Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto: A Hagiography

Abstract

Considered the symbol of democracy, Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto’s
absence from political scene is being felt more than ever. Her quest for
a just society and struggle for people’s rule holds hostage a whole
generation of political activists across the land of Pakistan. An apple of
her father’s eye, and a graduate of world’s most esteemed institutions,
Benazir Bhutto, was propelled by family reasons to an early entry into
Pakistan politics. She headed her father’s Pakistan Peoples Party on
the land of chauvinists, power hungry generals, visionless clerics and
authoritarian capitalists whose vested interests have made a hash of
the country’s political culture. Not only was she the first Muslim
woman to become head of the government, but also remained an
exceptional woman politician around the globe. Her conviction was
more than evident in the confident, outspoken and progressive manner
in which she conducted herself in an ultra conservative state.
Surrounded by down trodden but politically conscious Pakistanis, she
brooked no nonsense when she came back from her first exile to
Pakistan. In person, BB came across as pleasant and mild mannered, a
far cry from her college marm image, always clad in Shalwar Kameez
and a large white or red Sindhi Chaddar which she draped around
herself. Benazir Bhutto, twice Prime Minister of Pakistan, twice
dismissed, charged with security risk and by the machinations of her
political, military and behind the scene adversaries, was living in
comfortable exile in the Emirates, but she preferred to bear the
turbulence of Pakistan. This lasted until she was made a victim of
brutality by International and local actors who are now the arbiters of
the fate of Pakistan. BB’s martyrdom is a formidable challenge for
both, the government and the people. The challenge for the people is
not to let Mohtarma’s supreme sacrifice go in vain. She lived and then
died for the people of Pakistan and for their inalienable right to be the
masters of their own destiny. Her dream must come true. The objective
of writing this memorabilia is to help Pakistanis in having a better
understanding of BB’s unforgettable contributions to our country.