Rare gesture of Aseefa Bhutto Zardari

Aseefa Bhutto Zardari congratulated Maryam Nawaz on the PML-N’s electoral victory in Lahore by-elections. It was commendable gesture. On the contrary, Talal Chaudhry’s offensive comment passed on Pakistan People’s Party on the day of by-elections, Lahore, was disgusting. He said, ‘PPP’s dead body is lying in open and waiting for its funeral’. He proved himself as a man of straw by any criterion. As we say, when small men cast long shadows it means that the sun is going down. Such elements will draw the denouement of the party for singing requiem. He should have flashed back the long faces of the PML-N top leadership during PTI sit-in politics when Asif Ali Zardari declared in unequivocal terms ‘democracy is better than mere humwatno’. It was exceptionally a timely support extended to the PML-N government by the second largest Party. PPP stood its ground between the collapse of the PML-N government and its salvage in the face of the PTI’s juggernaut that was not settling less than the scalp of the prime minister. On PPP suggestion, the prime minister summoned joint session of the Parliament that turned the table against the PTI. It was totally isolated afterwards. The speeches of the PPP parliamentarians at the floor of the House, in particular, took the wind out of the sails of the sit-in politics. PTI’s dream of overtaking the Constitution Avenue shattered badly. If the PPP had joined the PTI under the slogan of ROs elections the incumbent government’s obliteration would have been inexorable. The PML-N lawmaker is damaging his party by polluting the environment. A sane foe is better than insane friend. Talal Chaudhry epitomised the analogy because of his notoriety of hitting the political opponents devoid of civility. He is accelerating the process of the revisiting the tale of hubris so far as his party is concerned.
He is advised to look at the pages of history of October 1998 when military dictator dismissed PML-N government and elected prime minister, heart wrenchingly, was shifted to Karachi after his arrest from the Prime Minister House. He was made to fly to Karachi handcuffed in the plane, and both the brothers were escorted to the Court in Karachi in an armoured vehicle. That sight was the worst as the dictators was boasting that they had become history as their role in country’s politics had come to a grinding halt. He should also recollect when Shahbaz Sharif was dispatched to Saudi Arabia in the next available flight as he waded to return to Pakistan. He should also remember when Kulsoom Nawaz’s vehicle was lifted by a crane and remained hanging for quite a time near the jail road underpass. He should also recall the day when his entire leadership flew to Saudi Arabia not to return to Pakistan for next ten years. PPP leader Shaheed Benazir Bhutto asserted that Nawaz Sharif’s absence from the country’s political scene was not acceptable. She demanded Nawaz Sharif must be allowed to return from abroad and take part in politics. He came and took part in elections.
The politicians should hold fellow politicians and their parties in high esteem because their fraternity is good for democracy and for the country. Their infighting in the past provided the opportunities to the third force to fill the vacuum intermittently creating political mess of appalling proportion in the country the nation is passing through even today and the redemption is elusive yet.
True, People’s Party is going through difficult times, which are not unusual for the political parties in a democratic dispensation. These ups and downs are quite normal in multi-party political system and even in bi-party political environment. The rise and fall of the political parties is a familiar phenomenon. The PPP is now passing through the same cycle. But party’s impeccable resilience is bound to stage come back sooner than later because even ferocious dictatorship of Ziaul Haq could not finish it despite his despicable political victimisation of horrendous scale. Instead, the PPP came to power when God disposes of the dictator, and Sheheed Benazir Bhutto became the first elected women prime minister of the country, the singular honor in the entire Muslim world. She stood tall against dictator although she had to tolerate the scorching and suffocating heat of the summer season in jail where there was no electric fan in the room of Sukkar jail. Indeed, the party that has been nurtured by the blood of its founding and of the succeeding leaders cannot be finished by dictators what to speak of their pawns and reminiscent.
PPP is a party that has glorious past of serving the poor segments of the society belonging to the labor, peasants, downtrodden, women, and minorities. Above all, it gave the Constitution to the people of Pakistan and also made the country a nuclear power equipped with most sophisticated missile technology and accurate delivery system. Its defence today is impregnable. Pakistan can hit the enemy target situated any part of the enemy territory with pin-drop precision in case of aggression. The Constitution of Pakistan, 1973, is the capstone of the PPP’s achievements. The social compact is the only factor that has been keeping the federation of the country intact after the fall of East Pakistan. The credit goes to the PPP for restoring the Constitution of Pakistan in original form that was mutilated by the successive dictators beyond recognition. Those who attempt to discount the PPP from the country’s politics have severe problem with their sense of proportion and are miserably oblivious of it worth mentioning history. ‘Glorious past leads to the glorious future.’
Pakistan People’s Party has the singular distinction of coming to power through the votes and votes only. It has never come to power through the crutches of the Establishment. It rather resisted such advances with aversion and stood by the democratic ethos. Look at the other political parties on the political horizon of the country and you will hardly find any such exception. The party stands out in this regard which is an exemplary tribute to its ideology and meritorious services for the cause of people, democracy and the country. Other parties’ democratic credentials are no match to PPP’s.
Air Marshal Asghar Khan’s case is testimony to the type of politics they were engaged in. They, in collusion with the agencies, formed an alliance, IJI, to deny Shaheed Benazir Bhutto’s PPP electoral victory in a bid to circumvent its return to power. The Supreme Court in its judgment has directed the government to take action against the politicians responsible for working against the Constitution in collusion with the anti-democratic forces.
The party is the only political Party that unequivocally stands for liberal, democratic and progressive party in the real sense. It never betrayed its ideal — people are the source of power’ throughout its history as it always came to power through votes of the people. It continued its arduous struggle for democracy and the empowerment of the people of Pakistan since its inception. Its founding leader, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, empowered the people of Pakistan by entitling them the right to vote on the basis of adult franchise. This well deserved right changed the political landscape of the country as the balance of power tilted towards the people of Pakistan instead of the elite. Prior to that the Electoral College for the election of lawmakers was limited and the people at large did not have any role in their elections. The PPP leader thus brought out the politics from the drawing rooms of the elite to the doorsteps of the common people. Since then, lawmakers have to go to the people seeking their support if they want to be elected as members of the National Assembly or of the respective provincial assemblies. The empowerment of the minorities was ensured when the Constitution of 1973 done away with the separate electorate for them. Women empowerment was underwritten through the Benazir Income Support Programme because the elderly women of families were entitled to receive the cash payment under the programme. The PPP previous government also enacted a number of laws declaring domestic violence against women as cognizable offense including law protecting the women at their work places.
Other initiatives included the setting up First Women Bank to facilitate the credit facility to women, Commission for the Status of Women.
PPP for the first time introduced and implemented substantive labour and land reforms in the country. Ayub Khan also introduced land reforms but those proved as hoax because the landlords kept their landholding within their family members under different pretexts. On the contrary, PPP distributed 800,000 acres of land among landless peasants those was acquired as result of land reforms. For labour, trade union right was restored with the right of collective bargaining. They were included in the management. The job security and group insurance were also rendered to them. They were also made stakeholders in the state enterprises as shareholders. The rural economy registered robust growth because of the pro-agriculture policies of the successive PPP governments.
PPP is the federal party as its footprints can be found in the width and breadth of the country. It has served as bedrock for democracy and federation without slightest fumble even under extreme hostile circumstances. Its leaders and workers were hanged/assassinated, tortured, humiliated but it kept the flag of peoples’ right flying high. Its leaders and workers deserve appreciation of those who want this country a democratic, progressive and pluralistic state at ease with itself and the international community.
muhammadshaheedi@yahoo.com