As Pakistan entered the third decade of its existence as an independent State, all the fundamental issues involving its 120 million citizens and their future remained in a state of anxious uncertainty. Internally a capitalist economic system prevailed and, in addition the country was submissive to the predatory forces of international capitalism. In such a setting the masses wanted and expected a revolutionary theme. The composer, shaeed Bhutto gave the people a symphony of economic, political and social revolution.

On 30th November, 1967 at Lahore, the first chord of the symphony was struck, at the founding convention, the Leader states, “---the Party to put an end to corruption, police violence, cultural degradation, moral degradation and the growth of lawlessness. Through its economic reforms the cost of living, which is rapidly rising, will be brought under control and reduced. With the break up of monopoly capitalism, not only will the workers, peasants and consumers be rescued from exploitation, but the national income will be more justly distributed. ----. As for regional disparities, these are the inevitable result of capitalist exploitation and the growth of vested interest; they will be overcome by the economic and political programme of the Party.” The crescendo was the building of a new social order and in introducing a new harmony, he can be called the architect of Pakistan’s reformation.

Mr. Bhutto led the economically exploited and politically deprived masses in a historic and valiant struggle against dictatorship, cronyism, monopoly capitalism, regional disparity, political, economic and cultural exploitation. The struggle against Ayub the dictator was a revolutionary movement that for the first time in Pakistan’s history dared to address the class contradictions in society giving the working classes the status of equal citizens in society and law. 

Mr. Bhutto came to power with the legacy of the 1971 war, 5,000 square miles of Pakistani territory under Indian occupation and over 93,000 soldiers, civilians, women and children had been taken as prisoners. In the wake of these circumstances, he set to raise from the ashes of defeat a nation by creating a national consensus through the vertical and horizontal divide of society, before Smile. The Smile Accord will be remembered in the annuals of diplomatic history as an instrument negotiated with out conceding on Kashmir and the fundamentals of Pakistani policy while securing the release of occupied territory, prisoners and restoring national honour and pride.

The ruling elite in nexuses with the vested interests and collusion of Chief Justice Munir from 1947 denied the ascendancy of the “will” of the people. As a consequence the nation dithered from one dictatorship to another, two Constitutions each abrogated by its authors and the political isolation being complete to the extent of the demand for Six Points. Four months into office he gave the nation an interim Constitution and set about the task of creating a national consensus for a document that would be Federal, Parliamentary and democratic, the 1973 Constitution was thus born in the National Assembly reflective of the collective “political will” of the nation. The viability and moral bind of the document speaks from the fact that despite dictatorial patchwork and military interventions it still remains the basic gourd norm. 

As a first step towards a just social order far reaching agricultural reforms were instituted. Individual landholding was reduced from 500 acres to 150 acres of irrigated land and all excess holding was taken over without compensation and redistributed free of cost to landless tillers. The Land Reforms Ordinance also addressed the landlord tenant relationship. The ejectment of the tenants ceased to be a matter of the landlord’s whimsy. The liability for the payment of the water rates and all agricultural taxes were transferred to the landlord, who was also responsible for the cost of seed. This to a great extent brought to an end the age old iniquity on the tiller of the soil. Many other measures were taken to increase land cultivation and productivity.

Article 3 of the Constitution states, “ The State shall ensure the elimination of all forms of exploitation and the gradual fulfilment of the fundamental principle, from each according to his ability to each according to his work.” Alive to the fact that a worker is not an anonymous cog in the wheel of production for the first time a Labour Policy was framed. The policy allowed trade unions and collective bargaining, a higher share in the company’s profits. It also provided for group insurance, free education for children, better housing and improved medical services. In actual fact it introduced the value of dignity of labour and respect for an individual irrespective of his status or nature of job.

India’s nuclear test was a direct threat to Pakistan’s national security and sought to tilt the strategic balance in the region. Mr. Bhutto’s response was to gear up Pakistan’s own nuclear potential in self-defence. He was the architect of the nuclear programme. The nation would have been denied of the nuclear deterrent had it not been for him.

The beauty of the Bhutto era was that no one sector was ignored at the cost of the other the harmony of the symphony of revolution was spread in even movements. A number of industrial reforms were introduced to break the domination of a handful rich families and facilitate a more equitable distribution of wealth. The decision to nationalise was motivated by the concern to give a role to the public sector in a mixed economy and to extend economic benefits to as large a section of the community as possible. He moved to build an infra-structure for industrial development, the Pakistan Steel Mill, the Heavy Mechanical Complex at Taxila, Kamra, Machine Tool Factory and Port Qasim are some amongst a host of other such projects.

Education had become an elitist concept, fee structures were exorbitant, and the system provided education in ivory towers devoid of reality and technical orientation. Almost 4000 schools and 200 colleges were nationalised to open the doors of education to the common Pakistani; as a consequence school and college teachers who were at the mercy of the management were given security of service. Emphasis was placed on technical and vocational education. New professional colleges and universities were opened. The students and youth were engaged in nation building projects so as to harness their potential.

In February 1974 the city of Lahore relived its historic glory when it witnessed the gathering of the Muslim Heads of State. Together they spoke for 700 million people in Asia and Africa the solidarity that Bhutto was able to establish on issues such as Kashmir, Palestine and the awareness of the weapon of oil unleashed the forces of international imperialism, which eventually culminated in his assassination. Pakistan pursued a dynamic and forward looking foreign policy.

The slogan of the oppressed, surppressed, down trodden masses of Pakistan – “Jiay Bhutto” is embedded not only in emotionalism but draws from reality, he provided the people nay the nation with the very basics; a Constitution, a nuclear programme, a infra-structure for industrial growth, political awakening, generated the will to break the shackles of poverty and ignorance, a egalitarian society, a just social order where the weak are secure and the strong are just, restoration of the political and economic rights of the workers and peasants, emancipation of women and a commitment to their rights, protection of the minorities, a blossoming of the cultures, recognition of the rights of the federating units and its protection under the Constitution and pride in being a Pakistani. He reassembled the historic and cultural moorings that were a drift and created an identity; a Pakistani identity.