Victoria Schofield’s ‘The Fragrance of Tear’ launched at Afkar-e-Taza Thinkfest

LAHORE: Author Victoria Schofield’s memoir of her friendship with Benazir Bhutto, “The Fragrance of Tears,” was launched in conversation with Najam Sethi at the Afkar-e-Taza ThinkFest Online Sunday.

According to a press release, starting with her Oxford days, Victoria detailed how they became friends and then followed each other as presidents of the Oxford Union. “There had only been a couple of women presidents of the Union before Benazir, but her generosity of spirit was such that she helped me achieve the honour right after her,” recounted Victoria Schofield.

Describing Benazir’s nature, Victoria said, “Benazir was always excited by success of other people, and especially encouraged women”. In hindsight, Victoria noted that perhaps those were the last “fun days Benazir ever had”.

Najam Sethi then asked about Victoria’s first visit to Pakistan which was during the time of the trial of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Victoria stayed in Pakistan for 11 months and as she was also working as a stringer for a newspaper, kept meticulous records. Victoria recounted how when she arrived, Benazir was under house arrest: “I had never known anyone in house arrest, and nor did I know what it meant,” Victoria noted. She then spoke about how she became very involved in the defence team of Bhutto and helped them in various ways. “I could type fast and so not only typed out stuff for the defence lawyers but also Benazir. Eventually I typed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s autobiography which was later published under the title of “If I am assassinated,” recounted Schofield.

Victoria then also narrated an incident when a defence lawyer in fact died in front of her as he was dictating to her. “That was traumatic,” she remembered. Victoria Schofield added that later she met one of the judges of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, Justice Safdar Shah, who had told her that he and his brother judges were told that Gen Zia would show clemency to Bhutto only if the whole bench refused the clemency petition. Of course, this never happened. “The whole experience was a defining moment in the history of Pakistan; certainly, very unusual for the death sentence to be passed on someone convicted of conspiracy to murder,” Victoria remarked. “That whole 1978/79 time was brutal. As Benazir herself used to say, fact is often stranger than fiction,” Victoria retorted.

Moving on to talk about the return from exile of Benazir in 2007, Victoria recalled an incident when she met the then president Musharraf for an interview on Kashmir but where Musharraf asked her to convince Benazir not to come back to Pakistan. “I told Musharraf that I was a friend and didn’t meddle in Benazir’s politics”. Najam Sethi also confirmed that Musharraf had asked several people to convince Benazir not to come back and that Benazir had in fact called to ask him for advice too. “I told her that as long as she could ensure her security, she would be fine,” Sethi recounted, including that of her husband, Asif Ali Zardari then took the phone and told him that Benazir’s life would be in grave danger if she came back.

“Benazir was a woman of destiny and that destiny brought her back to Pakistan in 2007,” remarked Victoria Schofield. Agreeing with Najam Sethi, Victoria noted that on her 2007 return Benazir was a different person. “She was much more mature, strong and confident, and wanted to leave a legacy of helping the poor in Pakistan. She was totally committed to it,” noted Victoria. Then she described the harrowing experience of being with Benazir and dozens of others on the truck when the suicide bomber struck and killed over 150 people. “I had a feeling that the end was near,” recounted Victoria. “When I left Pakistan in October 2007 that was the last time I saw Benazir,” she pointed out.

In the end Victoria Schofield, who was Benazir Bhutto best friend for over 40 years, noted that she wrote the memoir so as to give a glimpse of the personal side of Benazir. “I wanted to write it for her children, my children, and for all those who knew her, to show how caring, generous and strong Benazir was,” concluded Victoria Schofield.