Bilawal Bhutto makes political debut at emotional rally in Pakistan

He stood yards from the tomb of his mother, a two-time prime minister killed by Islamic militants exactly five years before, and that of his grandfather, a prime minister and president ousted in a military coup and hanged by a dictator, and told the huge crowd filling the open ground in front of the white domed mausoleum that there were "two powers" in his homeland, "those on the right path and those on the path of lies".
bilawal speech - 27th December 2012 by Malik_Jee On Thursday Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the 24-year-old only son of Benazir Bhutto and the heir to one of the most powerful, famous and controversial political dynasties in the world, made his formal debut in the turbulent and often lethal world of Pakistani politics at an emotional rally in a small village which is his family's ancestral home in the south of the country. "Bilawal has arrived. This was a huge step. It was make or break for him," said Nadeem F Paracha, a well-known columnist with Dawn newspaper after the speech. Less than three years ago, Bhutto junior was studying history and politics at Christ Church college, Oxford, a target for tabloid journalists but few others. Now he is probably the most high-profile target in a country hit by wave after wave of extremist violence. Bhutto spoke of the sacrifices made by members of his family, workers of the Pakistan People's party (PPP), and others such as Shia Muslims shot dead in ongoing sectarian violence and Malala Yusafzai, the 15-year-old schoolgirl and activist for girls' education who was shot and badly injured by militants in October and is now recovering in a British hospital. "How long you will go on killing innocent people? … if one Malala will be killed, thousands will replace her. One Benazir was killed; thousands have replaced her," Bhutto told the crowds. Observers noted that Bhutto's Urdu, the national language which he has had to hastily learn since his return to Pakistan to take up his political heritage, was, if still accented, much improved. "He does not believe in being the anointed prince. He wants to earn the respect of the party workers and of the people of Pakistan," said Farnahaz Ispahani, a former PPP member of parliament and a confidant of the Bhutto family. More than 5,000 police had been deployed to protect the event. Helicopters hovered overhead.Though only able to contest elections in September after his 25th birthday, Bhutto's presence will nonetheless be a powerful boost in campaigning over the coming months. "Bilawal grew up with his mother as his father was in jail for a long time. He went with her to rallies and was with her in top-level meetings. His beliefs – in pluralism, democracy, human rights – mirror hers," said Ispahani.Benazir Bhutto died when leaving a political rally in the northern city of Rawalpindi while campaigning for elections in 2007 after nearly 10 years in exile. Her killers have never been conclusively identified, though most experts and intelligence services believe Islamic extremists were responsible. The PPP won the postponed polls held after her assassination to gain power. Party officials told the Guardian on Thursday that Bilawal, who was educated at private English-medium schools in Pakistan and in Dubai after his mother went into self-imposed exile in 1999, would contest his mother's parliamentary seat when he was old enough. Last year Fauzia Wahab, a presidential aide and Bhutto family friend, said Bilawal carried "a heavy burden" as he "had the Bhutto genes". Benazir Bhutto's father, Zulfiqar, rode to power on an anti-poverty platform before being deposed and eventually executed in prison by the military dictator Muhammed Zia-ul-Haq in 1979. Both he and his daughter are routinely referred to as "shaheed" or "martyred" in Pakistan. Bhutto told the crowd on Thursday that the PPP stood for "food, clothes and shelter" for the common man, purposefully using a slogan from his grandfather's campaigns. Bhutto, who friends say reads history avidly, also appeared well aware of the potential cost of his new role. "The PPP is not just a political party. This is our life," he said.