We are pleased to publish an excellent post by our fellow blogger D. Asghar who wrote this article to mark the birthday of Quaid-e-Awam Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto (born 5 January 1928).

Yes it is 5 January. Yes it is my birthday, but I see the same old faces here at Naudero. Pinky and I are, both sick and tired of the empty and hollow slogans that we get to hear, every now and then. “Zinda Hai Bhutto, Zinda Hai Bhutto. Jeeyey Bhutto, Sada Jiyey.”

The fact is that I am dead, my beloved daughter is dead. 31 years for me and 3 for Pinky. The soul of the country, that I truly put first, after our shameful defeat in 1971, is dead. The spirit of survival and revival that I gave to this country has evaporated.

The constitution that I introduced in 1973, has been mutilated. My vision of a block of Muslim unity and brotherhood, as introduced in the 1974 Lahore Summit, is history. The masses who found my voice echoing their sentiments, are disillusioned. My party is no longer the party of the people.

I look at throngs of poor and disenfranchised staring ahead with little hope and too much of despair. No this is not the Pakistan I wanted, with my reforms. Yes, I made my share of mistakes as well, but I wanted a Pakistan with an international stature and standing. Today’s Pakistan is the entire opposite.

I saw a potential in every Pakistani of being the best, he or she could be. My party gave a voice to a common man, perhaps the first time in the history of this gifted nation. At Simla, I negotiated the return of 90,000 of our wounded and impacted soldiers. Yet one of their superior, stabbed me in the back.

I have countless memories of the sham trial staged against me. One of the most painful one is being ditched by my close associates and friends. Tara Maseeh may have physically executed me, but in essence, my soul departed long before that ill fated day of April 04, 1979.

My dear friends, save your slogans. If you really want to remember me, than revive the spirit of Bhutto. Revive the spirit of being the best you could be. Never bow down to the pressure of usurpers and never think yourself as inferior. Get out and organise, revive the zeal of your faith by having confidence in your Creator and your skills. Make Pakistan a modern Islamic Republic, where freedom and justice prevail. Where opportunities are limitless and hopes never dwindle.

Only then you are entitled to the slogan of, “Zinda Hai Bhutto, and Jiyey Bhutto, Sada Jiyey.”

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