Bilawal Bhutto: '' The son also rises ''

Editorial:Daily Times

Twenty four-year-old Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, son of President Asif Ali Zardari and former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and current Chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party, launched his political career on Thursday with a fiery speech before the tens of thousands who had flocked to the Bhutto family’s ancestral graveyard, Garhi Khuda Baksh, to observe the fifth anniversary of Benazir Bhutto’s assassination. Bilawal’s speech comes several months before national elections are expected to be held. He is too young to participate in the elections himself — the minimum age is 25 — but is bound to be a key asset for the ruling PPP. The question is, with Bilawal, can we hope to see a fervent return to the liberal and progressive ideology that the PPP has been associated with and revered for in the past? Even critics of the party cannot deny the impact of Bilawal’s speech. Whipping up the emotions of the crowd, he spoke remarkably, with feeling but logically, and his beautiful, lyrical speech sounded like poetry, not prose. He sounded uncannily like his mother and grandfather, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, both gifted — and self-taught orators and among the finest leaders Pakistan has produced. Bilawal’s mastery of the Urdu language has silenced all those who were sceptical about him for being raised abroad. Bilawal defended the achievements of the PPP during its tenure — progressive legislation, economic growth, fighting terrorism — and spoke out against the incessant meddling of the agencies. He also took a swipe at the judiciary, which has clashed with the current government, and asked why those arrested for involvement in Benazir’s murder have yet to be convicted. Many, however, were left wondering why the party has not done more to push the investigation forward during its over four years in power and whether we will ever see closure. At a time where the PPP has been criticized for not taking a stronger stand against terrorism, Bilawal spoke bravely against militancy and paid tribute to Salmaan Taseer, Shahbaz Bhatti, Bashir Bilour and Malala Yousafzai. He made it clear that fighting terrorists is his highest priority — not only because they snatched his mother from him but because they currently pose the greatest existential threat to Pakistan. Bilawal also spoke in favour of gender equality, something that must be highlighted and welcomed. Although critics are quick to denounce what they deem “heirloom politics”, it is a fact that dynastic politics has long been a part of the political culture in South Asia. The positive aspect here is that, as his father said in his speech on Thursday, Bilawal is currently on a learning curve and taking time to understand how to handle the grave challenges that lie ahead. Bilawal is also younger and representative of a new generation replete with modern ideas — whether related to energy, the economy or the internet — and new mechanisms. He will bring new energy to the tasks, and this is something to be celebrated. He may be the right person to mobilize Pakistan’s greatest asset, its youth, which makes up 65 percent of the population. This is also the PPP’s chance to harness one of its greatest assets — its workers or so-called jiyalas and perhaps Bilawal can be the one to put his finger on that pulse and bring about the change that is so desperately needed. Irrespective of who wins the next elections, the party’s responsibilities and determination to tackle Pakistan’s very serious problems remain very much on the agenda.