By AMAL ALLAUDDIN
‘Tum Zinda Ho Kar Murda Ho
Wo Murda Ho Kay Zinda Hai’
Benazir Bhutto- a phoenix that rose from ashes persistently.
April 4, 1979, 2 A.M, a shriek tore the silence of deserted police camp at Sihala, a place few miles away from Rawalpindi District Jail. She couldn’t breathe, she knew they had snuffed the life out of him. Her father was at peace, he had earned his freedom and his sufferings had ended. Her father’s soul was with God in paradise.
A daughter lost her father, a wife her husband and a nation its hero. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, the first elected Prime Minister of Pakistan, the man who had brought light into a country that filled
with stagnant darkness, was hanged to death by his own supposedly Chief of Army Staff, Zai ul Haq.
Standing by her father’s grave, Benazir Bhutto, felt her father’s strength filling her soul. Her father’s death fuelled her. She vowed to not rest until democracy had returned to Pakistan. Her father’s cause was now hers.
Early life, education, and political grounding
Born into a prominent political family in Karachi on 21st June 1953, Benazir Bhutto, was eldest child of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and Nusrat Bhutto. After completing her early education in
Pakistan she went to Harvard’s Radcliffe College where she got her Bachelors of Art degree in Comparative Government and then gotten into England’s Oxford University where she studied International Law and Diplomacy. She returned to Pakistan when her father had become the Prime Minister of Pakistan but unfortunately days after she returned to Pakistan her father got arrested under trumped up charges by Zia Ul Haq’s regime.
Benazir Bhutto under martial law
For two years, Benazir Bhutto fought against the false accusations against her father, Zulfiqar
Ali Bhutto, and worked with Pakistan’s People Party towards elections. Zia Ul Haq had promised to hold elections in the country but again cancelled when he sensed Pakistan’s People Party victory.
Benazir Bhutto got arrested six times by the Zia’s regime and was not allowed by Martial Law authorities to enter Karachi and Lahore. Before the judicial assassination of her father, Benazir
Bhutto and her mother Nusrat Bhutto were detained in Sihala. All of the members of Pakistan’s People Party were in jail. Thousands of supporters, including women had come out for the first time in Pakistan’s history and were kept in jails.
Prison, resistance, and inheritance of leadership
After meeting her father for the last time Benazir Bhutto had kept her head high as she moved through the army barracks. She felt drained and lost but kept her head high. Her father had given his permission for them to live peacefully in Europe but both her mother and she refused and vowed to stay in Pakistan and lead the party he had built.
Benazir Bhutto inherited her father’s leadership of Pakistan People’s Party.
‘Endurance. Honour. Principle.’
The words of her father had been imprinted in her mind and on her soul. It kept her going.
The movement for the restoration of democracy
While her father was still in jail Benazir Bhutto campaigned for elections outside in front of masses of humanity which had no bounds. Those masses which were sick of Zia’s regime. Those masses which were hunger stricken because the prices of necessary commodities were skyrocketing. Those masses which had lost their jobs because Zia had reversed Bhutto’s decentralization policy. Those masses which had lost their basic fundamental rights. Those masses which had lost hope and were helpless.
Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, the man who had refused to sleep on bed and preferred to sleep on floor in India because the Pakistan’s prisoners of war had no bed to sleep on, his daughter Benazir Bhutto stood in front of those masses and gave them hope amidst the chaos and tranquillity. Bhutto in jail and Bhutto outside were equally powerful.
Time and time again Benazir Bhutto was detained by Zia’s regime. Sometimes at her residence, sometimes in jail amongst the other prisoners. But Benazir Bhutto was proud to wear the chains of imprisonment. It did not weaken her, but in return strengthened her.
With Benazir Bhutto back in Karachi after she was freed on April 4th 1980, people were happy to have a member of Bhutto family amongst them. They did not feel orphaned. Benazir worked alongside men even in the conservative environment of rural areas of Sindh. She acquainted herself with her new responsibilities and keenly observed everything around her, the fields, the irrigation system, the strict purdah of women and the traditions. Eventually, Benazir Bhutto was regarded as the elder by the local people of rural areas. Justice in Pakistan at that time and even now is too slow, too expensive and too much corrupt.
The people looked up to Benazir. With time as cases came up to her she perceived that women had no say in how to live their life, they were mere objects either used as compensation or remedy for some murder committed years ago or married against their will and living an unhappy life. Benazir was astonished by every story she heard of women oppression in the local areas and rural areas of Sindh.
The grip of Martial Law tightened. Lawyers, students, trade union leaders were calling out for the restoration of 1973 Constitution. Everyone was sick of the reign of terror that had no end. It was clear that even after three years of military rule of Zia, he had not been able to gain the support of masses. What Zia did not knew that exiling, imprisoning, torturing and killing a leader would not kill an idea.
An idea always lives. Zia own supporters, Pakistan National Alliance, PNA, who had supported him in overthrowing Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, were backing off and had proposed to work with PPP. PPP and the former opponents of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto were sitting face to face with the same motto of unseating Zia and force Zia to hold elections in the country.
The faces of then enemies of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto angered Benazir Bhutto but the fact that they had to everything possible to restore democracy in Pakistan calmed her and made her think straight. The MRD or the Movement to Restore Democracy charter was signed by all the ten parties of Pakistan on 6th February 1981. It was welcomed with great enthusiasm amongst the masses. Never had Zia faced such opposition. He closed down universities all across the country and banned any kinds of meetings. Many members of MRD were arrested. Every person who had slightest link with MRD were thrown into jail.
Again Benazir along with her mother was arrested. Benazir Bhutto was kept in Sukkar jail and her mother elsewhere, they were not informed about each other’s whereabouts. Zia did everything in his power to weaken the Bhuttos. Kept in C class jail with no sanitization Benazir Bhutto’s health worsened but her will did not weaken. She along with other leaders were blamed for crimes they had not committed. They were tortured and humiliated but they did not gave in.
The hot weather of Sukkur did not weaken the determination of Benazir, it did boiled and tear her skin apart and lessened the thick amount of hair she had. The jail superintendent tried different tactics in order to demoralize Benazir Bhutto. As Benazir wasn’t aware of whatever was happening outside, he brought false news to her every day and she prayed to Al Mighty Allah every day to give her patience and strength. She was eventually shifted to Karachi Central jail where her mother was detained but was released due to throwing blood.
The regime tried to psychologically torture her through different methods through straining her nerves forcing her to believe in jinns and churails and souls that had not found peace. Benazir was released to attend her sister’s Sanam wedding but the regime did their best to humiliate Benazir and her mother. Newspapers were not allowed to publish anything regarding the Bhutto family until the news was negative. The members of PPP were titled as murderers and assassins due to the Al-Zulfikar incident which was another false accusation against Benazir and her mother.
Benazir worried about her mother’s worsening health but Nusrat Bhutto was eventually given the permission to travel abroad for medical treatment of cancer.
Benazir was not allowed to have conversation with anyone, even the conversations she had were monitored. She yearned for conversation, for communication. But every day woke up and thanked Allah for all the blessings he had bestowed upon her. She did not complain to Allah, she wasn’t ungrateful despite all the hardships that had befallen upon her.
Benazir believed that Martial Law had no place in Islam. Islam and Martial Law were two different terminologies. Principles of Islam support consensus whereas Martial Law supports force, guns and usurpation of power.
Benazir Bhutto suffered from an acute ear disease which needed microscopic surgery that had to be performed abroad. The permission to cure her illness abroad was approved but Benazir’s heart was with political prisoners kept in horrific conditions in different parts of the country. She was a source of inspiration for all of them. She felt conflicted. But Benazir had to be in her best possible condition to serve the nation, with her day to day deteriorating health how could she help those that were need of her?
Benazir Bhutto united with her family in London and got her ear operated. She longed to go back to Pakistan but her mother insisted on her staying in London for at least 9 months. Nusrat Bhutto feared that Zia might detain Benazir again and she might not see her daughter again. But the four walls of a cell, heat of Sukkur and constant psychological torture of jail superintendent had strengthened Benazir, she did not fear Zia and his regime anymore. She was restless to get back to Pakistan.
Under pressure from the United States Zia Ul Haq announced to held elections by March 1985. MRD along with Benazir boycotted from the elections. Zia held an Islamic Referendum which ultimately came in his favour. Martial Law was lifted on 30th December 1985. Zia became the President of Pakistan and changed the face of 1973 Constitution. More powers were given to the President. Since 1977, Zia did his best in destroying the institutions Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto had laid. An independent and supreme judiciary, a well-structured economy, a parliamentary form of government, a free media and press, religious freedom, the guarantee of fundamental rights to all under the Constitution of 1973 were violated.
The policies of no gender discrimination were violated. Under Zia’s Islamization policy gender discrimination were not only sanctioned but also promoted. Women were harassed and raped by men and acid was thrown upon them. The poor were demoralized and women had no rights. The country was in chaos. There was violence everywhere. Ethic and regional boundaries transcended. Pakistan’s unity was on the verge of breaking down and that is when Benazir Bhutto had enough, she decided to go back to her country. Every party supported her decision. Benazir Bhutto had to rescue her people.
Exile, return, and mass political mobilisation
The sight of Lahore amidst the chaos and violence in country was that of a huge festival. The city only expressed their grief and their joy upon Bhutto’s death and Benazir’s arrival. Even though Benazir had received death threats she did not fear while she was moving through Lahore. Hundreds and thousands of people acted as shield.
“Live, live, Bhutto live!” the crowds welcomed her. Just three months before this would have cost them rigorous punishment. When Benazir waved, the crowds waved. When Benazir clapped her hands over her head just as Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto had done, the crowds clapped back.
Benazir felt safe amongst her people. There was no fear of army today. No fear of someone killing her today.
Standing in Iqbal Park thousands of supporters welcomed Benazir home.
Benazir Bhutto stated that she was advised to leave politics as Pakistani Political platform did not support women. Benazir Bhutto in her campaigns across the country stated that she was not just a woman, but a Muslim woman empowered by her religion.
Benazir Bhutto’s vision of democracy, faith, and governance
Benazir stressed over and again that the well-being of the nation is the well-being of its people. If the common man in the street has the security of work and labour, if the common has access to good health care and his children can get education and prosper peacefully only then the country will prosper. It is not the law of Allah that our people should live in poverty, but of Law of Allah insists that one must work to earn for his living. The destiny of our nation is not slums but we must transform our precious resources for the betterment and prosperity of our nation.
Benazir Bhutto campaigned all over Pakistan in every province. Zia frequently detained Benazir, but her strength was unbreakable. She had strengthened the common man and given him hope. Nothing could weaken her and her army of the common man!
Benazir Bhutto got married to Asif Ali Zardari on 18th December 1987. Her marriage to Asif Ali Zardari was arranged as her family members insisted on it. Asif Ali Zardari stayed away from politics but continued to support Benazir Bhutto in her cause to fight against the dictatorship that prevailed in the nation.
Zia consistently claimed that Benazir Bhutto along with her party PPP were out for revenge, but PPP was speaking out not for revenge, but for nation building. And everyone was well aware of it.
Eventually, Zia Ul Haq dissolved assembly on 29th May 1988, dismissed the Prime Minister and announced elections would be held in the country. It was also announced that Benazir Bhutto was going to become a mother as well. No one could stop PPP from winning the elections. Free and fair elections meant the return of Bhutto and democracy but still the Political Parties faced a lot of hurdles due to Zia treachery. Benazir Bhutto however did not lose hope and kept on campaigning for elections throughout the country despite the hot climate and a baby growing inside her she was determined to save her country from dictatorship.
17th August 1988, Zia Ul Haq was killed in plane crash in which he was returning from Bahawalpur military base. Zia was dead and all the Generals on board were dead as well.
On 21st September 1988, Benazir gave birth to a beautiful baby boy named Bilawal Bhutto Zardari at Lady Dufferin hospital in Karachi.
On 16th November 1988, Pakistan’s People Party won in all four provinces of Pakistan and won 92 seats in the National Assembly. PPP also won 184 seats in the electoral contest for the Provincial Assembly.
Power, legacy, and the making of history
Democracy returned to Pakistan on 1st December when Benazir Bhutto became the first women Prime Minister of Pakistan at just the age of thirty five, three months after she gave birth to her son. She was asked to form a government of her own and serve the nation.
Benazir Bhutto served two terms as the Prime Minister of Pakistan but her journey was full of controversies, struggle and turmoil. Benazir Bhutto argued against inequality and assumptions made about the role of women in a Muslim society. Benazir Bhutto made history by becoming the first democratically elected woman Prime Minister of Pakistan and the first female leader in the Muslim world and led a country in which Muslim religious tradition is unfamiliar with female leadership. Benazir Bhutto was the voice and hope of millions and still continues to rule the hearts of the masses.
Benazir Bhutto strived hard. She not only was a leader but a mother as well. She not only fought for women empowerment and rights in Pakistan but also brought up her kids alone, while her husband was arrested and in jail, in a positive, loving and supportive environment, made sure that her children were getting the best education possible and conveyed her wisdom to them.
Benazir Bhutto was example to all the other women of Pakistan that a woman is actually so much more capable than what she thinks she is. Through her leadership and all the struggles she had faced in Zia’s regime and even after that, Benazir Bhutto conveyed the message that a woman possesses great power. A woman needs to believe in herself, believe in the power she possesses and unleash it when needed.
Benazir Bhutto’s strength is of a lioness. The world needs more women like her. She is a source of inspiration and light to Pakistani women who are oppressed and helpless.
Benazir Bhutto, witnessed the death of her very beloved father, murder of her brothers, murders of very close comrades who had helped her and safeguarded her but she still stood tall and kept her head high. Never once did she bow her head down and complained to Allah of the sufferings she was facing. She always raised her hands and thanked Al Mighty Allah above.
She was the voice of those who suffered, she was the voice of who were hopeless and shattered because of Zia’s regime, she was the voice of women of Pakistan who faced immense amount discrimination under Zia’s regime and even before that, she was voice of those who cried out of hunger and poverty. Benazir was the voice of Pakistan and the Daughter of the East!
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