UK press sees Bilawal’s entry as exploiting dynastic connection

LONDON: Britain’s mainstream press warmed to Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s confident political debut in Garhi Khuda Bukhsh on the fifth assassination anniversary of his mother, former premier Benazir Bhutto, but underscored that the address was aimed at capitalising on Pakistani public’s emotional connection to the Bhutto dynasty.
The 24-year-old Oxford University graduate drew heavily on his dynasty and spoke highly of the virtues of being the “real” heir to the Bhutto throne when, in fact, he belongs to the Zardari tribe. Newspapers observed that it went to the credit of Bilawal that he spoke good Urdu to his people, showing that he could connect with them better.
The Guardian said that Bilawal’s entry “in the turbulent and often lethal world of Pakistani politics” had now made him “the most high-profile target in a country hit by wave after wave of extremist violence”.
The paper said that “doubts remain over Bhutto’s appeal to new, younger, urbanised and often more religiously minded voters”. The Independent said dynastic politics remains pervasive in many parts of South Asia, and in Pakistan, there is no more powerful dynasty than the Bhutto family.
It said Bilawal’s appointment “underscored the enduring presence of dynastic politics, more than 65 years after the creation of Pakistan”.
“The desire to utilise the Bhutto name is all the greater given the unpopularity of Mr Zardari and that elections are scheduled to be held in the spring,” the paper said, referring to the corruption charges against the President of Pakistan.
Rasul Bakhsh Raees, a political analyst, said Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s political blooding had long been anticipated. “Politics is dominated by influential political families who build coalitions to hold power,” he said. “There’s no ideology, no questions about past allegiances or support for the military. It’s a pragmatic approach.”
A comment piece in The Independent said Bilawal was pushed forward to rebut those critics of the PPP who say that the party has become the “Zardari party” rather than the “Bhutto party”. It said bringing Bilawal to the forefront may be the party’s best chance at regaining mass appeal.
The Telegraph said Bilawal was used by the party to launch “a frontal attack on the country’s Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, who forced Yusuf Raza Gilani to step down as prime minister earlier this year over his reluctance to order a new corruption inquiry into his father”.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s emergence as the face of Pakistan’s largest political party marks a third generation of Bhutto leadership.
“He is understood to have undergone intensive training in Pakistani political culture and the Urdu language to prepare him to lead the coming general election campaign.”
An unnamed PPP minister told the paper: “He was already shaped by being with his mother which was his learning process. Oxford polishes people very well. He has very good eye contact, he’s very pragmatic and sensible. His style is more like his mother, he’s very thorough like her. But he is respectful and humble like his father — he is not proud.”
The paper quoted Pakistani political analysts as saying that Bilawal’s elevation was a gambit to distract voters from the government’s poor record with the Bhutto family’s glamour. “Bilawal is the only card that is left with the political party that his grandfather launched. In almost five years of their rule, they have not delivered on any account. Now they are trying to make it up by introducing a fresh face. They are banking on him now,” said Rasul Bakhsh Raees, professor of political science at Lahore University.
“The party has always thrived on the name of Bhutto. It is the legacy of Bhutto and the sacrifices they made that they are trying to resell but the public has become smarter than that and this strategy will not work,” he added.