Bhutto dey naaray wajjan gey!

by Maleeha Manzoor

A belief that the entire world and all of its religions/communities accept; is after every descent and oppression, there appears a glimmer of ascension and ecstasy just like after every murky night, a new gleam of hope rises in the countenance of sun and the obscurity of the life absconds packing all the pains and thoughts along with it. After its inception, my country ‘Pakistan’ was governed without its own constitution and it led to a lot of trouble in the first nine years after creation of Pakistan.The first constitution of Pakistan was promulgated in 1956 and the next in 1962. Both of them however, failed to provide any representation to the common man, the man on the street.Due to “trickle-down” economic policies of Ayub Khan’s government, the poor became poorer and the rich richer, nothing was done to eliminate the elementary problems of the society though and thus the nation was burdened down with cumbersome issues.

But as I mentioned earlier, there is always a new crack of dawn after a deep but fleeting night, the darkness of Pakistan vanished and after limitless regimes of dictators like Ayub and Yahya, a guide came forward to make Pakistan a constitutional state who made the drafting the first ever constitution possible,  by consensus; also known as ‘1973 Constitution’. It would not be erroneous to say that this constitution provided a new identity to the part of Pakistan, remaining after the separation of East Pakistan.
In the history of nations, very few people/leaders can actually dominate the political and social landscape of that country. While scanning the history of politics and fundamental growth of Pakistan, the leading figure that one finds after Mr. Mohammad Ali Jinnah is the founder and chairman of Pakistan peoples Party, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, who appeared as a ray of light when the darkness of Marshal Law and state brutality had enveloped the country.At the time of a national depression after the Tashkent agrrement, he preferred to follow his heart and rather than sacrificing the principles, he resigned as a minister. Later, as the President of Pakistan, the most memorable of his works was the Simla Agreement, which was signed with India, paving the way for the return of occupied lands and the release of Pakistani prisoners captured in East Pakistan. The first man, who made the people differentiate between the politician and the leader, gave the concept of democracy and involved every Pakistani into the politics by giving them the authority to vote according to their own vision.

Pakistan’s maligned political scene in which, most of the political leaders, whom I call mercenaries, used to degrade themselves in order to gain money – had always defamed Pakistan. Those flatterers always used to lick the boots of dominant countries just for the sake of their own expediency. However, Bhutto emerged as a personality who convinced the world to bow down because of his unmatchable intelligence, convinced the entire world to believe in the abilities of Pakistanis and preferred his nation upon all the things, which definitely made him the first and real leader of Pakistan after its independence. He founded Pakistan People’s Party as a platform for the people at which, they could gather and fight for their fundamental rights, and stated his party’s beliefs as; “Islam is our faith, democracy is our policy, and socialism is our economy. All power to the people.” Shaheed Bhutto was the first prime minister elected by the nation, who strengthened democracy, constitution and the public, but perhaps his excellence became his life’s adversary, he was censured for his uncommitted crimes and hanged by evils on the 4^th April; 1979. Nevertheless, his dynamic leadership met the demands of a changing society, his achievements made his death immortal, and he is still ruling over the hearts of millions, which is why people say: “Jab tak sooraj chaand rahega, Bhutto tera naam rahega!”

After decades, people had found the authentic leader who delivered so much and he could have delivered a lot more if he had lived. He had been snatched from the nation; nevertheless, he contributed so much that today his name echoes in the assemblies and in almost every town of the country. Bhutto was a caste but Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto’s missionary personality changed it from a name to a vision and now for the PPP, Bhutto and the legacy behind it, is a mission. Bhutto had been murdered but he left another Bhutto carrying his legacy in a right direction in the face of his daughter – Benazir Bhutto, who took forward his vision and did not let him down by working selflessly for his dreams of empowering the nation and the country. She introduced the philosophy of Bhuttoism, which has still kept ‘Bhutto’ alive and struggled to break the tenacious hold of evil powers. Now, after the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, this philosophy is being followed by the PPP in the guidance of Bibi’s husband and children.

Bhutto’s slogans will be echoed always because his flag-bearers and ‘jiyalas’ are still alive and always ready to shed even the last drop of their blood to protect the legacy of Bhutto. We promise to never compromise on the principles and to carry on Bhutto’s mission with honor, perhaps this way, we can take revenge from the murderers. Whenever the slogan LONG LIVE BHUTTO echoes, the enemies bow and this pain of aggression would never let them relax whether. We commit to follow our leader who taught us to stand resolute against the enemy. Our hearts being captivated by the beauty and elegance of Shaheed Bhutto’s personality as well as intellectual mind, our love would always remain boundless for him and his family. Let us tell the evils that the threats cannot intimidate us because we have learnt from our leaders how to maintain stability even in the hour of pain and know well to repress our anger.

Many of the people, not aware of the actualities, would be thinking that why still the poor ones remember Bhuttos? My answer to them would be the remarkable efforts and sacrifices of this family for the nation. What is not recorded is not remembered and it is on records how Bhutto sacrificed himself and how Benazir kept her father’s honor. Because of the love and affection for Bhutto, Bhuttoism can never be halted and put to an end; it will go on and on until the last breathe of each follower. Zulfiqar Bhutto’s yearning for a democratic country will soon be fulfilled and his slogans would always be echoed.

This challenge is a bloodstained challenge,

This challenge you are bound to lose.

A Bhutto will be born in every home,

So how many Bhuttos will you slay?