Adil Najam
Today is April 4, the death anniversary of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto – founder of PPP, President and Prime Minister of Pakistan, and one of the most iconic figures (whether you like him or not) in Pakistan’s history. He was hung to death on April 4, 1979, during the military rule of Gen. Mohammad Zia ul Haq. In this historic video, Gen Zia-ul-Haq explains and defends the trial of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto.
There is much, too much, in this video that is still pertinent today: the role of the military in politics, Gen. Zia’s promise of early elections, the role of a “free” judiciary, views on “justice must be done,” and so much more. Do please let us know what emotions this evokes in you.
For more on the life and death of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto also see our 2008 post on his death anniversary and a post of historic photographs of Mr. Bhutto during this trial.
More comments from the ATP Facebook Page:
– “Zia was not only killer of Zulifqar Ali Bhutto, he was a murderer of Democracy as well as a biggest hypocrite”
– “Zia this is ot Pakistan’s rewait, this is the rewait of Pakistani Generals who kill he democratically elected hakims of Pakistan, why are you blaming Pakistan for that???”
– “waisay pakistan nay har mahaz pe taraki b ke tu fauj ke he hakomat main ab agar koi ye keh day k nuclear bunyad kis nay rakhe aur dhamakay kis nay karay tu is ka jwab ye k unoo nai bunyad rakhe aur is main ati thee pakistan army jis nay isay pora kia baqi jaisay us waqat bunyad rakhe aj b siasatdan bunyadain rakhtay hain par pora kuch nai kartay jo pora hua agar ap facebook say nikal kar asli zindagai main jao dur daraz tu wahan jo kam huhay wo in 8 salo main he huhay kuch behtar ”
– “kair main is qabil tu nai k mazeed kuch kahon ap sabk darmiyan par yaqeenan ap itefaq karo gay k ye pakistan iqal aur qaid ka nai raha…shehroon k log buzdil aur gaoon k log jahil hu gay hain mazeed. aur jin ko samaj ha wo izzat say sir chupay behtay hain”
– “Bhutto was a disaster, so was Zia,lol..”
– “mere khiyaal main wo log jo hamarey kabhi na kbhi hakim reh chukey hain himmat waley the.atleast kisi cheez ki bunyaad ya KUCH TU kr k gaye hain ya kr rahey hain.
ye wohi Pak hai jiskey barey m khiyaal tha k 63 days b qaaim nahi reh skta bt now MASHALLAH 63 years hogaye hian.
agr sb kuch itna bura chl raha hota jesa yahan sb keh rahey hain,phr tu……..aham aham aham”
– “Zia’s regime,…a dark chapter in our history.”
– “y u not seeing his good way politics . he did many things for to secure Pakistan , like he help afghan mujahidin and they kick out russia from this region”
– “bhutto corrupt government. worse than zia”
I am sorry Mr. Aqil, usually I find your comments quite balanced, but this one only shows your biases.
Read the comments, or just talk to people. Even many people who do not like Bhutto at all still think it was injustice. It is not just those who loved him. It is anyone who has half a sense of justice.
But, yes, there are some people so blinded by the senseless hatred for Bhutto that will even justify his murder.
The video doesn’t say anything special or revealing. Of course Zia is lying when he claims that the courts are independent and he is not trying to influence them, but such a statement from him is to be expected. It is also to be expected that he would justify the sentence and hanging by saying that no one is above the law, with the irony being totally lost on him.
The more important thing, however, in the context of the hanging, is what Mujeeb ur Rehman Shami points out. That is the way the country was polarized. Some people loved ZAB and some hated him. For those who loved him, his hanging was a huge injustice, while for those who reviled him, the reaction was that of relief that he was gone. Such extreme polarization is not good for a country, and if there is one lesson from all this, it is that we should not allow ourselves to be polarized so badly.
Before we go overboard idolizing Bhutto, question to ask ourselves is, who picked Zia and who was responsible for the breakup of East Pakistan, ill advising the short sighted military leadership on how to deal with Bengalis who were just asking for their legitimate rights and who made the FSF responsible for disappearance of political foes, ala Saddam Hussain.
Our dilemma as a nation is we continue to idolize demonic figures in our history, some idolize Zia as well. Both Bhutto and Zia represent the darkest chapters in the history of Quaid’s Pakistan.
Until we learn to be fair from the depths of our ‘self’, these articles and emotional epitaphs will remain nothing but a drama to rouse sentiments and escape reality and real issues that face Pakistan.
Jhoot bol raha hai gernal … uss sa to sahee sa bat hi nai hoo rahi … jhota…
I dont like PPP now, But Bhutto acha admi tha… chahy ma na un ko nai daikha but kis sa Bhutto ki bad tarfi nai suni… or un k kam b bohat jurat mandana thay jo unhon na kia… i salute him…