Though we come across thousands of people in our lifetime, only a handful leave an everlasting impact. Benazir Bhutto was one such individual; serving as an inspiration for the generations to come. History would recall her as one of the leading and most influential female leaders of all time; creating a magnanimous impact. She was truly “BENAZIR,” unparalleled in elegance, finesse, eloquence and determination. It was a privilege and an honour to work with her and witness in person some historical developments during my association with her.
She was considered arrogant by some, but deep inside her f heart, she was very kind. Vengeance was never on her mind and she never took revenge on anyone as reflected by the fact that there were no political prisoners during her two tenures as Prime Minister.
She often said, “99 per cent is PERSPIRATION and 1 per cent is INSPIRATION.”
After her father’s judicial murder, she underwent all hardships, tortures, incarcerations, adversities, and victimisation one can imagine. Exposure to unfavourable circumstances and hardships at such a tender age ripened her political insight and she rated, considered and sought LOYALTY as her top priority while selecting her team.
Being a workaholic, she rarely slept before 2 am. Whenever in Karachi, I would be summoned by her at 8 pm and would remain with her till 2 am. She was so engrossed in politics that she would invite her friends and keep working while attending telephone calls and so on and so forth.
Vengeance was never on her mind as reflected by the fact that there were no political prisoners during her two tenures as prime minister.
When I shared with her my intent to join the PPP, she became overwhelmed with joy and said, “My troubles would now be over as I always felt short of loyal and sincere political associates.” She asked for my recommendations/names of new office bearers when she wished to improve the then-party organisation in Punjab. Waiving all rules that a person cannot be appointed as an office-bearer till he has joined the party at least six months only because of the performance on the ground, she appointed me as Vice-President of PPP of the Punjab Chapter.
Steadiness was another of her personality traits. She was punctual to the dot and made sure that not a moment went wasted, thereby, vigorously maintaining her schedule by the minute. Strong willpower helped her overcome diverse challenges on various fronts Being extremely fond of fruits, she particularly enjoyed eating pomegranates and often ate them while working.
Over the years, I earned her trust and she always showed great regard towards me. It is indeed a feeling of great privilege to be the only party member invited to her marriage Dholkis. She further extended the honour during her Lyari Awami Walima ceremony by inviting me to the stage when no other party member was asked to do that. Her marriage was arranged by Begum Nusrat Bhutto’s cousin, Fakhri Begum, and Timmy Sahiba (Mr Hakim Ali Zardari’s second wife). While on the stage during the Walima ceremony, she advised me to get married, stating, “It’s a lovely feeling.”
My elder brother died young, at the age of 36. Because of certain suspicions, surrounding his death, we wanted to go for an autopsy. Benazir forewarned me, not to get it done, stressing that it would be a trauma for the family. She reminded me of the case of Shahnawaz Bhutto.
My association with Benazir Bhutto has been and would always remain one of the prime and most memorable highlights of my life. She remains in the heart and mind of the common man as her legacy lives on and like her father, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, her name remains an integral link that connects and binds the party with the public.
The writer is a former Special Assistant to PM (Benazir Bhutto); Member (National Finance Commission) and Convener (Movement for the Restoration of Democracy)