Islamabad April 3, 2007: Former Prime Minister and Chairperson of the
Pakistan Peoples Party Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto has said that Shaheed
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto left this world to enter the pantheon of history where
he stands today with other towering personalities who shaped the course of
history.
She said this in a message on the occasion of martyrdom of Pakistan's first
directly elected Prime Minister falling on April 4.
Paying glowing tributes she said that Shaheed Bhutto's is martyrdom sparked
freedom movements in many countries as people gathered in capitals across
the world to condemn his murder. "As a student of history, he knew that
eternal life remains in sacrificing oneself for a cause that is larger than
an individual and that the noblest of all
causes is the cause of the liberation of humanity from tyranny and
oppression".
She said that Zulfikar Ali Bhutto opposed military rule considering it a
cancer eating up a society. In the case of Pakistan, he viewed military rule
as a negation of the very genesis of the country that came into being as a
result of a democratic process.
"His contributions to an impregnable Pakistan are seen in the nuclear
programme as well as in the Kamra Aeronautical factory. He built the Heavy
Mechanical Complex and revived the morale of the armed forces after the
shameful surrender in Dacca. He brought back ninety thousand prisoners of
war from Indian camps as well as Pakistani territory lost in the 1971 war.
He prevented the war trials of the Generals who had committed excesses to
protect the name and honour of the country. He saved the armed forces from
getting a bad name for a few generals that had wreaked havoc".
The PPP Chairperson said that Bhutto believed the army's indulgence in
political quagmire was harmful to its professional competence as an
institution. He said clearly: "The Pakistan Armed Forces cannot afford a
moment's deviation from their real responsibility. For the sake of
Pakistan's integrity, they simply cannot afford to get involved or absorbed
in the political life of the country. Those soldiers who leave barracks and
move into Government mansions lose wars and become prisoners of war as
happened in 1971"
Describing him as 'Pakistan's modernizer' she said that Quaid-i-Awam Shaheed
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto left deep footprints in the sands of history. "To his
lasting credit remains the 1973 Constitution of the country, the Simla
Accord of 1972 which brought the longest peace between India and Pakistan,
the social reforms to build an egalitarian society, the non-aligned foreign
policy, the nuclear programme and the building of the social, economic and
military infrastructure of the country".
She said that Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was an intellectual giant,
a thinker, author and orator. He was deliberate, discreet, and competent;
honest, upright and keeper of his covenants. He was a friend of the poor,
downtrodden and oppressed. Fearless in his beliefs he refused to bow before
any man or power other than the Almighty. His courage was such that he
preferred to face death for his beliefs and
embraced martyrdom.
She said that the most important and the most enduring legacy of the
Quaid-i-Awam was raising the consciousness of the people for democracy. He
awakened the masses, making them realize they were the legitimate
fountainhead of political power. He enlightened the farmer, the industrial
worker, the student, the woman and the rest of the common people of their
importance and of their right of franchise, which is the definite means of
bringing changes for the betterment of the lives of the common people.
She said that Bhutto was true to his values. When the time came he
sacrificed his life but refused to compromise on his lofty ideals. He was
fond of saying; "It is better to live like a lion for one day than to live
like a jackal for a thousand." He lived with the courage of a lion, defying
death in embracing martyrdom. He said he would show "how a leader of the
people lives and dies," and he did.
Following is the full
text of her article on the occasion.
