Undoubted it was many
years after the untimely death of the Founder of Pakistan and Father of the
nation, Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah that Mr. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto emerged as
the only leader who could be acknowledged as a genuine and popular national
leader of the Pakistani masses. The tragedy of this great follower of
Quaid-i-Azam was, however, that he rose to power in Pakistan at the most
critical juncture of our history, when, as a result of misdeeds of the past
rulers of Pakistan and those of the dictatorial regimes, Pakistan was divided
into two as a result of international intrigues of the Super Powers and naked
armed aggression of India.
It is an irony of fate that politicians with vested interests, their supporters
and hand-picked intellectuals in Pakistan have spared no effort in the character
assassination of Mr. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto SHaheed. However, the question that
arises is as to what were those rare qualities of Mr. Bhutto Shaheed that he
lives in the hearts of the millions of Pakistanis despite negative propaganda
against him.
Much before the founding of Pakistan Peoples’ Party in 1967, Mr. Zulfiqar Ali
Bhutto Shaheed and acquired a distinguished status in international politics.
However, as foreign Minister, he had risen to heights and emerged on the
international scene as a great leader when, within and outside the Security
Council, he pleaded the cause of the people of Jammu and Kashmir with great
ability, devotion and enthusiasm. In fact his forceful advocacy of the Kashmir
dispute earned him international recognition, on the one hand, and, on the
other, he became and hero of the Pakistani Youth and the people of Kashmir. The
role played by Mr. Bhutto Shaheed in strengthening Pakistan’s relations with its
great neighbor-the People’s Republic of China, would also go down in the history
of Pakistan as a unique event to be written in the letters of gold. In fact, he
was the arch-intact of friendly relations between the two countries.
Like all great personalities, Mr. Bhutto was also a controversial figure.
However, the biggest factor responsible for making Mr. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto
Shaheed as a con-traversal personality in the national politics and history of
Pakistan was the establishment of the Pakistan’s Peoples’ Party itself. Although
the establishment of any political party cannot be considered as an unusual
event in Pakistan Politics but the establishment of Pakistan People’s Party was
more than an earth-quake for the traditional politicians, civil and military
bureaucracy and lender aristocracy. The manifesto of the newly established
Pakistan People’s Party was an harbinger of a real revolution, which struck at
the roots on the vested interests.
Mr. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was the first genuine leader in the history of Pakistan
who emphasized on the sovereign will of the people and made it clear that in is
the people who are the fountain-head of power. He created a consciousness among
the people and made them realize that it is they for whom Quaid-i-Azam had
created Pakistan, and it is they who are the masters and real heirs of the
legacy of Quaid-i-Azam’s Pakistan. It is thus evident that such was this
consciousness that gave a severe blow to the vested interests. However, Mr.
Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, during his short period of power in Pakistan, introduced
and implemented far reaching and revolutionary reforms in all walks of life
which benefitted the people and were detrimental to the vested interests and the
supporters of dictatorial system.
Mr. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto introduced reforms, especially in the fields of
agriculture and industry which changed the lot of the common man. He introduced
reforms in the health and education sectors, which brought a qualitative and
quantitative change in the social structure. He increased military strength and
started projects to increase military productions, and above all to counter and
fail the nefarious designs of Pakistan’s enemy-India; he launched with full
force the program of nuclear power, which ultimately took his life.
Mr. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto rendered glorious and invaluable services for the cause
of the solidarity and unity of the world of Islam. It is for these distinguished
services that he is even now greatly respected among the people and governments
of the Islamic world. It was he who, in Feburary 1994, brought together the
heads of State and Government of the Muslim countries in Lahore, the heart of
Pakistan and held the Islamic Summit Conference. This Islamic Summit was a
milestone in the realization of the century’s old dream of the solidarity and
unity of Muslim World. The Post-Philosopher of Islam, Allama Iqbal, who concaved
the idea and demand of Pakistan, was a great advocate of Muslim unity. It was a
tribute to Iqbal that leaders of the Muslim World assembled in Lahore where he
lies buried.
Although Mr. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto has left his lasting imprint in the history of
Pakistan but he has to his credit a great achievement that he gave this country
a unanimously adopted constitution of 1973. However, dictator Zia-ul-Haq made
many amendments in this Constitution to perpetuate his tuition of 1973 is the
symbol of the solidarity, territorial integrity, national unity and ideological
guarantee of the god gifted-State of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. This is
the very reason that despite political difference, all leaders and sections of
society and the patriotic people of Pakistan are unanimous in their demand that
the constitution of 1973 should be restored in its original form.
To conclude, I would like to say that the greatest tribute which we can pay and
should be acknowledged by every one is that Mr. Bhutto kissed the gallows but
did not surrender before the will of a Dictator. He has earned the eternal love
of the people of Pakistan and lives in their hearts.
(THE WRITER IS THE CHAIRMAN JAMMU KASHMIR HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION AZAD KASHMIR )