On this day in 1979, a tragedy of unfathomable proportions unfurled in the shape of martyrdom of Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, a leader of the masses who had given them identity and hope and who strived for their deliverance from the never-ending exploitation. But those who perpetrated this heinous crime on the people of Pakistan did not realise that though they could eliminate the man physically they could not decimate the spirit which Bhutto had instilled in the hearts of the teeming millions and the vision that he had bequeathed for the future of Pakistan.
It is said that there are leaders who are created by history and catapulted to dizzying heights and there are also leaders who create history and barge into the hall of fame through their contribution to national and global causes. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was undoubtedly a leader who created history. He was a born leader and a man of irrepressible strength, destined to play the role of a saviour for the down-trodden masses and charter a constitutional path for Pakistan in line with the vision of its creator. Though he had a feudal background and received education at Western universities but the political philosophy and the brand of politics he practised, were an antithesis of his roots. These claims about Bhutto are not the rhetoric of a demagogue or the passionate convulsions of a die-hard devotee. His achievements stand substantiated by history.
After the Dhaka debacle, he lifted the spirit of the crest-fallen nation and re-invigorated the urge to make a fresh start. He gave the country a consensus constitution that set the direction the country had to follow to achieve the objectives of its creation. He successfully negotiated the repatriation of ninety thousand POWs and the retrieval of the territory captured by India.
A visionary like him could not remain oblivious to the changes occurring in the geo-political and security situation in the region and the future course of events on the global level. To ward off the dangers to the security of Pakistan on a permanent basis he initiated the nuclear programme to achieve parity with India. He triggered the process of building regional linkages and laid a firm foundation for an eternal friendship with China; a policy that has benefited Pakistan in many ways. He had very strong commitment to the cause of Kashmir and advocated a hard line posture towards India. In fact his differences with Ayub Khan on the Kashmir issue were the cause of estrangement between the two and ultimately the launching of the PPP in 1967. The cornerstone of his foreign policy was building an ambience of bonhomie and co-operation between the Islamic countries which he set into motion through the holding of the Islamic Summit in Lahore in 1974. He emerged as an unrivalled leader of the Islamic world as well. The initiative tremendously benefited Pakistan as it received generous assistance from the oil-rich Gulf states and Saudi Arabia for its development needs. Millions of Pakistani skilled and unskilled workers got jobs in those countries as well as had the opportunity to travel to European countries owing to the fact that the Bhutto regime had extended the facility of passport to each and every Pakistani which hitherto was the privilege of the elite. The remittances of these Pakistani expatriates are now the biggest source of foreign exchange for the country and arguably form the backbone of the economy of the country. He announced a new labour policy, increasing the rights of the workers and the powers of the trade unions. He gave voice to the voiceless masses, a voice and power hitherto denied to the marginalized sections of the society. He introduced land reforms under which one million acres of land were taken over and distributed among the landless farmers. He was aware of the significance of strengthening the economy. He nudged and nurtured the growth process by establishing heavy industries like the Steel Mills, the Heavy Mechanical Complex and the Kamra Aeronautical Complex.
Unfortunately his successes on the external and internal front turned out to be his nemesis. Through an international conspiracy he was removed from power and eventually physically eliminated through a judicial murder. He stood true to his conviction that he expressed in his letter to Benazir Bhutto while in jail "It is better to die at the hands of a dictator than to die in history" He preferred to sacrifice his life for the masses and the cause of democracy and attained immortality in history. He indeed is a benefactor of Pakistan.
Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto during his life-time groomed his daughter Benazir in the art of politics instead of his sons to carry the mantle of fulfilling his mission. He could see in her the prowess, courage and political sagacity that was required to carry forward his legacy. Benazir proved to be his worthy heir. Fired by the vision and the spirit bequeathed by her father, she fought against the dictators like a man. She achieved the distinction of the first women Prime Minister of a Muslim country. Unfortunately, the nexus between the establishment and the rightist forces that crystallised in 1977, and was instrumental to Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto's martyrdom, played its hand again and her government was sacked after eighteen months. Her second stint as Prime Minister also met the same fate. But what is remarkable about her brief tenures is that following the footsteps of her father she strengthened the defence of Pakistan through the acquisition of missile technology, induction of mirage planes and Agosta sub-marines. She triggered off a silent social revolution in Pakistan by unleashing a process of women emancipation and empowerment through establishment of first women Bank, Women Police and the appointment of women judges in the judiciary. She also initiated a programme of Lady Health visitors which provided thousands of jobs to women in the health sector. This programme is invariably claimed as a showcase initiative of Pakistan by every government with regard to the economic emancipation of women. Like her father she became a martyr of democracy.
The popularity of the philosophy bequeathed by Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and the credentials of PPP being the party of the masses is manifestly clear from the fact that whenever the elections were held in Pakistan, the people reposed their trust in the party. Another factor worth noticing is that each time the PPP came into power, the country was in a state of crisis. The party not only had to rake the mess created by the dictators and the wrong policies of the so-called democratic rulers, but also to take new initiatives in line with its pro-masses manifesto.
When the present government was voted into power in 2008, the country faced an existentialist threat from the phenomenon of terrorism and religious extremism, the economy was in shambles, the provinces were not happy with the autonomy that they enjoyed; there were differences over the distribution of resources from the divisible pool; Balochistan was seething with insurgency; the constitution needed to be restored to its original shape, the judges and media needed to be unshackled; matters relating to the empowerment of women needed to be further strengthened and the people of Gilgit-Baltistan had to be given self-rule. After four years we can look back with satisfaction due to the fact that most of these issues have been resolved and discernible headway has been made in the other fields. Above all, President Zardari guided by the vision of our martyred leaders has successfully staved off the anti-democracy forces and the elected government is poised to complete its mandated tenure. A smooth transition of power is in sight. That in itself is a laudable contribution to the strengthening of democracy in the country. This could not have been possible without the inspiration, vision and philosophy bequeathed by our martyred leaders, particularly Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, who continues to live in the history through the epoch-making step that he and his party has taken. To the cynics and the detractors of the party and the government I can only quote this couplet "Gardo Ghubar Baithey Ga Tow Jan Jao Gay Kia Inqlab Gardashe Dauran Mane Agaya" (When the dust settles down you will come to know what a revolution has taken place in the pace of time). (The writer is the Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting)