A pat for Bilawal

— D Asghar

His clear, no nonsense stand on terrorism and terrorists is his strength. Those at the helm of affairs must take notice of what was said in very plain and simple language by their youngest opponent

In a country where perhaps a nine-year-old can sing an ode glorifying modern day brutes and barbarians, what if I jot a few lines in favour of their ideological nemesis? Before I am chastised for buttering up to the heir-apparent of the Bhutto dynasty, let me clarify something for the idle and often empty minds. Being a dual citizen, I will perhaps be unable to vote for him, come 2018. So, take a deep breath and chill. I remember doing a write up on him on these pages, when he was in my neck of the woods way back in 2012. The title of the column was ‘The rookie chairman’ (Daily Times, May 31, 2012); for curious minds, it is worth a read, demonstrating my straightforward, no nonsense critique of this budding politico.

There is an ongoing debate, which basically trashes the concept of political dynasties. You will find people airing their vehement opposition to the concept. I laugh when people provide their moronic reasons about how they do not want two families to dominate the leadership of this blessed nation. I often wonder and want to ask these great democrats of this day and age: how many Muslim countries can boast of being functioning and true democracies? In our case, out of 66 years, how many years have seen a democratic set up able to function? Then, as I said earlier, I will say it again; will Bilawal Bhutto Zaradari come in the contingent of the 111 Brigade or with your vote? Find a worthy opponent and let him/her give Bilawal a tough fight at the polls. As they say, if you can't handle the heat, better step out of the kitchen. Nothing in the constitution bars a politician’s son or daughter from contesting. Entry into this arena should be wide open to a street vendor and to a member of the elite alike. This is the true essence of democracy and equality.

When Bilawal and his allies talked about the Sindh Festival on Twitter, I was a bit cynical and critical, like many others. In my opinion, the timing of the festival was a bit odd because people are in the grip of never ending terror. These people perhaps would not give a damn about their culture and roots when their core existence is being challenged. Looking at the response from the people, I must admit I was a bit off in my assessment. A lot of people suddenly became archeologists on the social media as soon as they heard that the opening ceremony was being held on the ruins of Mohenjo Daro. Fear mongering and critique hit the Twittersphere about how a party would be held at the historical site, which could potentially ‘ruin’ the ruins. Perhaps it was political envy that took over the better sense of many. There were assurances from specialists that the site would not be impacted adversely. Despite the opposition and reservations, Bilawal’s media team did a fantastic job and the opening ceremony went extremely well.

Without going into the various programmes that were held to bring joy and laughter back into the lives of the fear and grief stricken people, let us jump to the ending of the festival in the historic city of Thatta. This is where a 25-year-old Bilawal, in his accented Urdu, spoke directly from his heart. Often you could feel that it was his late mother thundering from the dais — perhaps in his DNA and genetic makeup.

One can chuckle here and there over his honest, straightforward delivery but one cannot ignore or discredit his message. For a 25-year-old, he is as clear as day about his vision and how he wants to carry this country forward. The current lot of senior politicos who constantly dither, who are confused, afraid, disillusioned and disconnected from reality ought to take some clue from him. Bilawal resonated with the Pakistanis who are sick and tired of living in fear, and advocated their basic right to life and existence.

His clear, no nonsense stand on terrorism and terrorists is his strength. Those at the helm of affairs must take notice of what was said in very plain and simple language by their youngest opponent. I agree with his point: you can dislike him as a novice lad, an elite class child born with a silver spoon, but you cannot disagree with his stance when it comes to eliminating the menace of terror. Yes, he offers a ray of hope while others run around in circles either lying, obfuscating or presenting ‘what if’ scenarios.

What people often forget is that when it comes to your birth, you have no control over the circumstancs. Once you grow up, you do have the ability to make clear choices — the choice to be either on the right or wrong side of history. While I see that Benazir spark in Bilawal, I have my concerns for his safety. The forces of darkness, which want to prevail in this country, once could not fathom and digest his mother’s return and the affection of the masses towards her. The same forces of evil do not like anyone following in her footsteps and steering this country towards a modern and progressive republic. To them, anything modern is equated with being western. They forget that doing right is noble and just, and is neither eastern nor western. To chime in with someone who envisions a peaceful, prosperous and modern Pakistan is the right thing to do. A very humble request to young Bilawal: please carry the same message to the other provinces as well. You may have your roots in Sindh but you are the son of this whole country. God speed son. Stay safe and stay blessed.