Part-1
Part 2
Saturday, April 4, 2015
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s anniversary
I had just joined University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore, when ZAB, first Asian elected to Berkeley Council and a graduate from Oxford and Lincoln’s Inn, arrived at Lahore for a historic welcome after resignation as Foreign Minister, founded PPP on 30 November, 1967, at residence of Mubashar Hassan on Main Boulevard, Gulberg. He mesmerised and captured the hearts and minds of youth, awakened workers to demand their rights and restored honour and prestige of a nation devastated by humiliating surrender at Dacca.
ZAB laid down foundations of our sole credible defence by his resolve to acquire nuclear deterrence for Pakistan, brought together warring Muslim nations by holding Islamic Summit at Lahore on 22 February, 1975. It was during his tenure that Pakistan got its unanimously adopted 1973 Constitution, a document which Quaid wanted to be drafted immediately after partition so that the foundations of a modern democratic welfare state envisioned by the founding fathers could be achieved, which objective unfortunately fell victim to the greed of vested powers.
Bhutto believed in foreign policy of bilateralism with emphasis on national interests and a policy of non-interference in the affairs of other countries. He established Pakistan Steel Mills, Heavy Mechanical Complex, Taxila, Port Qasim Authority and Karachi Nuclear Power Plant. It was under his tenure that PIA was restored to profitability by appointing men of integrity and caliber like Rafique Saigol and Nur Khan. Under his tenure employment opportunities increased and recruitment was strictly on merit. He laid emphasis on development of human resources by promoting and subsidising education in sciences, economic and liberal arts, and provision of basic health to poor and deprived.
Complete speech of Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto in London on 36th Martyrdom anniversary of Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto
https://mediacellppp.wordpress.com
Thank you to all of you who have come on what is a very important death anniversary for both Pakistan and the world. Thank you especially to Lord Owen, you provide a vital link between then and now. Thank you also to George Galloway, a friend of democracy and a friend of Pakistan for many years; and to Professor Ian Talbot, a historian and scholar who has made studying Pakistan part of his life’s work.
We are here today to commemorate the life of a man, who was the first democratically elected Prime Minister of Pakistan – Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, an international leader on the world stage. He was also my grandfather.
When I try to think of my first recollection of his existence, I realise that I can’t. I never had the privilege of meeting him, I never experienced the joy of being held by him or of holding his hand, but I have grown up with his constant presence around me – I knew the story of his life without ever having been told it and I have had the honour of studying at Christ Church, Oxford where he also studied – that period of his education which he described as having given him his ‘western mind’ while retaining his ‘eastern soul.’
Like my mother, his life was cut cruelly short. At the age of 51, after lengthy and biased court proceedings he was judicially murdered on 4 April 1979. Thirty-six years ago today.
But I don’t just want to look back, I also want to look forward – to focus on some of the things that I have learnt about him which I believe are as relevant today in Pakistan as they were then.
His vision, his dream to make Pakistan a better place not just for the wealthy few but for the millions; not just for the men but also for the women; not just for Muslims but also for the religious minorities.
To appreciate his life, we also have to cast our minds back to how Pakistan was in the 1970s. Pakistan was still a young country – independent for barely 20 years it had just lost its eastern wing, which had become the independent country of Bangladesh – it had just fought and lost a war with India.
But instead of allowing Pakistanis to give up hope my grandfather revitalised the country. He negotiated a peace with India, brought back 90,000 prisoners of war and regained 5,000 square miles of territory, which had been lost. He restored a faltering country’s pride and set Pakistan on the path to democracy.
Where all had previously failed, he created the consensus to unanimously pass the 1973 Constitution. In a country with different linguistic and ethnic origins this achievement cannot be underestimated. It remains the bedrock of our constitutional stability.
He took politics out of the drawing room – to the man on the street – into the villages, towns and cities across the country. That was the message of the foundation of the Pakistan Peoples Party in 1967.
Under his leadership he formed the Pakistan Peoples Party into a truly national party so that the common man and woman really did feel they had a stake in their country.
Years later, I heard how a political opponent of my grandfather had wept at his death. When asked why he was weeping when he was not even a supporter of the Pakistan Peoples Party, his answer was:
‘No I am not a Pakistan Peoples Party supporter, but it was Zulfikar Ali Bhutto who gave me the right to vote; without him, I would never have been able to vote against him.’
Standing here in Britain where many take one man one vote for granted, you cannot underestimate this achievement. Yes, the system may still be flawed but we have a system to build on and that is what is important – and that is the legacy of Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.
His name remains synonymous with a host of international and domestic accomplishments – from historic agreements at Simla and Tashkent, to his diplomatic rapprochement with China and the Islamic Summit of 1974 held in Lahore.
He was a genius on the international stage, a most consummate diplomat who stood tall at the United Nations, the OIC, and the non-Aligned Movement. Judging by his record, one cannot but feel that he was one of the most brilliant statesmen of his generation.
His passionate belief in an Islamic renaissance had nothing to do with the religious fascism we see today.
As early as 1948, as a young student, he presented a paper on Islamic Heritage in which he wrote and I quote:
‘Many westerners believe that Islam was a danger to Christianity, but this notion is unfounded. At the peak of Islam’s strength, the Christians were treated kindly everywhere and given full liberty to worship according to their ways. The Prophet (PBUH) had frequently stated that the lives, properties and laws of the Christians and Jews were under the protection of God and he said, “If anyone infringes their rights I myself will be his enemy and, in the presence of God, I will bring a charge against him”.’
The Muslim world today is beset by conflict and strife. Fanaticism, intolerance and sectarianism are impeding the march of Muslims into the 21st century. If his alternative vision for the Muslim world, if his work towards peace and cooperation had been allowed to continue, and had been built upon by progressive individuals such as my grandfather and my mother, who knows how different the situation in the world might look today?
While he governed for only four and a half years, during his premiership Pakistan underwent far-reaching reforms. He gave the poor hope with Roti, Kapra aur Makan. His revolutions in healthcare, in education, and with the rights and opportunities he granted to labourers, farmers, industrial workers and women gave birth to the Awami era.
He believed in a strong Pakistan, not reliant on others but self-sufficient and non-aligned. His Research Centres in defence and agriculture, and the drive towards mechanisation laid the basis for a modern, industrial state.
From the Karakoram Highway in the north to the development of Bin Qasim Port in the south, he cast his shadow, opening the country to its neighbours.
Tragically, his assassination in 1979 cut short his achievements. Under the rule of General Zia ul Haq the state fell victim to the beginnings of that religious fascism which we see today when many of the advances made under my grandfather were reversed. During the Zia regime Pakistan had the dubious distinction of being the first country to actually take away rights which had been granted to women.
In order to unravel the democratic process, in the erroneous name of Islamisation Zia introduced a system of behaviour alien to our culture, our history, our laws, our society and our lives.
For those who lived through it, the images of people being flogged and hanged in public were horrific. He institutionalised repression of all political dissent – the period now universally acknowledged as the darkest decade in our history.
It was against General Zia ul Haq’s backdrop of political repression and societal destruction that my mother began her own political struggle – she took up my grandfather’s mantle. Again her life was cut short, by the same religious fanatics spawned by Zia’s regime.
During her last years her constant refrain was against the forces of religious extremism, which she realized – well before others – would threaten the peace and stability of not only our country but also the region and the world.
Today as we are gathered here to remember my grandfather I also wish to remind you of his vision for Pakistan (in his own words):
‘…of a Pakistan whose social standards are comparable to those in parts of Europe. This means a war against illiteracy and ignorance. It means fighting prejudice and obscurantism. It involves the equality of men and women. It demands the mobilisation of the people’s collective energies. It dictates the restoration to the human person, the citizen of Pakistan, of the dignity which is his due. It requires a check on the growth of population and easy access to education and medical care throughout the country. It contemplates better towns and cities and cleaner villages. It poses a hundred challenges. It is a long haul. We have braced ourselves for it.’
Today in 2015, we would like to build on that vision – of a Pakistan working in cooperation to further the democratic process, so that Pakistan has the opportunity of becoming a peaceful, prosperous and progressive state.
It is incumbent on us to reclaim the ideological ground and cultural space ceded to the extremists, where religion provides spiritual solace and does not serve as the basis for violence or division. Pakistan’s original identity is as a people of South Asia, the descendants of the noble Indus civilisation, and the followers of a Sufi tradition who were tolerant of religious diversity and imbued with a love for humanity.
To create a Pakistan which is a pluralistic society – united yet diverse – where people can work, live and travel freely, with dignity and respect we need to confront the challenges – the polarisation – the terrorism – the growing population – the energy and water shortages – and the economic hardships which millions face.
While General Zia ul Haq tried not only to bury my grandfather’s body but also every memory of him, I have been fortunate enough to have found my grandfather in the loving embrace of the poor, the disenfranchised and the less fortunate. Even though General Zia tried to silence him, I hear his voice echo from the majestic Himalayas to the delta of the mighty Indus. I hear his voice in the cries of the mother who has to bury her child, brutally murdered by the Taliban. I hear Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s voice in every anguished cry of the persecuted, and I see him in every Pakistani that still wants Pakistan to be a pluralistic, democratic and modern country.
The face of Pakistan is not General Zia ul Haq or Osama Bin Laden. Pakistan is not the most dangerous state on earth. It is the most courageous. For the true faces of Pakistan are SZAB and all the innocent victims of terrorism; my mother SMBB, the first female Prime Minister of the Muslim world, who sacrificed her life fighting for democracy and the peaceful message of Islam; Shaheed Salman Taseer who spoke in defence of the persecuted minorities; Pakistan’s first Christian federal minister Shaheed Shabaz Bhatti; the more than 150 school children massacred in Peshawar; the heroic schoolboy Atizaz Hasan who embraced a suicide bomber to save the lives of his classmates; our courageous Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousufzai, who did not let a bullet to the head silence her campaign for equality in education.
It is the vast majority of us who are prepared to die fighting these religious fanatics rather than bow before them who are the true faces of Pakistan.
Jeeay Bhutto. Jeeay Pakistan.
Pakistan - Bilawal Bhutto felicitates Christians on Easter
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party has extended a very happy and blessed Easter to the Christian community in Pakistan and all over the world.
In a press statement on the eve of Easter being observed on Sunday, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari reiterated commitment of his Party to the promotion and protection of the minorities and their right to freely observe and profess their religions and celebrate religious festivities.
PPP Chairman said that PPP will continue to pursue its policy of creating interfaith harmony and safeguard the interests of the minorities in Pakistan. PPP has always been against any kind of discrimination on any basis and struggled for equal rights to all the citizens.
He said PPP leaders and workers will join their Christian brethren in the celebrations on Easter.
https://mediacellppp.wordpress.com/2015/04/04/bilawal-bhutto-felicitates-christians-on-easter/
In a press statement on the eve of Easter being observed on Sunday, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari reiterated commitment of his Party to the promotion and protection of the minorities and their right to freely observe and profess their religions and celebrate religious festivities.
PPP Chairman said that PPP will continue to pursue its policy of creating interfaith harmony and safeguard the interests of the minorities in Pakistan. PPP has always been against any kind of discrimination on any basis and struggled for equal rights to all the citizens.
He said PPP leaders and workers will join their Christian brethren in the celebrations on Easter.
https://mediacellppp.wordpress.com/2015/04/04/bilawal-bhutto-felicitates-christians-on-easter/
Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto took politics out of drawing room: Bilawal Bhutto Zardari
Patron-in-Chief of Pakistan Peoples Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said that Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto raised his voice for Muslims as well as all the minorities and his ideology keeps on living still.
Addressing a ceremony held here to observe the Bhutto’s death anniversary Bilawal Bhutto strengthened Pakistan after its division and gave people hope of food, cloth and shelter. He took politics out of drawing room and made PPP a national party, Bilawal added.
Our religion does not permit violence, he said adding that Benazir Bhutto took Bhutto’s mission forward. She sacrificed her life for the message of democracy and Islam, he said adding that PPP would cleanse the system.
he said that the training of his maternal grandfather Zulfikar Ali Bhutto is in his blood.
Addressing the 36th death anniversary of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto on Saturday, he vowed to make Pakistan such country where people could be able to live peacefully.
“The world should know that Pakistan is not a dangerous country in the region. Today the Muslim world is facing conflicts due to the sectarian conspiracy,” he maintained.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that he will fight to correct the system. “My maternal grandfather who was murdered judicially started the struggle to correct the system.”
Addressing a ceremony held here to observe the Bhutto’s death anniversary Bilawal Bhutto strengthened Pakistan after its division and gave people hope of food, cloth and shelter. He took politics out of drawing room and made PPP a national party, Bilawal added.
Our religion does not permit violence, he said adding that Benazir Bhutto took Bhutto’s mission forward. She sacrificed her life for the message of democracy and Islam, he said adding that PPP would cleanse the system.
he said that the training of his maternal grandfather Zulfikar Ali Bhutto is in his blood.
Addressing the 36th death anniversary of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto on Saturday, he vowed to make Pakistan such country where people could be able to live peacefully.
“The world should know that Pakistan is not a dangerous country in the region. Today the Muslim world is facing conflicts due to the sectarian conspiracy,” he maintained.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that he will fight to correct the system. “My maternal grandfather who was murdered judicially started the struggle to correct the system.”
He maintained that Zulfikar Ali Bhutto brought politics out of the drawing room after the division of Pakistan besides strengthen the country.
“Bhutto raised the slogan of ‘Roti, Kapra Aur Makan’. The training of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto is in my blood and I will accomplish this slogan,” he said.
https://ppppunjab.wordpress.com/2015/04/04/zulfiqar-ali-bhutto-took-politics-out-of-drawing-room-bilawal-bhutto-zardari/
Long Live Bhuttoism - Z A BHUTTO !!!
By M Waqar
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was executed on April 4, 1979, a darkest day in the history of Pakistan. Z A Bhutto wrote a book from his death cell, Titled "If I am assassinated," its last pages contained a quote from Russian author Nikolai Dostoevsky: "Man's dearest possession is his life, and since it is given to him to live but once, he must so live as not to be scared with the shame of a cowardly and trivial past, so as not to be tortured for years without purpose, that dying he can say, 'All my life and my strength were given to the first cause in the world - the liberation of mankind.' "
As death stared the Z.A Bhutto in the face, he stared back. His past has no shame of cowardice. His daughter, too, gave her life in courage. "If India builds the bomb we will eat grass or leaves, we will go hungry. But we will get one of our own." This statement by Zulfiar Ali Bhutto should open up our eyes and bring back the passion of patriotism, unity and love for each others for the sake of Pakistan. I would like to express that this man is and was hero of Pakistan. Historians, Retired Judges of the Superior Courts and eminent lawyers have now unanimously admitted that Mr. Z.A Bhutto was hanged by a military dictator General Zia-Ul Haq by orchestrating a judicial trial to get rid of a popular leader.
Z A Bhutto gave Pakistan its first constitution, nuclear programme, held peace talks with India and brought 90,000 POW who were in Indian prison and were going to face war crimes. 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.
Z.A Bhutto was a Legend, who lived and died like a hero with courage, determination and devotion to his principles, when cruel dictator Zia was going to kill him, Z.A Bhutto could sign few papers and could live in exile but he was a real man, he was not a coward. He too could have made a deal and lived to fight another day; but only great men with principles sacrifice their life for their cause.
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto earned everlasting fame in the pantheon of leaders from the Third World 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, Soekarno, Chou-en Lai, and Gamal Abdel Nasser. He belonged to a category of anti-imperialist leaders who included Jamal Nasir of Egypt and Jawahir Lal Nehru of India. He was a brilliant Diplomat who negotiated some of Pakistan's most enduring diplomatic policies as well as bargaining from a position of weakness against Indira Gandhi in Simla.
He was a great diplomat; there is a story that the American President John F. Kennedy was much impressed with 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". A Pan Islamic socialist who weakened the Feudal and tribal system.. He also pushed through Pakistan's nuclear programme despite enormous International pressure. He was also a brilliant politician whose popularity and powerful speeches impressed even his worst opponents. It took a great man to get Pakistan out of the 71 trauma.
Z A Bhutto , A dynamic leader, who stood up against imperialism and looked to China and other progressive countries for an alliance. When he was Prime Minister, the country prospered and was set on a course of industrial and agricultural development. He gained popularity in villages and poor industrial areas. Bhutto was the only true leader in our history who gave us constitution, identity in international relations. You will be surprised to know when Bhutto became as Foreign Minister, at that time; we did not have ambassador level relations with so many big countries of the world like Indonesia etc.
He empowered the poor of his country. Such people like Z.A BHUTTO are born rarely, who will forget his capabilities as an extempore speaker, as an writer, as an diplomat, as an leader and above all as lover of poor. On the day of his martyrdom his opponents called him as a culprit but same are now calling him as an innocent. The simple reason for this is that Zia tried his best to create divisions among people in order to finish the popularity of Bhutto. The irony is all those who hatched conspiracy against him are no more in this mortal world, all of them died a horrible death.
Bhutto was the greatest leader we can think in the modern history. In his book "If I Am Assassinated", Bhutto clearly mentions his fear of 120 million Pakistanis under a defenseless sky in comparison to a nuclear India. What a vision! India could have swallowed Pakistan long ago if thanks to Bhutto we were not an atomic power.
On the economic front Bhutto vision for nationalization was that Pakistanis will work hard like Chinese, but here Pakistanis failed him. The labor and the management of nationalized industry had no interest to take advantage of this opportunity. Using this as a golden opportunity, the industrialists, bureaucrats, and above all corrupt army declared him as an unsuccessful leader. Bhutto loved poor and poor loved Bhutto. This relationship is ever lasting. The first leader who legislated labor laws and enforced in Pakistan and nobody could do it till now. This is the reason of his popularity among labors. He tried to unite the Islamic world. The Pakistan is still under developing country because Bhutto is not alive.
Z.A Bhutto is the first person in Pakistan who has given the voice to the common people. Z.A Bhutto was great charismatic leader, man of masses, top class negotiator, excellent communicator, a visionary, known for mercurial brilliance, wit and a highly well read person. He attracted mammoth crowds where ever he addressed public meetings even in remote regions of the country. He was a man of masses because of his personal charm and charisma and the one who spoke in the language of workers, laborers, peasants and the people in the streets. He would make the people feel that he was one of them, understood them, had solutions to their problems and give them roti, kapra aur makan. He might have given all these things to them if his government had not become target of the establishment's conspiracies.
ZA Bhutto's Powerful Political Legacy Cannot be eliminated. In no time Bhutto had made a tremendous impact all around. As Minister for Fuel and Power, he had diverse explorers tapping into Pakistan's underground hidden energy resources. For the first time Russians were involved in oil and gas exploration. His time as Minister for Science and Technology was well spent. He could measure the advancements made by India in the atomic field. I can't help grieving the tragic death of a Hero who paid with his life to set an ultimate example of principled politics. I hope we honor Shaheed Bhutto by giving to the weak and less fortunate people of Pakistan the gift of unconditional empowerment through democracy and moral governance and not trade his dream for our illusions. Bourgeois battled Bhutto's populist economic and political enforcement, the bourgeois and the petty-bourgeois became ready instruments in carrying out their social propaganda against Bhutto. He was the man behind introducing democracy in the country by kicking out the dictatorial rule and finally gave a consensus constitution of 1973 with guarantees to basic human rights under the supremacy of parliament.
Cruel dictators like Zia and Musharraf are responsible for bringing fundamentalists into the corridor of power, Political Leaders must posses' qualities of power, vision, ethics, courage, knowledge, decision making, integrity, enthusiasms and devotion and should have principles, Z.A BHUTTO had all those qualities. Mr. Bhutto lived consciously to make history and to leave a legacy in the form of the development of his nation. He is right credited with saving Pakistan at the darkest moment of its history, as French President Giscardd' Estaing said he was the man,'' who incarnated Pakistan at a dramatic hour of its history''.
Z A BHUTTO was indeed a great leader, a leader we must salute today; who gave voice to the voiceless and helped them shape their own destiny. It was under his leadership that every Pakistani given the right to passport. Education was nationalized and made available to every child. Scores of Universities were built to turn the children of the discriminated and downtrodden into lawyers, doctors and engineers liberating them from a destiny of backwardness.
Bhutto pushed politics out of the posh drawing rooms into real Pakistan-into the muddy lanes and villages of the poor. The ever-lasting contribution of Bhutto was to raise the consciousness of the people for democracy. He awakened the masses, making them realize they were the legitimate fountainhead of political power. He enlightened the peasants, the industrial workers, the students, the women and the rest of the common people of their importance and of their right of franchise, which is the definite means of bringing changes and improvement in the lives of the common people. He deeply cherished democracy and democratic values and in the end gave his life for the cause of freedom. In the case of Pakistan, he viewed military rule as a negation of the very genesis of the country that came into being as a result of a democratic process and a vote.
Today as the Nation pays tribute to one of its greatest sons; it is destined to move forward in the spirit of Federalism, Democracy, Autonomy and Egalitarianism which he lit through his example of courage in the defense of principles and ideals. Z.A BHUTTO was a people leader, a legend and a poet and he remained so till the last breath in his body. He was a true revolutionary; his revolution was against imperialism, against bourgeois. He was a charismatic leader and his charisma still rules the nation. Z.A Bhutto ruled the hearts of people when he was alive and till date he rules their hearts.
Z.A Bhutto was a principled friend to the poor, downtrodden and oppressed. He was fearless in his beliefs and refused to bow before any man or power other than the Almighty. His contributions to an impregnable Pakistan are seen in the Kamra Aeronautical factory, Heavy Mechanical Complex at Taxila, modernization of Karachi Shipyard, creation of precision engineering works, Pakistan Steel Mills, Port Qasim, Pakistan Automobile Corporation to name a few. By signing the Simla Accord of 1972 he negotiated longest peace between India and Pakistan. His social reforms laid the foundation of an egalitarian society, his non-aligned foreign policy earned Pakistan respect in the comity of nations.
He lifted the nation drowning in a sea of despair to Himalayan heights. The death cell in which his killers kept him failed to break his will or his determination to challenge military rule and stand up as the leader of the people. Bhutto was a modernizer and saw nationalism as the key to unity. He rejected fanaticism. He gave pride to the poor. 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 Ramadan War broke out, he sent Pakistan's military to defend the borders of the Muslim countries including the Golan Heights of Syria. Bhutto's short life of fifty years was spent in the service of many international, regional and national causes. Today Pakistan is at the crossroads. Its policies relating to Nuclear, Taliban, India, Militancy, Religious Parties, Democracy and Economy are in shambles. Shaheed Bhutto believed that the army could protect its institutional competence by keeping out of politics. He said, "Those soldiers who leave the barracks to move into Government mansions lose wars and become prisoners of war as happened in 1971; his words reverberate as a warning and a guide to the country to save its honor, respect, pride and position by reverting to the golden principles that gave it birth. April 4 falls at a time when Pakistan is faced with a critical situation.
The rise of the suicide bomber and armed struggle is reminiscent of an earlier military dictatorship. The tyranny of General Zia's military rule led to the Kalashnikov culture where young men picked up automatic weapons. That culture has reasserted itself under the military dictatorship of General Musharraf. Except that the weapons are more dangerous than the Kalashnikovs of yesterday. Every time a General ruled Pakistan, innocent people were being killed.
