July 5: a black chapter in our country’s history

Today is a day when a dictator, Gen Ziaul Haq, imposed martial law in the country and toppled a democratically elected government of Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in the dark of night and the darkness of Ziaul Haq’s tyranny is still haunting the country and countrymen, even after 38 years, in the shape of terrorism, sectarianism, lawlessness, undue duress and political, religious and cultural radicalism.
As it is said end justifies the truth so I am very much convinced that truth always prevails and whenever the historians will write about the history of Pakistan, Bhutto’s contribution, in the sphere of national and international politics, democracy, justice, defence, society and peoples’ welfare, will get a prominent place in the chapters of our national history.
Before Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, there was none to raise voice for the rights of the people through democracy. Today, if we are living in an era of democracy and its aspirations and the corridors of powers are under the control of public representatives, it’s the credit of Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto who ushered in all this new era of democracy and human rights in the country.
Now people are the owners of the government and its system and they make and unmake the government through their power to vote out of their own free will.
It was not a child’s play to get back power from the clutches of dictators, landlords, affluents and put it in the lap of the masses.
This was an uphill task and it was surmounted first by Shaheed ZA Bhutto and then his daughter Shaheed Benazir Bhutto in the teeth of all kinds of tyranny and oppression.
In this struggle even they both sacrificed their lives for the good of the people.
Today is 5th July, the black day of our history when a dictator, Gen Ziaul Haq captured all the powers in an illegal, un-Islamic and unethical manner to teach the nation laws, Islam and ethics.
But Bhutto, the iron man of our history, never compromised, never bowed before the tyranny of Ziaul Haq and eventually sacrificed his life just to save the rights of the people of the country.
Today we stand witness that Bhutto has secured a great place in our history and Ziaul Haq has vanished in the chapters of history.
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Shaheed faced all sorts of cruelties and highhandedness in the hands of Gen Ziaul Haq’s ruthless dictatorship, but his stand and sacrifice proved to be a harbinger for the end of dictatorship.
This was not an ordinary task to throw out the rock-ribbed dictatorship. History has witnessed that many politicians of the party, including those who loved to be called lions, either ran away or distanced themselves from the PPP leadership in a testing time to save their skin.
But it was Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Shaheed and Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Shaheed, who stood staunch and never compromised the cause of the people and Bhutto faced martyrdom in the hands of Ziaul Haq and his daughter bore agony of jails and forced exile time and again in Zia’s era of martial law.
In Pakistan, Ziaul Haq’s regime gave vent to terrorism, radicalism and militancy in the country and all efforts were made to defeat the movement of democracy and rights of the people.
Politics in Pakistan is not a bed of roses and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto faced torture and worst hostilities in his life, designed and implemented by Ziaul Haq, the worst dictator in the history of Pakistan.
Bhutto lost his life and what a more sacrifice can be for the people of the land that Bhutto has offered for the country.
Bhutto played a historic, heroic and sheet anchor role in establishing democracy and defeating dictatorships and in this path he created history by being the first elected prime minister of Pakistan.
On the government front, he made a number of exemplary achievements such as founding nuclear technology programme in the country.
The success of Bhutto’s struggle and defeat of Ziaul Haq’s tyranny is that today we are living in the era of Bhutto’s vision and this vision will eventually take us to the destination of a strong and self sustained county in the world.
Today nobody can deny the truth that the way ahead is what Bhutto has preached as democracy and self-respect.
Today, if we have democracy in the country it is because of Mr Bhutto’s stance and struggle that people are supreme.
It’s a matter of satisfaction for all political ranks that due to Mr Bhutto’s struggle and sacrifice people are the architects of their destiny and they will continue to follow the philosophy of democracy and people’s power that will make this country stronger and greater.
We salute Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto for his service, struggle and sacrifice for the country.
The writer is Leader of the Opposition in National Assembly of Pakistan.