By M Alam Brohi
On the 2 nd December 1988, the stage was set in the grand and sprawling presidency in Islamabad for the swearing-in of a young, intelligent and a beautiful lady as the Prime Minister of Pakistan after the oppressive Martial Law of 11 years. The history of this nation was being rewritten. The designated Prime Minister was hardly 35 years and was taking over as the first elected leader of a conservative Muslim country. The ceremony illustratively represented a triumph over suppression, a victory over sufferings and a vindication of constitutionalism over dictatorship. The presidency reverberated from time to time with thunderous slogans of political activists who had toiled in sweat and blood for this day.
This iconic young lady was Benazir Bhutto, the brave daughter and political heiress of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto who had started grooming her in the art of politics and diplomacy when she was a teenage girl. She along with her mother inherited the leadership of the biggest political party of the time, Pakistan People’s Party, after the execution of her illustrious father by the Martial Law authorities on 4 April 1979. The following years were a grueling journey of grief, solitary confinement, oppression and fear, and a triumphal return from exile. In all these years, the groundswell in the mass support for Bhuttos helped the two women display courage, strength, forbearance and resilience in the face of the oppressive military dictatorship rekindling hope for the dawn of democracy, freedom and rule of law.
Bhutto had struggled hard to reawaken the masses against the dark forces of status quo. Even after his overthrow by his treacherous military chief, he emerged as the sole champion of democracy and liberty challenging the military junta and their political and judicial partners banding shamelessly against him. Unfortunately, this tragic tale of our history signified the callous elimination of a genius by an unholy alliance of obscurant forces and the suppression of light by darkness, of freedom by tyranny, of enlightenment by dogmatism, of advancement by regression. Bhutto was liberal, secular, progressive and involuntarily revolutionary. His foes, steeply enmeshed in religiosity, dogmatism, regression, were voluntarily counter revolutionary and determined to extinguish the light that Bhutto had diffused over this land.
Unconscious of the ill will of evil stars in the dark and merciless skies and the vicious smile of the destiny; she scheduled her last public meeting in Rawalpindi on 27 December 2007.
They feared the spark of revolution this man was involuntarily radiating.
The PPP of Bhuttos stood for the people’s rights, and was committed to the cause of the poor masses. Thus, the harsh political conditions unleashed by the military regime galvanized it to stand solidly behind the leadership of Begum Bhutto and Muhtarma Benazir Bhutto. The party had that class of workers who, when diminished in numbers, showed more courage. They were flogged and confined to dungeons. With every lash striking their naked back, they shouted Jiye Bhutto (long live Bhutto). Nothing is more touching than the agony overflowing in devoted acclamation. Their valour in the face of the tyranny and barbarian punishments was indescribable.
The masses voted Benazir Bhutto into power in 1988 and 1993 despite formidable odds. Certainly, she was destined to have her third term as Prime Minister in February 2008. But the deep conspiracy for her assassination woven by her not-so-invisible enemies succeeded in martyring this iconicleader.
Unconscious of the ill will of evil stars in the dark and merciless skies and the vicious smile of the destiny; she scheduled her last public meeting in Rawalpindi on 27 December 2007 before moving to KPK and Balochistan in the run up to February 2008 elections. The venue was the infamous Liaqat Bagh (Garden). She had pulled a mammoth crowd. The sprawling space of the garden was filled to the brim. She was in a combative mood throwing thunderous challenges to the militants and the dogmatic, intolerant and anti-democratic forces. She kept the people spellbound with her firebrand and brilliant speech for over an hour. As she was leaving the venue, there were charged groups of workers around her vehicle chanting slogans, and obstructing the move of her small caravan. She stood up to wave to the workers.
Her enemies were waiting in wings for this opportune moment to strike.
There were few revolver shots followed by a powerful explosion. She slumped down in the hands of her companions sitting in the car with blood oozing from her neck. The second security car had speeded to Islamabad with Rehman Malik, the chief of her security squad, riding in it. Benazir was shifted in another vehicle and driven to the hospital. But it was too late. The angel of death was quicker. The doctors tried in vain to resuscitate her but the last icon of Bhuttos; the last hope of a democratic and progressive Pakistan; the chain of the Federation of Pakistan; the indisputable leader of the underprivileged had already succumbed to her neck wound and massive loss of blood. A dark cloud of gloom and anger engulfed the horizon of her land she had so eagerly sought to retrieve from the iron clutches of dark forces of dictatorship and religious bigotry.
She had come of age and learned her lessons in the trying years of political wilderness and exile. She had returned to Pakistan with a new resolve. She wanted to make amends for her past political errors. She wanted reconciliation, democracy and economic prosperity in the country. She wanted to work hand in glove with other political leaders to attain these lofty objectives. She wanted to leave behind a country free from bigotry, sectarianism, intolerance and ethnic and tribal fragmentation. Her slogan was ‘national reconciliation and tolerant politics’ Her person, her resolve, her objectives were a threat to some vicious forces which conspired together to remove from the scene this towering national leader of Pakistan; this thundering voice of the masses; this pride of Sindh, leaving millions of Pakistanis to mourn her tragic death.
https://dailytimes.com.pk/703754/would-anyone-fill-the-political-vacuum-left-by-benazir-bhutto/
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