While the Pakistan People Party workers and leaders have flocked today to Garhi Khuda Baksh to pay homage to Benazir Bhutto on the first anniversary of her brutal assassination, the irreparable loss her passing caused to the body politic of this nation would be deeply felt even by her detractors.
It was on the basis of her political struggle and training at the knee of a popular leader of Zulifqar Ali Bhutto's stature that she earned the singular honour of being the world's youngest and Muslim world's first female prime minister. Her personal leadership qualities later enabled her to win that position a second time and remain the undisputed leader of a large, if not the country's largest political party.
Benazir's detractors may want to fault her for weaknesses associated with many Third World leaders, which brought her charges of corruption and accusations of making unsavoury compromises with the establishment, yet she continued to command great respect for her sharp political instincts and the maturity acquired over the years both at the helm and in the wilderness of self-exile.
The more recent and significant examples of her acumen, of course, are the Charter of Democracy (CoD) she co-signed with her main political rival, the PML-N leader Mian Nawaz Sharif; and her stance on General Musharraf's dismissal of his nemesis, Chief Justice Iftekhar Chaudhry. The CoD is a historic document that laid a code of conduct for the two major parties' respective pursuit of power in accordance with democratic principles.
Upon return to Pakistan from long years of self-exile under a much-criticised National Reconciliation Order (NRO) to participate in the political process, Benazir ensured that it did not harm her alliance with Nawaz Sharif. When he refused to participate in the national elections held under General Musharaff's rule, she convinced him to reverse his decision since staying out would work in favour of pro-Musharraf elements.
Her last act before she rose in her seat to wave at a crowd and received the fatal injury, according to her political assistant Nahid Khan, was to ask her to put a call to the PML leader so she could commiserate with him over a firing incident earlier that evening in which several of his partymen were killed. With regard to the other raging issue, initially, she may have had her own reasons not to seek the reinstatement of the sacked CJ, nonetheless, she did not take long to respond to popular sentiments, and come out strongly to demand his restoration.
It hardly needs saying that Benazir's removal from the political scene has caused immense damage to the political process. Considering her intellect, sophistication and keen instincts, had she been alive today our political scene would be very different. She would have dealt with both internal and external challenges with her distinctive astuteness and dignity. The contrast in leadership style with the present set of players is too obvious to merit any elucidation.
There may be truth in the adage that no individual is indispensable, but only in situations where the system works properly. Benazir's anniversary, aside from being a sad remembrance, is a reminder that we must build strong democratic institutions. We may have good or bad leaders like any other nation, what will ensure our long-term progress and prosperity is a functioning democracy in which all institutions of the state play their respective roles as assigned by the original consensus Constitution.