Benazir’s doctrine

July 3, 1972 – a historic midsummer day when the Simla Accord was signed between Z A Bhutto and his Indian counterpart Indra Gandhi. The Accord was a milestone success of Bhutto, who was accompanied by his young daughter who silently observed all the negotiation tactics of her father.

Hardly was she aware that 16 years after the Simla Accord she would be taking oath as prime minister herself. Benazir Bhutto’s struggle was not easy, facing the patriarchal political system and merciless dictatorship of Zia who hanged her father and imposed martial law in the country.

It won’t be wrong to say that Benazir Bhutto was a born leader, exhibiting all the traits of leadership which she inherited. This was reflected in her early days at Oxford. She showed all the signs of leadership since her days in student politics and an impeccable debating career.

“I never chose politics, politics chose me” said late Benazir – something Bilawal often quotes when he is asked by the media about how it feels to be in politics when he could have easily opted for a safer career. Benazir Bhutto converted the anger and anguish of her father’s loss into courage and determination; being a woman, she had to face multiple challenges as all the responsibility of her father’s party was on her shoulders.

It was not easy for her to bring the dead body of her younger brother Shahnawaz Bhutto, who was apparently poisoned in France, just a few years after losing her father. Both emotionally and practically it was a tough patch for a woman who was fighting the battle all alone. But her wisdom helped her revamp the party. The 28-year-old daughter of Bhutto brought together all the mainstream parties and formed the Movement for Restoration of Democracy (MRD) against Zia. The MRD gave a tough time to Zia, especially since he got himself elected president in a dubious manner.

On her return to Pakistan on April 10, 1986 in Lahore Benazir was welcomed by millions, said to be the biggest political turnout in the history of Lahore. She was simply unstoppable; a month later she landed in Karachi and it took almost eight hours to reach the meeting venue near the Quaid-e-Azam mausoleum from Karachi airport which otherwise would have been a 15-20-minute drive.

In 1988, Benazir Bhutto won the general elections and formed the federal government and became the first woman prime minister of the Muslim world. When she came to power in 1988, after a prolonged struggle, she opted for democracy and never believed in revenge against the opposition which had given her and her party a tough time during Zia’s dictatorship.

The late Benazir was the only democratic leader who defeated two dictators in her political career. When Pervez Musharraf was calling the shots, she was in exile for the second time in her life while her husband was incarcerated in Pakistan and her party was in opposition – but she flew back to her homeland despite death threats by militants. Indeed, she was the force behind the revival of democracy in Pakistan twice; and her iconic personality and charisma brought attention to Pakistan on international forums.

Looking at the current scenario in Pakistan, it is need of the hour to form a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to acknowledge victims of politically motivated persecution. NAB must be replaced with an independent accountability commission that should allow zero influence by the sitting government and should investigate any malpractice impartially. Governance must be improved to help the common citizen, by giving access to quality social services like education, health, employment. Some of these points are also mentioned in the Charter of Democracy.

Democracy is facing turmoil in Pakistan where the opposition is being suppressed, the economy squeezed and the buying power of the people being crushed with rising inflation and weak governance. One thing Imran Khan must learn from history is that those who make peaceful revolution impossible, they make violent revolution inevitable.

Pakistan is asking for a leader like Shaheed Benazir Bhutto who could rescue the nation. The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) has challenged Imran Khan over his incompetence and vengeful politics. The PDM must be taking inspiration from Benazir Bhutto who stood firm against tyranny twice.

“Democracy is the best revenge” – Benazir’s motto was for the larger interest of the country. She never resorted to vengeful politics but rather believed in inclusivity. She believed in an egalitarian Pakistan.

Today, Pakistan is experiencing economic crunch and political polarization, exacerbated by Imran Khan – but can the country afford this misadventure? For that, one would have to revisit history, which shows that there is only one way towards stability: by adopting Benazir’s Doctrine for a peaceful, non-polarized and economically stable Pakistan where political dissent is faced in a democratic way keeping personal differences aside.

Today when Zia, Musharraf and Ishaq Khan are irrelevant, the doctrine of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto still continues to emerge as a beacon of hope for a better, brighter and tolerant Pakistan.

The writer is a columnist and social activist.

Twitter: MustafaBaloch_