Adil Najam
On the first death anniversary of Benazir Bhutto we had carried a post asking “What if she had not been killed?” Today, on the 22nd death anniversary of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto (ZAB) it may be a good time to ask the same question about him.
On previous anniversaries of ZAB’s death we have asked you to comment on Mr. Bhutto and his legacy and about the rationale and reasoning given for his death by his nemesis, Gen. Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq. This time let us think a little about what his death meant for Pakistan – and, thereby, for all the rest of us.
Of course, one expects a lot of naara baazi from both his supporters and his detractors. That is merely to be expected. But beyond the black and white slogans there was the man and the legacy of the man that has clearly impacted much of what has happened since his death, especially because of the nature of his removal.
Indeed, one could suggest that there are at least two separate questions here: What might have happened had Zia Ul Haq’s coup not happened and if Bhutto had lived on? And, what might have happened if Bhutto had not been hung after the trial?
How might have the PPP evolved in either of those cases? What would these have meant for Pakistan’s politics as a whole? And Pakistan’s economy and foreign relations? Pakistani institutions?
I am not presupposing any answer, nor am I suggesting that these are questions that can be logically answered precisely. But they may be questions worth thinking about today; not just to speculate about how might have happened, but much more important to think about how our acts of political expediency today can have long and deep shadows – nearly always unintended, quite often consequential, and sometimes historically disastrous even for those who orchestrate them.
1. Pakistanis would have been spared the 10 year reign of terror of Zia ul haq.
2. Nawaz Sharif would have reached the high point of his career based on his intellect alone; a small time scrap iron merchant.
3. Bhutto would have never allowed the wahabi clerics from Saudi Arabia to conduct their disastrous social experiment in pakistan by opening all these terrorist spawning madrassas.
4. Bhutto would have never allowed Pakistan to be dragged into the Soviet / Afghan war. He would have never allowed all those Aghan refugees to come pouring into pakistan. He would have never allowed Pakistan to become a conduit for CIA arms supply to the Afghan Mujahiddin.
If Bhutto had lived, we would indeed have a different Pakistan today. A flourishing democracy, sound and stable political
institutions, educated and informed public, and a growing economy. Zia ul haq and his so called “rufuqas” destroyed everything.
ZAB should be applauded not criticized for taking the bold move of abandoning the unsustainable peg of the rupee to the dollar at Rs 4.76.
That was economic madness.
With ZA Bhutto $ went from Rs 5 to perhaps 12.VW car from Rs.9000 to 30,000, Toyota Corona fully loaded,from 12000 to God knows how much as it dissappeared.
At that rate I think PPP has made progress.Imagine if it had stayed in power all along!!!!!!!!!!
Of the many sad things that happened was that the PPP totally lost its way. Today it has NOTHING to do with ZABs ideology. Ideaologically it is difficult to see what difference there is between it and any other party in Pakistan. In fact, in many ways it is now MORE right-leaning than even PML(N) as we saw after Salman Taseer’s murder. Had Bhutto lived I think he would have maintained at least some of that ideology and we would have a more strong multi-party system than just a bunch of parties around personalities with no ideological basis.
Best result of that would have been that Zardari would never have become President. In fact, I think someone like like ZAB would never have allowed his daughter to marry someone like Zardari.