Daily Times

I passed from childhood into the world of the adult. But what a disappointing world it turned out to be. The colours of the sky, the grass, and the flowers were gone, muted and greyish. Everything was blurred by the pattern over my eyes.

My father always would say my daughter will go into politics. My daughter will become prime minister, but it’s not what I wanted to do. I would say, No, Papa, I will never go into politics.

When my father was imprisoned, then assassinated, I had no other choice but to continue in the work that he had started because so many of his followers wanted me to do so. I told him on my oath in his death cell, I would carry on his work. This is not the life I chose; it chose me … But I accepted the responsibility and I’ve never wavered in my commitment.

As children we had been taught that no price was too high to pay for our country. But the personal price to our family had been high. I pleaded, begged with them to let me embrace my beautiful father for the last time. They refused. We parted without being able to touch. I have led an unusual life, I have buried a father killed at age 51 and two brothers killed in the prime of their lives and I raised my children as a single mother when my husband was arrested and held for eight years without a conviction, a hostage to my political career.

General Zia called the first democratic elections since 1977 when he learned that I was pregnant, thinking that a pregnant woman couldn't campaign. I could, I did, and I won – so that disproved that notion.

I remember walking down the red carpet in the presidential palace, and I felt as though an invisible army of all those who had died fighting for freedom walked with me and it was a tremendous moment of vindication. I also felt a tremendous sense that Pakistan had showed the way for other Muslim countries – that a woman could be elected as chief executive. The most exciting moment in my life was when I was sworn in as Prime Minister.

I found that a whole series of people opposed me simply on the grounds that I was a woman. Clearly it's not easy for women in modern society, no matter where they live. We still have to go the extra mile to prove that we are equal to men. We have to work longer hours and make more sacrifices.

And we must emotionally protect ourselves from unfair, often vicious attacks made on us via the male members of our family. Benazir Bhutto doesn't cease to exist the moment she gets married. I am not giving myself away. I belong to myself and I always shall.

I don't know how to deal with that.

I can deal with political differences, but how do you deal with it when someone says I don't like you because you're a woman and you've taken a man's place? I was brought up to believe that a woman can do anything that a man can. But there are certain things that only women can do such as carry a child and I found myself in a very strange position because each time I was pregnant my political opponents somehow thought I would be paralysed and would plot particularly against me at those points. I found that the old-fashioned notion that a woman who's expecting a child has to be bedridden was absolutely wrong; a woman can do anything if she's lucky enough not to have morning sickness.

The tragedies, the triumphs, the turbulence in Pakistani society mirror my life as a woman and political activist. I dream of a world where we can commit our social resources to the development of human life and not to its destruction

The clerics took to the mosque saying that Pakistan had thrown itself outside the Muslim world by voting for a woman – that a woman had usurped a man's place in the Islamic society. I found that my opponents reduced themselves to verbal abuse rather than discuss issues- the very mere fact that I was a woman seemed to drive them into a frenzy.

Life never does get stable because there are really always new causes to fight for and new challenges to meet. Despite threats of death, I will not acquiesce to tyranny, but rather lead the fight against it. Ultimately, leadership requires action: daring to take steps that are necessary but unpopular, challenging the status quo in order to reach a brighter future. Whatever my aims and agendas were, I never asked for power. The people’s court is my constituency and they want me to be their leader. They have tried to ruin me because they want to ruin the concept of a pluralistic, liberal Pakistan. Every dictator uses religion as a prop to keep himself in power. The forces of moderation and democracy must, and will, prevail against extremism and dictatorship. I will not be intimidated.

I would like to be remembered for symbolising democracy in Pakistan and the Muslim world and for heralding a world of democracy in Pakistan. But above all I want to be remembered for what I did for women. My identity comes ultimately from being a woman and I felt that my life has to make a difference to the lives of other women so in terms of population control or in terms of exposing domestic violence or in terms of permitting women easy access to credit to start business of their own, I have always done my best to allow women to succeed. Above all you must study hard. Very few in Pakistan have the opportunity you now have and you must take advantage of it. Never forget that the money it is costing to send you comes from the land, from the people who sweat and toil on those lands. You will owe a debt to them, a debt you can repay with God's blessing by using your education to better their lives. I dream of a Pakistan in which women contribute to their full potential.

The tragedies, the triumphs, the turbulence in Pakistani society mirror my life as a woman and political activist. I dream of a world where we can commit our social resources to the development of human life and not to its destruction. The fight for the truth is important. There will come a day when you will see the result of your struggles. You can imprison a man, but not an idea. You can exile a man, but not an idea. You can kill a man, but not an idea. Freedom is not an end, freedom is a
beginning.

Democracy is the best revenge.
My death will be the catalyst of the change.

Benazir Bhutto