Shakespeare’s Ides of March seems to be finally visiting us-nay the world-with its multifaceted devastations in death and human misery. By the time and whenever Coronovirus catastrophic spell would be over, its death toll would run into thousands all over the world. As we are about to leave the month behind apprehensions regarding the future, its immediate and possible long term socio-economic repercussions would be difficult to measure. Let’s pray for the best and prepare for the worst.
However, month of March has also provided us some of the best silver linings in our history. Indeed, two most outstanding landmarks-i.e. Lahore Resolution of 1940 setting the pace for an independent Muslim state and birth of Begum Nusrat Bhutto in March 1929 predestined -40 years later–to lead Pakistan’s movement for democracy against military dictator following judicial murder of Pakistan’s most popular leader and first elected Prime Minister Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Her life to the end was a catalogue of untold sacrifices. She went through many unprecedented ups and downs that saw the judicial murder of her husband, cold bloodied murder of her ‘dearest daughter’ Benazir by yet another dictator and two sons mysteriously killed.
Bhutto Sahib was the founder of the largest and most progressive Political Party ever in Pakistan. He served as both Prime Minister and President in the 1970s. Begum Nusrat Bhutto was nominated by him to be Chairperson when political vultures were hovering with gnawing claws to scavenge PPP to please Gen Zia. She took over as head of the party soon after Bhutto Sahib’s elected government was overthrown in a coup by General Zia in 1977 following his conspiracy and collaboration with Pakistan National Alliance (PNA) cobbled by him for subverting democracy.
Immense trials and tribulations made Begum Bhutto one of the most charismatic leaders of her time and godmother for the entire nation especially those under-privileged who found in her a voice for themselves
She remained leader of the party for several years after Bhutto Sahib’s execution in 1979. On return of democracy under her daughter’s leadership in 1988 she was elected to Pakistan’s parliament twice. Her daughter, martyred Benazir Bhutto, took over as head of the Pakistan People’s Party following Begum Sahiba’s illness and served twice as Prime Minister. Ms Sanam Bhutto is the only surviving daughter.
Begum Bhutto knew she was a born Kurd with lineage to great Muslim warrior Salahuddin Ayubi. Despite her physical fragility she was a lady with steel nerves and unflinching determination to stand by her honour. Her contribution for organising opposition to General Ziaul Haq towards establishing a democratic rule in Pakistan inspired her to establish Movement for the Restoration of Democracy (MRD) to wage struggle to free the country from the stranglehold of dictatorship. Her task was immense and challenges too many. Bhutto Sahib’s ‘awam’ stood by her facing Zia’s whip, long incarcerations and even hanging backing her resistance to the hilt.
Immense trials and tribulations made Begum Bhutto one of the most charismatic leaders of her time and godmother for the entire nation especially those under-privileged who found in her a voice for themselves. Indeed, her services for democracy and the masses of Pakistan will never be forgotten in the annals of history. Her life was a tragedy worst compounded. She continued many years to suffer in silence – unaware of the brutal assassination of her dearest daughter Benzir Bhutto and the mortal threats that were faced by Pakistan – a country for which she had insatiable love and commitment.
I remember she made her debut in public life as active member of Women National Guard in 1947 under the leadership of Begum Ra’ana Liaquat Ali Khan, first prime minister’s wife and an inspirational leader. She died in Dubai in Oct0ber 2011 and was buried next to Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto in the family’s mausoleum in ancestral graveyard in Naudero. She left an indelible imprint on the sands of time among the great women leaders ever born in the sub-continent.
Although now is the most stressful time yet one must recall the great event of March 23rd in 1940 when All-India Muslim League adopted, under the leadership of Quaid-e-Azam, what has come to be known as Lahore Resolution, many years later re-christened as Pakistan Resolution, to lay the path to a non-religious independent Muslim state. Indeed, we need to ponder as to how we have come to our tragic pass when our liberal and secular ideological moorings are clouded by bigotry and over whelming influence of half literate theocracy that shroud our future under a shadow of uncertainty despite the fact that we have successfully completed decade of democracy only marred by deliberate engineering to select a prime minister and a convenient political ‘band-o-bast’ by the power that be.
With lethal coronavirus spreading its wings adding speedily in the fatal number of unsung and unwept in hundreds and thousands all over the world, Sindh government has taken the lead in combating it with right decisions while federal government’s conduct of itself in the battle to do or die remains myopic.
How callously inept his leadership is that while foreign governments, one after the other, are closing their borders as an essential part of strategy to curtail spread of the pandemic, Prime Minister Khan’s federal government has miserably failed in meeting the challenge. In his bankrupt wisdom, he has opened Turkham border to allow flow of trade between Afghanistan and Pakistan and of course, coronovirus carriers from across the border as we have seen in the influx from Taftan next to Iranian border.
Indeed, as PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto says national unity above party politics is the need of the hour. He has advised his party workers and others to shun point scoring against the Prime Minister and let him be supported in a national effort to face the coronavirus challenge. IK should give up his obduracy and make good of Bilawal Bhutto’s offer and call an APC to do a collective thinking as how to fight the menace.
Author is the former High Commissioner of Pakistan to UK and a veteran journalist