You cannot murder a legacy -by Saria Benazir
“My mother always used to say that democracy is the best revenge”.
The very statement symbolized the audacity of the teenager and his adherence to the democratic principles of his martyred mother, Benazir Bhutto. The 19 years old Bilawal Bhutto Zardari now stood as the Chairman of the largest political party of Pakistan – the Pakistan Peoples Party. The day billowed with woe, anguish and ordeal, but a spark of hope stroke every empathy – an optimism that was evident in his eyes and every gesture – for he was now prepared to lead the party and thus, prove that “You cannot murder a legacy”. Numerous interrogated about the fate of the Pakistan Peoples Party, following Shaheed Mohtarmah Benazir Bhutto’s assassination, and the young Bhutto’s words provided an answer to all :
“It (PPP) was not handed to me like some piece of furniture. The party asked me to do it and I did”.
On September 21, 1988, the most celebrated and politically controversial baby in the history of Pakistan had been born. The streets echoed with the slogans of “Jeay Bhutto” – for Bilawal came to be the first grandson of the Leader of the People, Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. The extent of merriment on the birth of the child carries an amusing flash of emotions, as one goes through Benazir Bhutto’s memoirs: “Seventy Clifton was deluged with thousands of congratulatory telegrams, letters, and cards. All the flower and cake shops were sold out. Many of the hundreds of cakes delivered to the house came iced in the red, green, and black colors of the PPP. I sent on most of them, as well as the flowers, to political prisoners in Karachi jail, to the nursing staff and patients at the hospital, and to the homes of the families of martyrs. Asif sent others to the orphanage near the racecourse where he used to play polo. There were stories and cartoons in the newspapers about the baby: The Baby That Fooled the President. I put them in a baby book for him.”
The name “Bilawal” means “one without equal” and over the years, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has proved that. The blood of Bhutto flows through him and he has revealed his commitment to the people of Pakistan, after spending numerous birthdays in the absence of his father, President Asif Ali Zardari, who had been imprisoned for the “fake” corruption charges against him. As a teenager, Bilawal said: “I have gone through lots of things and he wasn’t there. At the time when we needed him, he was taken away. We were denied a normal life.” Ever since his childhood, he saw his parents, fighting for the rights of the commons of Pakistan and to make “Bread, Clothing and Shelter” available to everyone. His family was suffering to secure the future of the millions of children, who had no access to education, nor possessed any health facilities. In 2004, a farsighted Bilawal looked both to the past and the future when he said: “My grandfather was a very courageous man and I consider myself very lucky because I have three powerful role models that will obviously influence my career choices when I am older.” And four years later, after the atrocious assassination of his mother, Shaheed Mohtarmah Benazir Bhutto, at the age of 19, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had been thrust into front-line politics in one of the most chaotic countries in the world. And he didn’t let down the hopes of millions of the devotees of the Bhutto family.
The Bilawal, we all know – a Black Belt in Taekwondo and a graduate from the Christ Church College, Oxford completely understands the plight of the people living in Pakistan. In his famous address to the PPP Parliamentarians, he won the hearts of the masses by crying out :
“Sar chahiyai, sar hum daiy gay, khoon chahiyai, khoon hum daiy gay, jan chahiyai jan hum daiy gay…”
Representing the cause of Pakistan on international forums, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has proved to be the true son of the soil. In his recent address at the Conference on Development and People’s Access at the ICAPP in Nanning, he emphasized that drones, raids and unilateral actions were not the answers, “Dialogue, deterrence, development and democracy is the only roadmap to peace…. My country lies wounded as a victim of terror. We don’t lack the will. We lack the means. We are neither complicit nor are we incompetent. We lack capacity to face the world’s enemies on our own. At a time of global recession and natural disasters, when Pakistan requires sympathy, support and assistance from the west we are met with suspicions, accusations and deionisation”.
His words “took my first breath in Lyari. Special place in my heart for Lyari. Want so much more for Lyari…” alone stand as a crest of his ever enduring dedication to the people of Pakistan. The 23rd birthday of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari brings a hope of an educated and prosperous Pakistan.
“So apparently I get an extra early birthday this year? If anyone needs ideas for a birthday gift I’d like peace in KHI please. #DOB 21/09/88”
Uplifting article that gives us hope in these dark times. When Bilawal was born, we were rejoicing at the return to democracy after the dark times of Zia ul Batil. It was Camelot with SMBB leading the way. We need to get there again. Thanks for writing this Saria.
Son of most corrupt parents on the surface of earth. What should we expect from their product???? His father Zardari is raping Pakistan relentlessly while his mother tried to fullfil US agenda relentlessly.
Inthe article the author has mentioned his speech to Parlimentarians. Only morons can not understand that he was told to act like a hollywood actor. But alas he cant act also!
“My mother always used to say that democracy is the best revenge”.
I believe there is an unarticulated context to the usage of the word “democracy”, and specifically in how Benazir Bhutto, your mother, used it.
This can, for instance, be gleaned in the following presentation she made at the Council on Foreign Relations on August 15, 2007, just before her sanctioned return to Pakistan:
cfr.org/publication/14041
That presentation video is here – a must watch for the family of Benazir Bhutto and the Pakistanis caught in the whirlwind of puppetshows beyond their making:
cfr.org/pakistan/conversation-benazir-bhutto-video/p14048
What lends some forensic context to that presentation at the CFR is this analysis by yours truly:
Who Killed Benazir Bhutto? In her own words:
print-humanbeingsfirst.blogspot.com/2008/02/who-killed-benazir-bhutto-herownwords.html
Benazir Bhutto was victimized at least three times (by my counting).
First time by fate. She was born into circumstances beyond her control wherein fate, not talent, thrust greatness upon her. She ran with that crown, sometimes wearily, sometimes with aplomb and remarkable strength rising to every occasion and refusing the hemlock each time, to the best of her acumen. And like all such imposed greatness which is thrust upon mere mortals, she succumbed to it.
The second time by her loved ones and supporters, so called, who used her to climb the ladders of power which their own mediocrity would never enable despite being favored house niggers of the massa. To understand that difficult but obvious concept, see my recent essay The Niggers of Pakistan.
But the third time is when her own progeny today is unable to parse what happened to their mother, to their grandfather, to their uncles and aunts, in the geopolitical chess game on The Grand Chessboard — a game in which they were, and their memory still is, a mere pawn to be moved around…. Even to this day, they continue to labor under the mythologies which have been handed them by the same grandmasters who were the killers of their mother, their grandfather, their uncles…
It is impossible to accept the assassination of one’s entire family — especially men and women so distinguished by a hereditary name. A name which the people of Pakistan in significant majority respected, and still do. Such respect has not been the fate of many a wanna-be in Pakistani politics, and like the Kennedys of America, the Bhuttos of Pakistan have shared a fate only the divine comedy can unravel.
My profound sympathies to Benazir’s children, nephews and nieces… the innocent victims of the curse on the House of Agamemnon which they seem as unable to break as their mother caught in the circumstances beyond her control.
That curse is dragging Pakistan and its peoples along with it…. The only way out of it is also obvious, and it was indeed obvious to Benazir Bhutto as well. She was however more attached to Faust than to breaking that curse… her progeny evidently has inherited the same.
Yes you cannot murder a legacy — you can murder the legatees!
In sadness,
Zahir Ebrahim
Project Humanbeingsfirst.org
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