The first child of Z. A. Bhutto and Begum Nusrat was born on this day, 21st June 1952, with rosy cheeks. He was named Benazir – a Persian and Urdu name that exactly means ‘matchless, unique, and unparalleled’. Noticing the colour of her cheeks, the happy father immediately called her Pinky, which became her nickname in the house and with her parents during their lifetime. Benazir proved herself to be a brilliant child and a matchless political icon, carrying forward the Bhutto dynasty’s legacy.
We lost her 19 years ago on 27 December to terrorists and suicide bombers – she had vowed to purge the country of their scourge. Were these terrorists acting alone, or were some dark faces of the deep state involved in this tragic act of eliminating Bhuttos? First, they executed the senior Bhutto; second, they killed his elder son; and third, his political successor and the heir of Bhuttoism. Can this be a coincidence? This chain of murderous events reflects minute planning in the ruthless barracks of the agents of death and blood to perpetuate their capture of state resources at the cost of the common populace.
These dark forces fear the power of the populace and abhor the people’s awareness. They cannot tolerate political parties with strong roots in the masses. They have been in this game since the very inception of this country. They inherited willing partners, created and trained in the art of political adaptability and sycophancy by the British colonisers to rule their possessions.
These political dynasties are now in the fourth or fifth generation and have been shamelessly propping up undemocratic forces, partnering in their autocratic and sham democratic rule. They are corrupt to the core like their patrons.
The senior Bhutto also belonged to a privileged dynasty but talked of the common man. He captured the minds and hearts of the people by his sheer wit, intellect and intelligence and quickly climbed the ladder to reach the apex position of the political hierarchy in the country. The Soviet leaders were impressed by him when he was hardly 33 years old. Bhutto was a politician of the masses. He felt high while mixing with adulatory crowds. It was difficult, if not impossible, to fill the vacuum left by the sudden disappearance of Bhutto from Pakistan’s political landscape after a tumultuous political dominance of over a decade.
The UN team also did not receive any cooperation from the local administration in the investigation of her ruthless murder. It looked as if this was the murder of an ordinary soul rather than the assassination of a leader of world fame
Benazir inherited the political mantle of this giant politician and steered the party, rekindling hope in the teeming masses against all odds. She inspired people and revived their revolutionary zeal for change. The adulatory crowds welcoming her everywhere in the country testified to her status as the symbol of the Federation of Pakistan. The intriguers with long knives hidden in their cloaks were out to strike.
Their target was the male heir of Bhutto – an anathema to the establishment. He was to be removed first, as he could have been the ultimate inheritor of the political heritage of the Bhuttos. His blood was shed just a few yards away from the Bhutto residence – 70-Clifton – in a ruthless police encounter. This was done when she was in power. This enigma would remain unsolved forever: how the intriguers were able to strike when a Bhutto was in power.
However, the murder of Murtaza made it easy for them to dismiss her government, forcing her to go into exile. But she managed to work out her return to the country either through a deal or a compromise. She was warned of security threats to her life, which she took in her stride and showed courage, fearlessness and resilience to resume her fight for democratic and representative governance.
Certain forces were clearly not pleased with her daring return. She had a hairline escape on 18 October. But she lost 150 of her ardent workers. An enormous tragedy. This could have wrecked the nerves of any political leader, however brave he or she might have been, but it did not deter her from resuming her political campaign. She proved herself a lady of steel nerves.
She travelled the length and breadth of her home province and Punjab. She was planning to enter Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after her last address in Liaquat Bagh. She was resolute in her determination, but the stars of fate above in the heavens were shedding a mysterious shine on her angelic face. She had a mammoth and jubilant public attendance and was brimming with gratification after witnessing the adulatory crowds running with her vehicle.
Who was the mysterious person who ill-advised her to stand up in her otherwise bulletproof vehicle to address the crowds? Was he a close confidant that she listened to?
No sooner had she stood up through the sunroof of her vehicle than the terrorist triggered the blast. She slumped into the vehicle with a stream of blood oozing out of her neck. Was it a bullet wound or an injury caused by the sunroof latch of the vehicle? Her vehicle’s wheels were smashed, and it could not move. The second security vehicle with Malik Rahman, her security in charge, had rushed to Zardari House. She was rushed to the hospital in another vehicle. It was too late. The angel of death was quicker.
The administration quickly hosed down the site of the crime, which is itself a crime of a serious nature and carries a punishment of seven years for destroying evidence. Her case was conducted by ordinary prosecutors despite advocates of high calibre in the party like Barristers Aitzaz, Farooq Naek and Babar Awan. One of the prosecutors, Zulfikar Shah, was murdered during the pendency of the case.
Another eyewitness, Khalid Shahinshah, who attracted enough attention by his mysterious gestures during her speech, went into hiding for some time. But as soon as he resumed his duty at Bilawal House, Karachi, he was gunned down. No investigations were carried out into these two murders, though her party was in power in Sindh and the Centre.
The UN team also did not receive any cooperation from the local administration in the investigation of her ruthless murder. It looked as if this was the murder of an ordinary soul rather than the assassination of a leader of world fame.
When the court announced the judgment in her murder case, a former officer of the Pakistan Administrative Service from Sindh remarked to me, “Did you hear the verdict of the court in the case of the abandoned woman?” I could not hold my tears back.