Monday, January 5, 2015
ZA Bhutto remembered on birth anniversary with simplicity
President Punjab PPP Manzoor Ahmed Wattoo and party workers observed the birth anniversary of Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto with simplicity.
The cake cutting ceremony was held in the presence of the Secretary General Tanvir Ashraf Kaira, Head of Social Media Shahida Jabeen, MPA Faiza Malik, Sohail Malik, Jahan Ara Wattoo, Bushra Malik, Yasmeen Farooq, Javed Akhtar, Jehanzaib Barki, Abid Siddiqui, Manzoor Maneka, Khalid Butt, Dr. Bangish, and other PPP workers.
Wattoo paid rich tributes to Bhutto by pointing him out as the man who had made labour, farmers, workers, and the citizens at large aware of their rights. He had taught the common person how to get his rights from the elite.
He said that PPP had been advocating the elimination of the terrorists by taking them head on because force was the only language they understood.
The entire political leadership has come to the same conclusion as the point of view promulgated by PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto, and PPP itself. Bilawal, according to Wattoo, believes that terrorists are neither human beings, nor Pakistani, nor Muslims. They must be exterminated without fail and this has to be done by defeating them on their own turf.
Furthermore, Wattoo condemned the attack on the people who were gathered to show their respect to Salman Taseer. He demanded that the Punjab government apprehend the culprits for exemplary punishment. It was not difficult to arrest them because they could be identified from the TV footage, he said.
Wattoo also stated that PPP had agreed to the military courts because that was the only way to root out terrorism in the country.
Pakistan - PPP condemns assault on civil society members in Lahore
http://mediacellppp.wordpress.com/
Pakistan People’s Party strongly condemns the act of vandalism by some fanatics against the participants of a gathering of civil society members to pay homage to the memory of former Governor Shaheed Salman Taseer on his birthday on January 4 in Lahore.
Spokesperson Senator Farhatullah Babar said that the criminal assault on the peaceful gathering of members of civil society members demonstrated the creeping malaise of religious extremism and intolerance that afflicted our country today and which the PPP denounces in the strongest possible terms
The PPP demands arrest of the culprits and punishment to them under the law, he said.The PPP rejects religious extremism and militancy in the name of religion which is threatening the state and society and is determined to resist the fanatics and extremists.
He said that the PPP has always paid homage to Shaheed Salman Taseer for his courage to say an emphatic no to bigotry and fanaticism and will continue to do so.Salman Taseer embraced martyrdom but refused to concede to the self appointed custodians of religion a self assumed right that they alone have the prerogative to understand and interpret the word of Allah, he said.
The memory of Shaheed Salman Taseer will continue to be honored even in distant age and clime by all those men and women who believe in humanity and tolerance and reject bigotry. The arrest and punishment to the culprits is a test case for the government to demonstrate that it really means to take the bull of extremism by the horns, he said. Failure to do so will only show that the regime is running with the hare and hunting with hound.
Pakistan's urbanization: 'A challenge of great proportions'
In about 10 years, nearly half of Pakistan's 188 million people are set to live in cities, compared to only a third today. Analyst Michael Kugelman talks to DW about the South Asian nation's major urban challenges.
The majority of people in Pakistan live in the countryside, with only one-third of the country's estimated 188 million inhabitants currently are in cities. But things are changing rapidly. Pakistan is urbanizing at an annual rate of three percent – the fastest pace in South Asia. The United Nations Population Division estimates that, by 2025, nearly half the country's population will live in urban areas.
By 2025, Lahore's population, currently about seven million, will exceed 10 million. Karachi's will be 19 million; it is 13 million today. But how can the country cope with such migration levels? The inadequate provision of shelter to the urban poor continues to be one of Pakistan's most immediate problems.
Kugelman: 'The country's population size is growing at a rate of several percentage points a year - one of the fastest rates in Asia'
Moreover, the country is plagued by an energy crisis and city roads are usually congested with vehicular traffic, and transit service is unaffordable to most of the urban poor.
Michael Kugelman, a South Asia expert at the Washington-based Woodrow Wilson Center for Scholars, tells DW in an interview about the main factors driving Pakistan's rapid urbanization, how this process is affecting the country's volatile security situation, and how some of the major challenges may be overcome.
DW: What are the main factors driving Pakistan's rapid urbanization?
Michael Kugelman: The chief factor is migration from rural areas. People are moving from the countryside to urban areas in droves, and for various reasons. One is to seek better livelihoods and access to (relatively) better services such as education and healthcare. Those migrating for these reasons tend to be poor and to work in professions hit hard by climate change - such as farmers and fishermen facing droughts and other water-loss problems.
A second reason for migration - one with troubling consequences for stability and security - is war and conflict. For decades, people have been fleeing war-torn rural regions -particularly the Pakistani tribal areas - to seek the relative safety of cities such as Peshawar, Quetta, and in recent years Karachi. Many of these migrating people are innocent civilians caught in the crossfire and uprooted from their homes.
Unfortunately, in recent years militants - including the Pakistani Taliban - have blended in with these fleeing civilians and come to cities as well. This is why the presence of Pakistani Taliban members has increased in Karachi in recent years.
The third chief factor for Pakistan's rapid urbanization is natural population growth. The country's population size is growing at a rate of several percentage points a year - one of the fastest rates in Asia.
What are the main challenges that go along with such a rapid level of urbanization for a country like Pakistan?
The chief one is to provide services for so many new urban arrivals. Even today, it is difficult for cash-strapped and capacity-constrained city officials to provide water, energy, housing, healthcare, and education to their growing masses. And yet with urban populations continuing to increase, this will become even harder to do - and yet the alternative is untold conditions of urban squalor, which could well lead to unrest and radicalization.
The second major challenge is security. With so many people in cities struggling to access basic services, and many unable to do so, the implications for stability are considerable. None of this is reassuring for a country with so many security problems to start with.
How can Pakistan provide affordable housing to its rapidly growing urban population?
This is truly a challenge of great proportions. One major step - which will require political will that may admittedly be lacking at the moment - is for city authorities to cut down on the speculative practices that lead large amounts of precious urban real estate to be seized by profit-minded oligarchs and industrialists. This deprives people of the space and land needed to build homes.
Another necessary reform is for the housing acquisition process to be made more streamlined and less bureaucratic. It can literally take years and years for people to go through the process of identifying a lot and getting permission to move in - such is the level of required paperwork and bureaucracy.
Kugelman: 'For decades, people have been fleeing war-torn rural regions to seek the relative safety of cities'
Additionally, something needs to be done about rent prices. In Pakistani cities, rentals are so expensive that most people prefer to buy a home outright - and yet the poor are often not in a position to buy a home either.
Finally, the private sector must get involved by providing capital, technological know-how, and perhaps even builders to ensure that more homes are built, and quickly.
What about the considerable urban transport challenges faced by Pakistani cities?
The first step is to address capacity constraints within city governments. There are relatively few civil servants in cities that have a background in, or knowledge of, urban transport planning. In fact, few universities even offer courses in this field. Once you have people who know the extent of the problem and how to deal with it, the situation should start to improve. The next step is to upgrade public transport.
To its credit, the current Pakistani government is already doing this, with plans to introduce new fleets of public buses and metro rail systems in some places. What is important, however, is that these new systems be affordable for the poor, and safe for commuters - especially women.
Pakistan is also plagued by a deep energy crisis. What impact is this likely to have on conditions in the ever-growing cities?
Rapid urbanization is both a blessing and a curse for growth and development. Pakistan has a flourishing yet underappreciated IT sector, and urban growth can strengthen this sector - which has urban roots. At the same time, the economy will suffer if you have a potentially large and young urban work force that can't be productive because it does not have access to water and energy and schooling necessary to keep it healthy and educated.
And, of course, when you have such a large number of people in urban areas looking for jobs, the labor market - especially one that is relatively small such as Pakistan's - will have trouble supporting it.
Kugelman: 'With so many people in cities struggling to access basic services, the implications for stability are considerable'
Could the increase in urbanization have an effect on Pakistan's volatile security situation?
Yes, and we can already see it. Among those migrating to cities from rural areas are militants displaced by fighting and military offensives in the tribal areas. Cities like Peshawar - site of the horrific school massacre on December 16 - and Karachi - where the airport was attacked earlier this year - have had a rapid growth of Pakistani Taliban entrants, and both cities have suffered attacks by the group in recent months.
Also, it is important to keep in mind that Pakistani cities are already quite unsafe, and having more people pouring into them will only make the situation more volatile. Karachi offers vivid examples. This is a city with a large though volatile ethnic mix. Many of those entering Karachi in recent years are ethnic Pashtuns, and this could exacerbate ethnic tensions in a city where the most political power is enjoyed by the MQM party, an ethnic Mohajir (migrants from India) group. There are also ethnic Punjabis and Sindhis living in the city.
Another issue is land conflict. Much of Karachi's violence can be attributed to battles for precious land (often seized for speculative purposes). With more people in the city, you will have more people scrambling for less land. As land becomes more precious, the stakes will be higher and hence battles for the land could become bloodier.
Pakistan: Resolve? hardly...
By Gul Bukhari
Several sections of the Pakistan Penal Code provide for punishment of hate speech and incitement to violence. Sections 506, 302, 109, 34 and 153-A are some of the sections in the penal code that may be used in the prevailing environment to prosecute those who are promoting hate violence, or abetting it. In the unique war against terror that the Pakistani government and military has resolved to fight finally, one might have thought the government machinery would have swung into action to strike at the heart of terror in this country: religion based killings. The state did not have to pass new laws immediately, though there is a need to beef up the punishments to make them harsher, commensurate with the severity of the crimes. But no. What did the government do when ‘Dr.’ Amir Liaqat Hussain, together with religious hate mongers (also known as ‘Ulama’ whom Hussain invites regularly to his show)? It got PEMRA to issue a mealy mouthed notice to Geo. And I shall reproduce parts of it below word for word:
“Whereas under section 19 (3) of PEMRA Ordinance of 2002 as amended by PEMRA (amendment) Act, 2007, you are obliged to comply with the terms and conditions prescribed by authority as the same was duly signed by you at the time of award of license.Whereas, during the above programme the guest (Mufti Syed Mohammed Arif Shah Awaisi) passed some objectionable remarks based on hatred against Ahmadi / Qadiani community. The guest claimed that the existing issues of Pakistan are due to conspiracies of Qadianis. Moreover, Maulana Awaisai further claimed ban on death sentence on pressure by Qadiani community.
Whereas, the airing of the above mentioned remarks is in direct violation of clause (1)(a) and (c) of the Code of Conduct provided in Schedule A of the PEMRA rules 2009 and the licence terms and conditions agreed and signed by you read with Sections 19 (5) and Section 20(c) of the PEMRA ordinance 2002 (as amended by PEMRA amendment Act 2007). The said clauses of the code of conduct are reproduced as follows:
“No programme shall be aired which –
a. Passes derogatory remarks about any religion or sect or community or uses visuals or works contemptuous of religious sects and ethnic groups or which promotes communal or sectarian attitudes or disharmony;
c. Contains an abusive comment that when taken in context, tends to, or is likely to expose an individual to or a group or class of individuals to hatred or contempt on the basis of race or cast, national, ethnic or linguistic origin ……” etc. etc.
This is the mealy mouthed ‘notice’ an arm of the government issued to Geo News, without indicting the host of the show or, directly, the channel itself. This is the commitment of the government to ‘rooting out terror’ permanently. It neither dared name the molvis preaching hatred against the Ahmadis, citizens of this country, nor named the host of the show, nor lay blame directly on the channel for having done this repeatedly and having got Ahmadi persons killed in this country.
And aside from this media law, which deals with penalties, the government cravenly failed to bring criminal charges against all concerned in this act of terrorism. Indeed, one person has already been killed as a result of this programme. But all the sections of the penal code that the government could have used to book the criminals involved in this incidence were never used.
Whilst I am a proponent of free speech in general, we are all witness to the fact that hate speech is getting people killed in Pakistan with impunity. The speech, therefore, that is killing people, does not belong in the fundamental rights arena – especially speech designed to persecute and have murdered its targets. Where impunity prevails, we are forced to distinguish between rights therefore: some rights are more equal than others. Right to life is surely more fundamental than the right to spew hate and incite violence and murder?
The first thing the government ought to have done was to book the molvis, the host and the audience under the readily available sections of the penal code. Together, all the codes mentioned earlier cover spreading religious strife, abetment, incitement of violence etc. However, the PMLN government is happy to hide behid PEMRA ordinances and military courts. If it really meant to do justice to the Peshawar APC victims, and all other victims of religious extremists, it would have shown its resolve by indicting the beasts preaching killings openly on national television.
I am sorry – but they have shown anything but sincerity with this act.
India, Pakistan step up border fighting ahead of Kerry visit
Indian and Pakistani troops intensified cross-border firing on Monday, killing an Indian border guard and forcing hundreds of villagers to flee, escalating tensions before visits by top U.S. officials.
India said four Pakistanis planning an attack on Indian soil were killed, although Indian media and opposition parties disputed the official account. The Pakistani army confirmed two civilian deaths from Indian shelling.
Monday's incident, in the Samba district south of Jammu along the international border in Jammu and Kashmir, followed the killing of four Pakistani soldiers by their Indian counterparts on New Year's Eve.
A senior Indian official with the border security force said they had retaliated against machine gun and mortar attacks on about 60 positions along a more than 200-km (125-mile) stretch of the border on Monday.
"Pakistani rangers fired rocket propelled grenades in villages near the border and our men have responded," the officer told Reuters.
Amid the growing hostility, India's security agencies last week declared a nationwide alert to avoid militant strikes in the lead-up to visits by top U.S. diplomat John Kerry and PresidentBarack Obama later in January.
Kerry is due to speak at the weekend before an investment summit in Gujarat, at the furthest end of the Pakistani border from Kashmir, the organizers said. Obama will attend India's Republic Day military parade on Jan 26.
Indian media say Kerry will also visit Pakistan, but officials in Islamabad have not confirmed that.
Tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors have ratcheted up since Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called off peace talks in August, with sporadic rounds of heavy shelling pounding civilian villages along a previously peaceful stretch of border.
The South Asian rivals, who have fought two wars over Muslim-majority Kashmir, have traded blame for an upsurge in firing and shelling that started in October last year.
Last week, the clashes stretched beyond the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir and touched international waters when Indian Coast Guards said a Pakistani fishing boat laden with explosives blew up in the Arabian Sea.
Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Sunday accused India of pursuing a low-intensity war by starting unprovoked firing on the international borders.
At least 4,000 Indian villagers have fled their homes since New Year's Eve, officials said, and similar numbers are believed to have fled border areas on the Pakistan side. Indiaclosed schools near the border and postponed exams on Monday.
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto!!!! - (January 5, 1928-April 4, 1979)
By M Waqar
January 5, we celebrate birthday of Z A Bhutto, a leader, politician, revolutionary, who after his execution in Pakistan on April 4, 1979, still lives on in the hearts and minds of millions of Pakistanis, and the party that he founded still possesses the largest permanent voting bank in Pakistan. The possibility of the secular, democratic Pakistan that he had in mind, like Pakistan 's founder, Jinnah has earned ZAB the title of Quaid-i-Awam . Z. A. Bhutto has still more charisma than any politician in Pakistan. Mr Bhutto was inducted into office as the President of Pakistan in 1971 and was removed in 1977, both events took place around midnight; one in the wake of a war and the other in the shadow of a civil war. In between he gave the country what even his sympathizers and admirers would concede was a 'strong' government, he mobilized his country's first mass-based political party around a socialist ideology and highly independent foreign policy.
Pakistan's modernizer Zulfikar Ali Bhutto left deep footprints in the sands of history. To his lasting credit remains the 1973 Constitution of the country, the Shimla Accord of 1972 which brought the longest peace between India and Pakistan, the social reforms to build an egalitarian society, the non-aligned foreign policy, the nuclear programme and the building of the social, economic and military infrastructure of the country. He was a thinker, author and orator. He was deliberate, discreet, and competent; honest, upright and keeper of his covenants. He was a friend of the poor, downtrodden and oppressed. Fearless in his beliefs he refused to bow before any man or power other than the Almighty. His courage was such that he preferred to face death for his beliefs and embraced martyrdom. He had profound faith in freedom and the liberation of humanity. Under his government, Pakistan gave overt and covert support to the African nations than under apartheid and minority rule. He rejected fanaticism. He gave pride to the poor.
He gave voice to the voiceless and power to the powerless of the country. He helped them shape their own destiny and the destiny of their country. He was a man of honour who gave honour and raised the honour of his country and his people. He was able to do this because the people of the country from Khyber to the shores of the Arabian sea in Karachi loved him and supported him. Bhutto brought back 90,000 prisoners of war, prevented their war crime trials and also restored the territory lost on the battlefield. As leader of the Third World he spoke boldly against racism, colonialism and imperialism. He fearlessly defended the right of nations to independence. When the 1973 Ramazan war broke out, he sent Pakistan's military to defend the borders of the Muslim countries, including the Golan Heights of Syria. ZAB's short life of 50 years was spent in the service of many international, regional and national causes. The most important and the most enduring legacy of the Quaid-i-Awam was raising the consciousness of the people for democracy. He awakened the masses, making them realise they were the legitimate fountainhead of political power. He enlightened the farmer, the industrial worker, the student, the woman and the rest of the common people of their importance and of their right of franchise, which is the definite means of bringing changes for the betterment of the lives of the common people.
Z. A. Bhutto's rule brought a transformation of Pakistan's rules of the game, a new populist style of governance, a new governmentality, he favoured a much more active role of the state in relation to society, he reshaped the economic and political landscape of Pakistan. He reached out to masses, aroused their feelings and disciplined their minds. The role of Bhutto family in the uplifting of the poor is unforgettable. Z A Bhutto is the first person in Pakistan who has given voice to the common people. Z. A. Bhutto remains alive in hearts of millions of Pakistanis. It was a miracle that in less than half a decade a defeated nation had become a significant entity in the comity of nations. Pakistan had friends all around the globe from Africa to the far corner of Asia and from Europe to South America. We were regarded as a nation which had proved itself. Pakistani manpower was exported in the Middle East and the statesmanship of Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had started bearing fruit. Under Z A Bhutto's rule, a new vision of Pakistan was born. Within a few years of the defeat in 1971, Pakistan began to see itself not as some beleaguered non-entity in South Asia, as the Indian establishment was prone to see it, but as a strategically located middle-sized power straddling the two worlds of South and West Asia, uniquely poised to take advantage of a host of geopolitical possibilities and enjoying widespread support among the Islamic states. He is one of the few Pakistani leaders that energized the nation and gave it a sense of optimism.
Z A Bhutto, saw the future of Pakistan. Like Jinnah he outwitted Indira Gandhi at Shimla and formed alliances with various world leaders, from Sadaat, to Boumediene to Qaddafi to Faisal. Pakistan survives today because of those alliances that enabled him to build the Nuclear bomb. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto understood the geo-political realities of the region. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto has earned a place in the pantheon of leaders from the Third World who earned everlasting fame in the struggle against colonialism and imperialism. He had the privilege of interacting with many of those leaders who played a great role in the epic struggle for national independence in the 20th century, including Mao Tse Tung, Ahmed Soekarno, Chou-en Lai, Gamal Abdel Nasser and Salvador Allende. During the period between the end of the Second World War and the end of the Cold War, the world was divided into two blocs: The Capitalist West and the Socialist East. All these leaders aspired to aspects of a socialist pattern of economy. Bhutto shared their faith in a leading role for the public sector as an instrument of self-reliance. Bhutto's foundation of the PPP was a setback for the reactionary forces in a country long dominated by the Right. The slogan of "Food, Shelter and Clothing" shifted the focus of Pakistan politics from theological to economic issues. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had the courage of his conviction to decide to lay down his life rather than compromise or seek appeasement. The last chapter of his life is a glorious example of martyrdom for the cause of resurrection of democracy. At the time of his overthrow, Bhutto was emerging as a spokesman of the World of Islam and the leader of the Third World. The age of Bhutto was an Age of Revolution, he was the architect of the China Policy, Pakistan Steel Mill, Agriculture Reforms. Although his life and career were cruelly terminated.
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto will forever shine in history as one of the Great leaders who took part in the liberation of the Third World from the yoke of Imperialism and Neo Colonialism during the Twentieth Century. He could have easily entered into a deal, as others did, at the cost of principles, to save his life and move out. How cruel it strikes to bring down such a sincere leader like Bhutto with rare caliber, competence and integrity, Bhutto never colluded with generals, he confronted them. Mr. Bhutto remains a memorable figure . He commanded the allegiance of millions of people inside Pakistan, across the Muslim world and in the Third World as a hero of the people. His leadership gave pride to his followers, to his Nation and to oppressed people everywhere. He conquered the hearts of a Nation through supreme qualities of leadership, vision, intellectual breadth, charisma, dauntlessness, bravery, boldness and a programme for political redemption of an exploited people, he built the foundations of education and industrialization in the country. He liberated the small farmers and peasants from the repression and cruelty of big landlords and banished the jagirdari and sardari system declaring that all citizens are born equal and must live with equal rights. The Taliban, the terrorist groups and the new war against terror are the direct result of the overthrow of the modernizing government of Z. A. Bhutto and its replacement by a clique of military officers that cynically used the name of religion to promote their own illegal stay in power.
Quaid e Awam was murdered but his memory lives on in the monuments he built. It lives on in his ideas. And it lives on in the hearts of all men and women who believe that humanity can only progress when there is tolerance, freedom, dignity and equal opportunity for all. Pakistan survived due to the leadership of a bold and courageous leader, a people's leader, who had the vision to break the shackles of poverty to emancipate his people and lead them into a new decade of glory, strength and achievement. Quaid e Awam built the most modern schools, colleges, universities, professional colleges, vocational training institutes, including Quaid-e-Azam University, Allama Iqbal Open University, Chandka Medical College and many others. He built hospitals to take care of the sick and poor. He opened the way for the middle classes to develop and prosper in the fields of medicine, engineering , law and other specialist studies. He introduced peaceful nuclear energy to help treat cancer setting up the first cancer treating institutes in the four provinces of Pakistan. He built roads in the tribal areas and the Northern areas knowing how poor and oppressed people in the distant areas of Pakistan were. Internationally, using his experience as Foreign Minister, he hosted the Islamic Summit Conference in Lahore. It was at this conference that the Palestinian Liberation Organization was recognized as the authentic voice of the Muslims. He advocated closer relations with the Muslim countries arguing for a common economic bloc with banking and other financial institutions long before regional blocs became identified as the economic way forward. Bhutto pushed politics out of the posh drawing rooms into real Pakistan - into the muddy lanes and villages of the poor. Bhutto's inspiring leadership filled Pakistanis with hope, energy and strength. There was a sense of purpose and direction in the country in pursuit of peace and prosperity. The economic growth rate increased and money poured in from expatriates who got the universal right to passport. The Muslim countries donated roughly $500 million annually to Pakistan, freeing it of international financial institutions. The people got jobs and opportunities. Women of the country were emancipated entering the police force, Foreign, Civil Service and subordinate judiciary for the first time in the country's history.
There is a story that the American President John F. Kennedy was much impressed with the then Foreign Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. When they met, Kennedy walked with him in the Rose Garden and said, "Bhutto, if you were an American, you would be in my Cabinet". To which Zulfikar Ali Bhutto smilingly replied, "No, Mr. President. If I were an American, you would be in my cabinet". Z A Bhutto, was highly skilled negotiator and an international statesman, he secured the agreement between USSR and Pakistan, he signed an agreement with China on demarcation of the Sino-Pak boundary. When he became President, Pakistan had innumerable problems, but he was not a man to be cowed down by knotty problems, he was in fact, a dynamo of inexhaustible and boundless creative energy, he was born to solve problems , he had to tackle the problems of shattered country by a methodical system of fixing priorities. Bhutto the adroit politician and statesman tackled the difficult problems of his country one by one with devotion, determination and patriotic zeal and solved them successfully. Since his assumption of power this great man of vision and destiny, equipped with resolute will, extraordinary intelligence and seething patriotic zeal fought successfully against the landlords, capitalists, industrialists, religious fanatics, corrupt bureaucrats, saboteurs, foreign intriguers and spies, he stood like a rock against all odds and achieved national unity, he worked hard for the emancipation of the exploited working class and illiterate masses. His cruel and barbaric murder by military despots caused revulsion across the globe, Z A Bhutto dedicated his life to remove the sorrows from the hearts of the poor and the oppressed, to remove the tears from the children of his poor nation. He lived consciously to make history and to leave a legacy in the form of the development of his nation, his fight was a fight against the policies of IMF, which serve to perpetuate the backwardness of the developing nations.
Bhutto is rightfully credited with saving Pakistan at this dark moment in its history, as French President Giscard d'Estaing said, "he was the man who incarnated Pakistan at a dramatic hour of its history. Tolstoy in the last volume of his War and Peace expressed that history is a movement of ideas in which political leaders play a minor role. Sometimes the movement of ideas is indeed rapid. Yet, at times, the movement of ideas is slower than the melting of the glaciers. The movement of ideas is facilitated in a vibrant political and democratic culture, which gives room for dissent and disagreement. In dictatorial societies, history remains static in a cold freeze. And so it was in Pakistan before Quaid-i-Awam. He was the one who converted that static and decayed dictatorial polity into a vibrant and dynamic democratic society; the cost of which he paid with his own life. He who gave his blood, and the blood of his sons and daughter,
Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, knew that there can be no sacrifice greater than the sacrifice for the people whose respect, honour and dignity is the respect and dignity of the Nation. Quaid e Awam made the people proud of themselves and of their Nation. The 20th century has seen many great leaders, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto is one of them. Due to his glorious achievements, Mr. Bhutto rules the hearts of the Pakistani people from his grave. He was not only the leader of Pakistan, he was the leader of an Islamic world, the leader of Third World. He will forever be remembered by his countrymen as Quaid-e-Awam. As his followers say, "Zinda Hai Bhutto, Zinda Hai"--Bhutto lives, he lives. Indeed he does, in the hearts of all those who dream of a better tomorrow. Long Live Bhuttoism….
January 5, we celebrate birthday of Z A Bhutto, a leader, politician, revolutionary, who after his execution in Pakistan on April 4, 1979, still lives on in the hearts and minds of millions of Pakistanis, and the party that he founded still possesses the largest permanent voting bank in Pakistan. The possibility of the secular, democratic Pakistan that he had in mind, like Pakistan 's founder, Jinnah has earned ZAB the title of Quaid-i-Awam . Z. A. Bhutto has still more charisma than any politician in Pakistan. Mr Bhutto was inducted into office as the President of Pakistan in 1971 and was removed in 1977, both events took place around midnight; one in the wake of a war and the other in the shadow of a civil war. In between he gave the country what even his sympathizers and admirers would concede was a 'strong' government, he mobilized his country's first mass-based political party around a socialist ideology and highly independent foreign policy.
Pakistan's modernizer Zulfikar Ali Bhutto left deep footprints in the sands of history. To his lasting credit remains the 1973 Constitution of the country, the Shimla Accord of 1972 which brought the longest peace between India and Pakistan, the social reforms to build an egalitarian society, the non-aligned foreign policy, the nuclear programme and the building of the social, economic and military infrastructure of the country. He was a thinker, author and orator. He was deliberate, discreet, and competent; honest, upright and keeper of his covenants. He was a friend of the poor, downtrodden and oppressed. Fearless in his beliefs he refused to bow before any man or power other than the Almighty. His courage was such that he preferred to face death for his beliefs and embraced martyrdom. He had profound faith in freedom and the liberation of humanity. Under his government, Pakistan gave overt and covert support to the African nations than under apartheid and minority rule. He rejected fanaticism. He gave pride to the poor.
He gave voice to the voiceless and power to the powerless of the country. He helped them shape their own destiny and the destiny of their country. He was a man of honour who gave honour and raised the honour of his country and his people. He was able to do this because the people of the country from Khyber to the shores of the Arabian sea in Karachi loved him and supported him. Bhutto brought back 90,000 prisoners of war, prevented their war crime trials and also restored the territory lost on the battlefield. As leader of the Third World he spoke boldly against racism, colonialism and imperialism. He fearlessly defended the right of nations to independence. When the 1973 Ramazan war broke out, he sent Pakistan's military to defend the borders of the Muslim countries, including the Golan Heights of Syria. ZAB's short life of 50 years was spent in the service of many international, regional and national causes. The most important and the most enduring legacy of the Quaid-i-Awam was raising the consciousness of the people for democracy. He awakened the masses, making them realise they were the legitimate fountainhead of political power. He enlightened the farmer, the industrial worker, the student, the woman and the rest of the common people of their importance and of their right of franchise, which is the definite means of bringing changes for the betterment of the lives of the common people.
Z. A. Bhutto's rule brought a transformation of Pakistan's rules of the game, a new populist style of governance, a new governmentality, he favoured a much more active role of the state in relation to society, he reshaped the economic and political landscape of Pakistan. He reached out to masses, aroused their feelings and disciplined their minds. The role of Bhutto family in the uplifting of the poor is unforgettable. Z A Bhutto is the first person in Pakistan who has given voice to the common people. Z. A. Bhutto remains alive in hearts of millions of Pakistanis. It was a miracle that in less than half a decade a defeated nation had become a significant entity in the comity of nations. Pakistan had friends all around the globe from Africa to the far corner of Asia and from Europe to South America. We were regarded as a nation which had proved itself. Pakistani manpower was exported in the Middle East and the statesmanship of Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had started bearing fruit. Under Z A Bhutto's rule, a new vision of Pakistan was born. Within a few years of the defeat in 1971, Pakistan began to see itself not as some beleaguered non-entity in South Asia, as the Indian establishment was prone to see it, but as a strategically located middle-sized power straddling the two worlds of South and West Asia, uniquely poised to take advantage of a host of geopolitical possibilities and enjoying widespread support among the Islamic states. He is one of the few Pakistani leaders that energized the nation and gave it a sense of optimism.
Z A Bhutto, saw the future of Pakistan. Like Jinnah he outwitted Indira Gandhi at Shimla and formed alliances with various world leaders, from Sadaat, to Boumediene to Qaddafi to Faisal. Pakistan survives today because of those alliances that enabled him to build the Nuclear bomb. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto understood the geo-political realities of the region. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto has earned a place in the pantheon of leaders from the Third World who earned everlasting fame in the struggle against colonialism and imperialism. He had the privilege of interacting with many of those leaders who played a great role in the epic struggle for national independence in the 20th century, including Mao Tse Tung, Ahmed Soekarno, Chou-en Lai, Gamal Abdel Nasser and Salvador Allende. During the period between the end of the Second World War and the end of the Cold War, the world was divided into two blocs: The Capitalist West and the Socialist East. All these leaders aspired to aspects of a socialist pattern of economy. Bhutto shared their faith in a leading role for the public sector as an instrument of self-reliance. Bhutto's foundation of the PPP was a setback for the reactionary forces in a country long dominated by the Right. The slogan of "Food, Shelter and Clothing" shifted the focus of Pakistan politics from theological to economic issues. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had the courage of his conviction to decide to lay down his life rather than compromise or seek appeasement. The last chapter of his life is a glorious example of martyrdom for the cause of resurrection of democracy. At the time of his overthrow, Bhutto was emerging as a spokesman of the World of Islam and the leader of the Third World. The age of Bhutto was an Age of Revolution, he was the architect of the China Policy, Pakistan Steel Mill, Agriculture Reforms. Although his life and career were cruelly terminated.
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto will forever shine in history as one of the Great leaders who took part in the liberation of the Third World from the yoke of Imperialism and Neo Colonialism during the Twentieth Century. He could have easily entered into a deal, as others did, at the cost of principles, to save his life and move out. How cruel it strikes to bring down such a sincere leader like Bhutto with rare caliber, competence and integrity, Bhutto never colluded with generals, he confronted them. Mr. Bhutto remains a memorable figure . He commanded the allegiance of millions of people inside Pakistan, across the Muslim world and in the Third World as a hero of the people. His leadership gave pride to his followers, to his Nation and to oppressed people everywhere. He conquered the hearts of a Nation through supreme qualities of leadership, vision, intellectual breadth, charisma, dauntlessness, bravery, boldness and a programme for political redemption of an exploited people, he built the foundations of education and industrialization in the country. He liberated the small farmers and peasants from the repression and cruelty of big landlords and banished the jagirdari and sardari system declaring that all citizens are born equal and must live with equal rights. The Taliban, the terrorist groups and the new war against terror are the direct result of the overthrow of the modernizing government of Z. A. Bhutto and its replacement by a clique of military officers that cynically used the name of religion to promote their own illegal stay in power.
Quaid e Awam was murdered but his memory lives on in the monuments he built. It lives on in his ideas. And it lives on in the hearts of all men and women who believe that humanity can only progress when there is tolerance, freedom, dignity and equal opportunity for all. Pakistan survived due to the leadership of a bold and courageous leader, a people's leader, who had the vision to break the shackles of poverty to emancipate his people and lead them into a new decade of glory, strength and achievement. Quaid e Awam built the most modern schools, colleges, universities, professional colleges, vocational training institutes, including Quaid-e-Azam University, Allama Iqbal Open University, Chandka Medical College and many others. He built hospitals to take care of the sick and poor. He opened the way for the middle classes to develop and prosper in the fields of medicine, engineering , law and other specialist studies. He introduced peaceful nuclear energy to help treat cancer setting up the first cancer treating institutes in the four provinces of Pakistan. He built roads in the tribal areas and the Northern areas knowing how poor and oppressed people in the distant areas of Pakistan were. Internationally, using his experience as Foreign Minister, he hosted the Islamic Summit Conference in Lahore. It was at this conference that the Palestinian Liberation Organization was recognized as the authentic voice of the Muslims. He advocated closer relations with the Muslim countries arguing for a common economic bloc with banking and other financial institutions long before regional blocs became identified as the economic way forward. Bhutto pushed politics out of the posh drawing rooms into real Pakistan - into the muddy lanes and villages of the poor. Bhutto's inspiring leadership filled Pakistanis with hope, energy and strength. There was a sense of purpose and direction in the country in pursuit of peace and prosperity. The economic growth rate increased and money poured in from expatriates who got the universal right to passport. The Muslim countries donated roughly $500 million annually to Pakistan, freeing it of international financial institutions. The people got jobs and opportunities. Women of the country were emancipated entering the police force, Foreign, Civil Service and subordinate judiciary for the first time in the country's history.
There is a story that the American President John F. Kennedy was much impressed with the then Foreign Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. When they met, Kennedy walked with him in the Rose Garden and said, "Bhutto, if you were an American, you would be in my Cabinet". To which Zulfikar Ali Bhutto smilingly replied, "No, Mr. President. If I were an American, you would be in my cabinet". Z A Bhutto, was highly skilled negotiator and an international statesman, he secured the agreement between USSR and Pakistan, he signed an agreement with China on demarcation of the Sino-Pak boundary. When he became President, Pakistan had innumerable problems, but he was not a man to be cowed down by knotty problems, he was in fact, a dynamo of inexhaustible and boundless creative energy, he was born to solve problems , he had to tackle the problems of shattered country by a methodical system of fixing priorities. Bhutto the adroit politician and statesman tackled the difficult problems of his country one by one with devotion, determination and patriotic zeal and solved them successfully. Since his assumption of power this great man of vision and destiny, equipped with resolute will, extraordinary intelligence and seething patriotic zeal fought successfully against the landlords, capitalists, industrialists, religious fanatics, corrupt bureaucrats, saboteurs, foreign intriguers and spies, he stood like a rock against all odds and achieved national unity, he worked hard for the emancipation of the exploited working class and illiterate masses. His cruel and barbaric murder by military despots caused revulsion across the globe, Z A Bhutto dedicated his life to remove the sorrows from the hearts of the poor and the oppressed, to remove the tears from the children of his poor nation. He lived consciously to make history and to leave a legacy in the form of the development of his nation, his fight was a fight against the policies of IMF, which serve to perpetuate the backwardness of the developing nations.
Bhutto is rightfully credited with saving Pakistan at this dark moment in its history, as French President Giscard d'Estaing said, "he was the man who incarnated Pakistan at a dramatic hour of its history. Tolstoy in the last volume of his War and Peace expressed that history is a movement of ideas in which political leaders play a minor role. Sometimes the movement of ideas is indeed rapid. Yet, at times, the movement of ideas is slower than the melting of the glaciers. The movement of ideas is facilitated in a vibrant political and democratic culture, which gives room for dissent and disagreement. In dictatorial societies, history remains static in a cold freeze. And so it was in Pakistan before Quaid-i-Awam. He was the one who converted that static and decayed dictatorial polity into a vibrant and dynamic democratic society; the cost of which he paid with his own life. He who gave his blood, and the blood of his sons and daughter,
Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, knew that there can be no sacrifice greater than the sacrifice for the people whose respect, honour and dignity is the respect and dignity of the Nation. Quaid e Awam made the people proud of themselves and of their Nation. The 20th century has seen many great leaders, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto is one of them. Due to his glorious achievements, Mr. Bhutto rules the hearts of the Pakistani people from his grave. He was not only the leader of Pakistan, he was the leader of an Islamic world, the leader of Third World. He will forever be remembered by his countrymen as Quaid-e-Awam. As his followers say, "Zinda Hai Bhutto, Zinda Hai"--Bhutto lives, he lives. Indeed he does, in the hearts of all those who dream of a better tomorrow. Long Live Bhuttoism….
Remembering the stalwart Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto
Today marks the 87th birth anniversary of a former Prime Minister of Pakistan and the founding father of Pakistan Peoples Party Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. The man who is commonly known as the leader of the people, was born today on 5th January 1928.
One of the most famous politicians of the country, one of the most renowned world leader and the man with extraordinary qualities Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was born in Larkana Sindh in an influential Rajput family. The man who was aware of the political conditions of his region from an early age got education from University of Southern California (USC) where he even volunteered for Pakistani embassy in United States of America.
Bhutto was well aware of political scenario of newly born Pakistan and wanted to work for the development of his country even in his teen age. His enthusiasm gave him the ticket to President Iskander Mirza’s cabinet and he was made the youngest member of Pakistani delegation to United Nations.
The man who read books like William Sloan’s biography of Napoleon and the Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx at a very early age became one of the most vocal leaders in United Nations. His popularity made him an essential part of Ayub Khan’s government and there is no doubt that he was the man who built strong bonds of friendship with neighboring state China. His fallout with Ayub Khan gave birth to Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) on the political map of the country which later became the most popular national party. The party that had the belief “Islam is our faith, democracy is our polity, socialism is our economy. All power to the people.”
ZAB was a Pakistani nationalist and socialist his concept brought Pakistan closer to socialist China and his stances gave a signal of thunder to west about the emergence of Asia as a strong region. Bhutto also made strong relations with Muslim states like Saudi Arabia and Indonesia as he believed in Muslim unity. He knew it well that the development of country was based on strong allies and that’s the reason that he formed new one.
Bhutto was charismatic no matter where he was standing he was always known as a stalwart. From tearing Untied Nation’s papers in Security Council to winning Indira Gandhi over Simla conference his steps were always applauded. The man who is known as the leader of the people and father of the nuclear weapon was executed on 4th April 1979. Bhutto’s execution made him a legend, even though he is no more today but the cult of Bhutto lives on.
Zardari stresses need to uproot terrorism on ZAB birth anniversary
Former president and Pakistan People’s Party leader Asif Ali Zardari has asked the party leaders and workers to celebrate the birth anniversary of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto with simplicity in the wake of Peshawar tragedy.
In a statement issued here late Sunday night, Zardari said that extremism and militancy will have to be uprooted.
He said it was encouraging that the nation had decided to eliminate terrorism as it celebrated Bhutto’s birth anniversary.
Pakistan - Mian Manzoor Ahmad Wattoo pays tribute to Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto
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Mian Manzoor Ahmad Wattoo, President Punjab PPP, observed the birthday anniversary of Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto with simplicity as per the decision of the Party at Model Town Secretariat here today along with office bearers and workers. In the cake cutting function Tanvir Ashraf Kaira, Secretary General, Sohail Milk, Faiza Malik MPA, Jahan Ara Wattoo, Head of Social Media, Shahida Jabeen, Bushra Malik, Yasmeen Farooq, Jehanzaib Barki, Javed Akhtar, Manzoor Maneka, Abid Siddiqui, Khalid But, Dr. Bangish and PPP workers were present. Mian Manzoor Ahmed Wattoo paid rich tributes to Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto who made labor, farmers, workers, harries and have-nots conscious of their rights and also how to get these from the elite who were an embodiment of their exploitation. He added that Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto granted the people of Pakistan right of vote on the basis of adult franchise for the first time and now parliamentarians were directly elected by them unlike in the past when they were elected by the BD members or councilors who constituted the Electoral College. He said that the PPP had been advocating the elimination of terrorists by taking them head on because force was the only language they understood as civility was devoid of them. He stated that the entire political leadership had come to the same conclusion which was the vindication of the standpoint of the Chairman Bilawal Bhutto and the PPP. The Chairman held that terrorists were neither human beings, nor Pakistani or Muslims and they must be exterminated without fail by defeating them on their turf. He said that Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto gave constitution to the nation that had secured the federation of the country despite many ups and downs since then. He strongly condemned the attack of misguided miscreants who attacked the people and the media who were gathered in Lahore to show their respect to Salman Taseer. He demanded the Punjab Government that the culprits must be apprehended for exemplary punishment. It was not difficult to arrest them because they could be identified easily from the TV footage, he said. It will be a test case, he maintained. While replying to a question, Mian Manzoor Ahmed Wattoo said that the PPP agreed to the establishment of military courts as the only mechanism to root out terrorism form the country adding there were only for the period of two years and would be dealing with the cases of terrorism referred by the federal government.
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