Adil Najam
Today, April 4, marks the death anniversary of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto.
There is probably no other political figure since Mohammad Ali Jinnah who has left as deep and lasting a shaddow on Pakistan politics as Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto (ZAB). You can love him or hate him, but you cannot possibly ignore him.
Those who love him, love him with a passion that few – if any – other Pakistani leaders evoke. Those who hate him – and many seem to do – do so with equal ferocity. No one I know is indifferent to him.
I use the words “love” and “hate” because the intensity of people’s views on him cannot really be captured by dispassionate terms such as “like” and “dislike” alone. Whatever else we might think of him, no one can deny his intensity, or the intensity with which Pakistanis of all generations – including those who have never even seen him – talk about him.
So today, on his death anniversary, let me not talk about my views on him. Let him talk to us himself. In his own words and in his own unique and passionate style.
While the breakup of E.Pakistan is not the subject here we keep seeing the same old accusation against ZAB.
http://tinyurl.com/5z7zvh
has 2 videos. Both are about ZAB’s life. The top one (Part I) starts discussing the breakup of E. Pakistan around minute 39. Not much is ‘news’ for me. But at minute 48, a lady speaker says somethings really interesting (and shameful for Pakistanis). To paraphrase her:
“During the crackdown in E. Pakistan ONLY 6 women came out against the crackdown in W. Pakistan. Even rape was justified by saying that these Bengalis’ next generation will probably have prettier faces”.
ZAB was not alone in asking Mujib ur Rehman to modify his “6-Points”. Most of the W. Pakistan was in conflict against Mujib’s points. And just today I read that the new Baluchistan Assembly is asking to make a new Constitution in line with the 1940 Objective Resolution so that the Center keeps only 4 portfolios. And if tomorrow Sindh Assembly does the same then who can stop a repeat of E. Pakistan?
Bhutto was intelligent, but he can’t be made a hero on this virtue alone. He failed as a politician, he failed as a lawmaker, he failed as a strategist. He was a poor speaker, he was two-faced, he was bad judge of character and very paranoid. He forgot his friends very quickly and never accepted his mistakes.
You can replace “he” with “she” and it will be Benazir’s character sketch. And if you add scoundrel, thug, lout etc in each sentence it will be Zaradari’s.
how many remember Iskander Mirza? Ayub with good? how many can loathe Yahya? How many speak good about Zia! if u get all of them together they cant make one Z A Bhutto! Zia knew it noose is one and 2 heads!
So all of a sudden, a convicted criminal and a murderer is a star and a martyr?
some people are born great some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them and BHUTTO surely belongs to third category. he stood by these bloody basters zia, ayub and americans but never gave way to the destruction of this country. people involve him in the separation of Pakistan but it is a fact that he could not accept the six points given by MUJEEB that were not in the favour of Pakistan.
he was clearly told by americans that they will make him a horrible example if he doesnot quit his nuclear project and ……………….he was eliminated. even then if people show suspicious eye then i will have to admit this sentence that” BHUTTO WAS NOT FIT FOR PAKISTAN WHERE HE IS NOT JUDGED BY THE CONTENT OF HIS CHARACTER history reveals that a broken state was given to him and he lifted this supressed nation from ashes and gave tonge to the broken hearts. peole like him are worthy of worship . bhutto rules the hearts of millions in Pakistan and across the border. JEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAY BHUTTO!!!