“I never wanted to go into politics when I was at Harvard. Never, never, never. The execution of my father—that was the turning point,” said Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, a twice-elected, the Islamic world’s and Pakistan’s youngest woman Prime Minister. She became Prime Minister of the country after over a decade-long, peaceful, unprecedented and relentless political struggle against dictatorship and for the restoration of democracy in Pakistan.
She promoted a softer image of Pakistan as an enlightened nation after the darkest and bleakest period of brutal dictatorship in Pakistan’s political history. After becoming Prime Minister, she placed people at the centre of her governance; she introduced a series of socio-economic reforms, people-centric policies and programmes, and women empowerment initiatives.
Shaheed Benazir Bhutto continuously strove for the restoration of democracy and for strengthening and sustaining it in Pakistan. She said that the battle for democracy had not been an easy one, but “I have never wavered in my commitment to democracy”.
No oppression, repression, political victimisation, or unabated smear media campaigns and propaganda against her could break her resolve. Shaheed Benazir Bhutto’s life was full of Greek tragedies: her father and the country’s first elected civilian Prime Minister, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, was overthrown in a coup and sent to the gallows; her two brothers were assassinated; her husband, Asif Ali Zardari, was imprisoned for eleven years without any conviction; she was politically victimised and incarcerated several times.
She was elected for five years in her first tenure by the people of Pakistan in 1999, but her government was dismissed unconstitutionally by undemocratic and anti-people forces after just 18 months, and her second government was removed after three years. Altogether, she governed the country for less than four years and nine months across both terms. Yet in this short period, her governments brought revolutionary changes for the masses.
She initiated an energy revolution for the people of Pakistan; her government successfully electrified over 21,000 villages in rural areas. Education was the centrepiece of her social agenda: her government built 48,000 primary schools, recruited 53,000 teachers, 70 per cent of whom were women, established hospitals and basic health units, set up women police stations, and launched anti-polio campaigns to save children from the crippling disease, to name only some of the significant initiatives undertaken during her tenure.
She stated in an address: “When I became Prime Minister, one in five children born with polio in the world was a Pakistani. As a mother, that was not a statistic I was prepared to live with. So we launched an anti-polio campaign, which international bodies called the most successful in the world.”
Security arrangements by Pakistan’s federal and local authorities to protect assassinated Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto were fatally insufficient and ineffective, and subsequent investigations into her death were prejudiced and involved a whitewash
Pakistan, being one of the most populous countries in the world, made population control one of the main priorities of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto’s government. Her administration introduced programmes to reduce Pakistan’s population growth rate from 3.1 per cent to 2.6 per cent. For this purpose, for the first time in Pakistan, 50,000 Lady Health Workers were recruited to expand outreach to women in rural areas. Door-to-door awareness campaigns were conducted, and free-of-cost service delivery was made available in remote regions.
During her government, access to information and technology was made easier for the people; they were connected with international information and media outlets, and government offices were equipped with modern devices and communication systems. She brought missile technology to Pakistan and strengthened the defence system.
She always believed in the well-being and development of the poor masses. She said in a speech: “The Pakistan People’s Party has written in its manifesto that if the poor are living below human standards, if the stomach of an industrial worker or a child is empty, if a large number of people are living in abject poverty, if educated youth and skilled and semi-skilled workers are unemployed, if the salaried class is unable to keep body and soul together, and if an elderly pensioner is unable to live within his own means, the country cannot be said to be strong in defence and security, no matter if it has nuclear power or missile technology. Such a country is always vulnerable to the dangers and conspiracies of elements who are unsavoury in approach and attitude towards the country; they will exploit the situation to their benefit.”
She curbed rising terrorism and unrest in the then Federally Administered Tribal Areas. Through her efforts as Prime Minister, she restored normalcy, established the rule of law and the writ of the state, and initiated development processes for local populations. She attempted to close down political madrassas where hatred, extremism, and militant or terrorist techniques were being taught, and young minds were being brainwashed. After the dismissal of her government, extremism and terrorism surged.
She worked in a predominantly male Muslim country where patriarchal mindsets and norms were deeply entrenched. She faced immense challenges as a woman, yet she never withdrew from her duties as a wife, a mother, and a daughter.
General Musharraf ruled the country for almost a decade, leaving Pakistan in a precarious situation. He intended to launch a second phase of “Islamisation” in the country on the pattern of dictator Zia-ul-Haq until 9/11 occurred, after which his “enlightened moderation” narrative was introduced for international consumption to legitimise his unconstitutional regime and secure financial aid for the war on terror. General Musharraf received over ten billion dollars in unaccountable assistance for intelligence agencies from the U.S. government.
Shaheed Benazir Bhutto, with her political acumen, engaged Pakistan Muslim League leader Nawaz Sharif in a joint struggle for the restoration of democracy and civilian rule in Pakistan. She exerted political pressure on Musharraf for fair and free elections and for the restoration of democracy and constitutional supremacy.
She fought the battle for democracy in Pakistan unflinchingly, putting her life at risk. She bravely challenged terrorists and vowed to eradicate terrorism after her election. She was assassinated by elements who sought to destabilise Pakistan and plunge it into a reign of terror.
General Pervez Musharraf was the President at the time of the suicide bombing targeting Benazir Bhutto in Rawalpindi. His regime deliberately failed to provide adequate security to the twice-elected Prime Minister despite being fully aware of the threats to her life. A United Nations independent inquiry report stated: “Security arrangements by Pakistan’s federal and local authorities to protect assassinated Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto were fatally insufficient and ineffective, and subsequent investigations into her death were prejudiced and involved a whitewash.”
The report further noted: “Responsibility for Ms Bhutto’s security on the day of her assassination rested with the federal government, the Government of Punjab, and the Rawalpindi District Police. None of these entities took necessary measures to respond to the extraordinary, fresh, and urgent security risks that they knew she faced.”
18 years have passed since Shaheed Benazir Bhutto’s assassination, yet it remains an irreparable loss to Pakistan and will continue to do so. Chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, is carrying forward the legacy of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto with his visionary leadership.