember 1996 .It was
again a conspiracy against her government. After the fall of her government for
second time in 1996, her political opponents who had turned the political
differences to personal enmity implicated her along with her husband in number
of false and frivolous cases. Her successor government influenced and
pressurised the judges of the High Court to convict her and her husband with
maximum sentence, which was later known as Tape Scandal. When those judges
who were instrumental in the conspiracy were confronted to their taped
conversation, they had to seek retirement as judges of the Supreme Court. This
was the level of Justice she got in her life time. No one concerned so for
apologised from her party for this injustice done against her and her husband.
Despite all tribulations and
hindrances, she won sizable majority while in exile but again the anti-PPP
Establishment hammered conspiracy and created Patriots who ditched their leader
and joined Dictator General Pervez Musharraf. This was a big jolt for my leader
Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto and I remember she had called those Patriots in
Dubai where they had given commitment to her that they would not betray her to
join General Pervez Musharraf. I feel sorry when I saw some of them around us
even today and remind me of that meeting in Dubai where they had committed to
remain loyal with my leader but later the ministerial temptation made them to
leave their leader.
Eventually PPP lost the chance to
make government because of disloyal patriots. Interestingly, General Pervez
Musharraf made government by one-vote majority, which Mr. Zafar Ullah Jamali
needed to become prime minister. For the one vote, Sipah-e-Sahaba
Pakistan (SSP) Chief Azam Tariq was released from Adyala Jail and was brought
in the National Assembly in order to cast that one crucial vote and in return
several SSP prisoners were released in bargaining. This was the beginning of
promotion of extremism with political support of the then government.
Shaheed Benazir Bhutto was a unique
leader who had in her personality the Islamic and Eastern values and also had a
moderate face for her Pakistan. She had a dream of happy, prosperous and
developed Pakistan and she expressed this desire in the last speech of her
life. She had foreseen the current deteriorated situation of the world because
of increasing extremism and terrorism. She used to warn the world against
promotion of the extremism and militancy for any political gain. Once she said,
“Extremism today is a challenge. A challenge we must collectively seek to
understand and overcome, before it overcomes and consumes us and leaves
destruction in its wake’’.
In a very clear words she had warn
the world to not promote extremism and militancy as this was going to become a
big monster, which would come to bite everyone. Her prediction turned to be
absolutely right, as today terrorism and extremism exist in every society and
is biting everyone. “The force of moderation and justice must combine to
confront the ugly face of extremism”, she had emphasized to the world. I wish
the world had listened to Shaheed Benazir Bhutto and had well understood her
vision and today the monster of extremism and terrorism would have not overcome
us all.
She continued to struggle for
democracy at every forum and I remember her long working and travelling from
one country to another delivering lectures and advocating for democracy in
Pakistan. She travelled all way from Thailand to Nigeria to attend a world
conference on democracy where she highlighted the importance of democracy. I
remember there was a conference of political parties from all over the world in
Bangkok where she was invited as a keynote speaker where she interacted with
leaders across from the world including Sheikh Hasina Wajid. Shaheed Bibi’s
speech was full of wisdom, vision, and was highly futuristic for which she
received gratitude from every leader of the world and participants. Ms. Hasina
Wajid separately sought meeting from her and I remember how valuable advice,
Bibi gave her on the political situation in her country and worldwide. After
becoming the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Ms. Hasina Wajid visited Mohtarma
Benazir Bhutto and thanked her for the political advices, which Ms. Hasina
termed highly important and a guideline. She was the icon of world politics and
all of them were impressed of her and always consulted her.
I remember the invitation of
Olusegun Obasanjo the President of Nigeria who invited her as State guest and
during the visit he invited her to his residence and introduce her to his
family and particularly to his daughter. On breakfast table the President
remarked-looking at her daughter, ‘’I want you to be like Benazir and emerge as
leader like her’’.
She was a tireless and consistent in
her work and never left today’s work on tomorrow. She used to make her schedule
well before time and believed in working for long and long consecutive hours.
She loved her children and always tried to spend most of her time with
them. It was worth noticing her interaction with her children, which was
inspiring and full of affection.
I cannot forget those painful
movements when she took the last flight of Air Blue from Dubai to Islamabad on
25th December 2007 to attend a public gathering in Peshawar next day. I feel
pained to think as to how the enemies snatched the mother and her unmatched
affection from, Bakhtawar and Aseefa while seeing their-mother off with smiles
and a lot of courage but with sad sentiments of departure on their faces. She
hugged both of them and then while departing she waved hand from the car
to her both the kids. For the first time I saw Benazir Bhutto seeing back and
waving hand to her children from the car till the last sight. Those days
Chairman Bilawal was in Oxford for his studies and had no idea that a
storm of pains would be hurling on them just after few hours.
How she worked for transition of
democracy from dictatorship, which is another chapter that I will explain in my
upcoming book.
Despite all international political
pressure, General Pervez Musharraf had spelled out his mind to not to allow
Benazir Bhutto to return her to country. I do remember a conversation between
General Pervez Musharraf and Shaheed Benazir Bhutto. General Pervez Musharraf
said ‘’ Bibi, I expect you to come on 21 December 2007 after election and we
will celebrate New Year together’’. Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto replied ‘’General,
I will choose my timing to come and I will not take your dictation of time of
my return, I have promised my people to returned to Pakistan and hence will
return per my commitment with my people’’.
Obviously it made General Pervez
Musharraf dim, as he did not like the response. Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto has
mentioned in her book number of incidents where General Pervez Musharraf had
shown his resentment on her return. It is now open secret that General Pervez
Musharraf has stated that provision of her security will depend on her level of
cooperation with him. It was in the background of that mind-set, the regime did
not provide her as much security as was provided to the former two Prime
Ministers of Pakistan. The inadequate security provided opportunity to
the terrorists to finally succeed in their nefarious designs of elimination of
Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto from the political scene of Pakistan, which conspiracy
dates back to 1993 when the operators of Al-Qaeda had planned first
assassination attempt on her in Karachi.
Books on books can be written on
Shaheed Benazir Bhutto’s tireless services and sacrifices for democracy, people
of Pakistan and her country Pakistan but today I would like restrain only to
pay a rich tribute to my great leader and sister whom I witnessed closely as an
unmatched personality with unmatched qualities.
I am still optimistic that those who
killed her, conspired the attack on her life, abetted the killers and financed
and facilitated the criminals will go to gallows soon meeting their fate .The
government of PPP got the dormant Case of SMBB transferred from Punjab to FIA.
The Case was investigated by a high level of JIT and team was able to identify
the conspirators, handlers, financier, facilitators and executors. A thoroughly
investigated Case was presented to the court with available arrested accused.
Seven accused were mysteriously killed during the investigation of FIA.
The trial was delayed for 7 years
and twenty two days. PPP expects Justice as she was not provided adequate
security to as per the blue book being the twice elected PM. In the end I appeal to President
Asharaf Ghani to deport Ikram Ullah Massod the 2nd bomber who did not explode
and left the crime scene. He is part of the conspiracy of murder of SMBB
and his interrogation is very important. He needs to be interrogated as soon as
possible as he is also expected to be blown up by the master mind of SMBB
murder.
I also appeal to the President of
USA to inform us as to why the only drone in Khyber Agency was carried out on
Ibad ur Rehman, the chief handler of murder of SMBB a member of TTP and Al Qaeda.
I hope the back ground of this drone attack shall be made public to clear
multiple doubts on the only drone used in Khyber where he was the sole target. We had requested earlier to USA
authorities but your concerned authorities did not cooperate with the
Pakistani government and Pakistani investigators. We are still waiting for the
response.
The best tribute to Shaheed Benazir
Bhutto today is that her workers should uphold her legacy, staying
united to fulfil her dream of happy, progressive and developed Pakistan under
the able leadership of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. Let us strengthen our party by
strengthening our chairman.
Bibi, we salute you and you shall be
remembered forever in the history of the world. You are not with us today but
your wisdom will continue to guide us to serve the country.
