Benazir Bhutto:

The daughter of the East

By Premasiri Epasinghe

The last occasion I saw Benazir Bhutto the charming epitome of womanhood alive, was on March 17, 1996. As the Sri Lanka cricket commentator, after the great Sri Lankan victory defeating Australia by 7 wickets, I described the proceedings. She presented the 1996 Wills World Cup to our dynamic captain Arjuna Ranatunga at the award ceremony held at the Gadaffi Stadium, Lahore, Pakistan.

The coveted, prestigious, trophy was presented by the Prime Minister of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto.

A baby girl was born on June 21, 1953 to Nusrat Bhutto and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (who later became the Prime Minister of Pakistan). In 1982, at the age of 29, she became the first woman elected to lead a Muslim State. She was also Pakistan's first woman Prime Minister.

Initiatives

Benazir Bhutto, known as the ‘Daughter of the East’, possessed political astuteness. She drove initiatives for Pakistan's economy, national security and implemented many fruitful policies. But, gradually her popularity dwindled amid recession and corruption of her Government. Unemployment rose. Later, these factors led to the dismissal of her Government by President Ghulam Isaq Khan.

In 1993 she was re-elected as Prime Minister for the second time. Pakistan is famous for coups. She survived a military coup in 1995. However, in 1996 she was removed from the post on charges of corruption. In 1997 elections, she was defeated and in 1999 she went into a self-imposed exile to Dubai. After nine years, she returned to Pakistan, when President Pervez Musharraf granted her pardon and amnesty.

Benazir Bhutto hailed from a rich family. Her parents were former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Madam Bequm Nusrat Isphani. Benazir had two brothers, Murtaza and Sharewaz and a sister Sanam. Benazir was fondly called as “Pinki” by her parents.

Education

Bhuttos always believed in knowledge and education, as the best kind of wealth necessary to develop any country. Her illustrious father Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was a graduate of the University of Oxford and an Attorney-at-Law. His daughter Benazir was a graduate of Radcliff, Harvard and Oxford Universities. Further, in June 2006, Benazir Bhutto received an honorary LLB degree from the University of Toronto, Canada.

In her autobiography Benazir Bhutto said, “I didn't choose this life. It chose me. Born in Pakistan, my life mirrors its turbulence, its tragedies and its triumphs.”

Her story is full of ups and downs. General Muhammad Ayub Khan, led a military coup in 1958 and established Presidential rule. In 1977, a military coup led by General Zia-ul-Haq, one time the “Blue Eyed” Army Man of Benazir Bhutto's father, Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto captured his own master, imprisoned and tortured him mentally and physically as a prisoner. Zia-ul-Haq was instrumental in hanging Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in 1978. Zia-ul-Haq's strategy was to demolish the “Bhutto Legacy” completely and the party “Pakistan People's Party” - PPP. Benazir and her mother were kept under house arrest and sometimes in prisons. They really suffered under Zia-ul-Haq's military regime.

Population

Pakistan is a large country. Its land area is about 796,100 sq km (307,374 sq miles). The population consists of Punjabi 65 pc. Sindhi, Phustun or Pathan, and Baluch are the ethnic groups in Pakistan. Punjabi is the official language. Religious-wise Sunni Muslims dominate.

To rule a country of this nature is undoubtedly a herculean task. Benazir Bhutto became the 11th Prime Minister of Pakistan on December 2, 1988. In 1993, Benazir was re-elected for a second term after the Parliamentary elections. When she was elected as the Prime Minister, addressing a big gathering she said, “Today, we gather to celebrate freedom and democracy. To celebrate the three most beautiful words in English - “We the people”.

During her second term, Benazir Bhutto declared 1996 as a “Year of Information and Technology”. She promoted computer literacy. In her first term as PM, she established a separate but integrated Nuclear Testing Program. She did her best to modernise Pakistan and expand the space program too. Further, she established the National Development Complex and the University Observatory at the University of Karachi. She also tried hard to eradicate poverty.

Circumstances changed in 1996. In the 1990 Parliamentary Elections, Navaz Shariff became the 12th Prime Minister of Pakistan and for the next five years Benazir Bhutto was the Leader of the Opposition.

Tragedy

Her life has been full of drama. It was also woven with tragedy. Her father was hanged on Zia-ul-Haq's orders. Her brother Shah Nawaz was poisoned to death in France. Then on September, 20, 1996, her brother was killed in a police shoot-out in front of his home Karachi.

In 1987, Benazir Bhutto married Asif Ali Zardari. They were blessed with three children, Bilwal Bhutto Zardari, Asifa Bhutto Zardari and Bhaktawar Bhutto Zardari.

On December 27, 2007, Benazir Bhutto was assassinated while leaving an election campaign rally for Pakistan Peoples’ Party at Liaquat National Bagh in the run-up to January 2008 Parliamentary Elections.

Benazir Bhutto, is not only the first woman to lead a post-colonial Muslim State but also she came to be known as the “Iron Woman of Pakistan”. She always maintained the spirit of freedom and stood for democracy in the face of savage repression. Her inspiring tale of strength, commitment and dedication will be admired by future generations. Her courage in the face of adversity is unbelievable. Her name will be written in gold in the history of Pakistan.