ZAB hanged for challenging national, international establishment, says Aitzaz

LAHORE: The Pakistan People’s Party central leader, Aitzaz Ahsan, has said Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was born to be hanged for the “crimes” such as creating the Muslim Bloc and giving people the realisation of their power

that challenged the national and international establishment.

He said this in a session “Meet the Author: Born to be Hanged” on the occasion of the fourth International Faiz Festival at Alhamra Arts Council on Saturday.

ZA Bhutto introduced reforms in the industrial sector. He nationalised the major sector and empowered the depressed segments of society, said Aitzaz Ahsan.

Noted HR activist IA Rehman said Bhutto challenged the powerful corridors of the country and stood with the poor people of the country. In another session as part of the festival, “Politics in Journalism” Marvi Sarmad said politics and journalism could not be done without ideology. Unfortunately, space for investigative journalism has ended in the country, she said.

Anchorpersons should keep their political ideology away during their programme, said Wusatullah Khan.

According to him, Zia era was better than this regime. Once a journalist was picked up by the state everyone knew about his whereabouts. Unfortunately, no one knows about the whereabouts of a journalist who is picked now, he said.

He said “politicians cannot take U-turn if we see them in the light of Quaid-e-Azam‘s point of view.

We cannot differentiate between state and non-state actors.

Noted journalists Hamid Mir said a journalist should save his skin now, and it would be his/her great success. Journalists should report and avoid becoming a report, he added.

Punjab's Health Minister Yasmeen Rashid said: “We need to be focused on

health and education in the country.

We can defeat terrorism by promoting education.” She lamented that Pakistan fought the war of others in Afghanistan.

Afrasiyab Khan Khattak said Talibanization is being promoted in the country.

The freedom of the press has ended in the country. Politics is being controlled.

Pakistan is facing challenges from both the international and domestics forces, he said.

According to him, Tehreek-e-Labbaik has locked the country and it leaders issued fatwas against the institutions of the country. A session “Blurring the Boundaries: Imaging the Film” was moderated by Mira Hashmi. Salima Hashmi, Imran Abbasi, Prof Majid Saeed Khan presented their views. “Meet Uncle Sargam: A Conversation with Farooq Qaiar” was also held.

The other programmes at the festival included debate competitions between schools, dance performances by Lahore Grammar School, discussion on Qawwali and sessions on theatre, TV, film, besides the talk on Iqbal and Faiz. Other events, including an evening of poetry and piano, Lok Virsa, 70 years of Partition, book launch, young singers, exhibition of photographs of Faiz were also held. People from different sections of life from across the country, including intellectuals, lawyers and students, participated in the festival.