Daily Times

How many of those opposed to the ideology of Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto could have believed that Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP), a party founded by Bhutto along with the leading lights of social and labour movement of the 1960’s, would be completing 50 years of its journey.

Golden Jubilee is 50 years. That’s completing three generations. It means that those who were the founding members and workers of the party, who saw dictatorships of Ayub and Yahya and the tough dark days of Ziaul Haq are grandparents. Those who voted for Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and their beloved PPP in the 1970 and 1977 elections are privy to the glorious past of the party. This PPP is proud to have created a platform that gave the people of Pakistan an identity by issuing the National Identity Cards (NICs). It is the party which gave the people of Pakistan job security. It brought back thousands of Pakistani soldiers who were in Indian prisoner of war camps as well as land occupied by India. The party’s leadership brought Pakistan in the forefront of global diplomacy. It is the party which allowed distribution of wealth from a few families to millions of Pakistanis. It is the party whose founders did the most successful land reforms. Under Shaheed Bhutto, Pakistan not only hosted the most successful OIC Conference in 1974 but it was Shaheed Bhutto’s foresight that gave our country the atom bomb, making Pakistan the only Muslim nuclear power. The constitution that binds us today and guarantees our fundamental rights was also a gift of Shaheed Bhutto to this great nation of ours.

Those who cannot recall the 50 years, will for sure remember the struggle of the daughter of this land. A woman, who along with another great woman, Mohtarma Nusrat Bhutto, fought tooth and nail against the might of a dastardly dictator named Ziaul Haq. They fought for justice not only for themselves, but also for the people of Pakistan, whose beloved leader Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was sent to the gallows by the dictator.

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was made a martyr because he gave voice and identity to the common man of Pakistan. He was sent to the gallows for giving the country its only unanimously adopted constitution. He was sent to the gallows for making Pakistan’s defence impregnable by pursuing nuclear technology despite all cautions from the western powers. He was sent to the gallows for giving people access to roti, kapra aur makaan.

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was made a martyr because hegave voice and identity to the common man of Pakistan.He was sent to the gallows for giving the country itsonly unanimously adopted Constitution

What his beloved daughter, Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto achieved through her fight and struggle against obscurantist forces, not many people can even dream of achieving. She gave voice to the women of Pakistan. She appointed a woman as judge of the High Court, established First Women’s Bank and women’s police stations for facilitating the cause of empowering Pakistani women. Benazir gave missile technology to our country. She released political prisoners. She gave people back their jobs. She strengthened the media. She envisioned the idea of a polio-free Pakistan which is now being championed and advocated by her daughter. She embraced the people of Pakistan and instead of victimising those who had wronged her, she gave us the visionary light that “Democracy is the greatest revenge”. Her opponents and the powers-that-be could not fathom that how a woman without armed struggle can become the ‘Chaaron Soobon ki zanjeer’ (the chain connecting all four provinces). They cannot believe how a woman who was assassinated in broad day light can today be loved and visited by millions of Pakistanis at Garhi Khuda Bux. Shaheed Bhutto lives on. Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto lives on. The people of Pakistan live on. The jiyala lives on. That is the biggest defeat for the enemies of democracy.

Many factions of PPP were created over the years, but the question is, how many of them survived? The fact is that it was only the PPP that survived. And this is because it is the party of the people and will remain so.

Now that the PPP is being led by the third generation, we should all extend support to the able and visionary young Chairman Bilawal. It is the Chairman along with 3rd and 4th generation jiyalas who will lead Pakistan and the PPP to greater heights. To a diamond jubilee. To a platinum jubilee. The show must go on. The people of Pakistan must go on and this party has to go on taking Pakistan to greater heights.

In the end, it must be stated that PPP has always come in power with the support of people. It has ruled the state to become slave of the people of Pakistan while others who ruled the country ended up becoming slaves of external powers. The ideology of peoples’ power developed and propagated by Shaheed Bhutto, nourished and strengthened by Shaheed BB, carefully guarded by former President Zardari will only be taken further to greater heights by Chairman Bilawal to a more progressive, powerful and democratic Pakistan.

The writer is barrister and member of the Senate of Pakistan

Published in Daily Times, November 30^th 2017.