Death of an icon



Wednesday, January 02, 2008
Imtiaz Alam

She had promised, she knew it and so she did. Ms Benazir Bhutto, the great Daughter of East, was not to be deterred by any amount of threat to her life, as this was to be her last battle against terrorism and authoritarianism of both the clergy and garrison. Perhaps, no leader in civilian history had such a precise knowledge of his/her imminent death in the course of struggle as she had and by defying the inevitable she willingly embraced the martyrdom that is now the valiant tradition of the Bhutto dynasty – The Dynasty of Martyrs. Never had this nation mourned the demise of its any leader with such intensity and affection as it did in the last four days across all divides in every nook and corner of the country. Hers is an epical-tragedy: she came, she prevailed and she became immortal in a most tragic and eventful life. Instead of ending, the Bhutto epic makes a new beginning with Bilawal having been baptized to Bhuttoism by virtue of matriarchy.

"Mohtrama don't travel by road, avoid procession and adopt electronic means for communication" I almost beseeched her repeatedly. "Of course there are great risks, but I can't keep away from my people, come what may; they are my real strength", Benazir Bhutto continued to reply in her unique defiant mould that she has been in since October 18 when she was again mesmerized by the overwhelming response of the people in Karachi. It seems as if some metaphysical forces had taken over her soul that was destined for martyrdom. Of course, she hadn't gone crazy. She could not be a commander of the people without mobilizing them for the last battle she was pursuing for the emancipation of the people and a liberal democratic and progressive Pakistan.

As an intelligent politician and superb tactician she came out of the wilderness of exile by manoeuvring her way to capture centre stage of mainstream politics while successfully presenting her self as a genuine liberal democratic alternative to an authoritarian and isolated Musharraf who was losing ground for his half-measures in every sphere, including the war on terrorism. She even made some unpopular but realistic moves to ensure her and other popular leader Nawaz Sharif's entry into Pakistan while forcing Musharraf to doff his uniform and lift emergency. As the King's parties and other opposition parties dragged their feet in standing up to the lethal challenges posed by the terrorists and extremists, there was no one else except Benazir Bhutto who took a clear and determined stand against the murderous forces of darkness and medievalism. No doubt she symbolised the unity of federation, she now also symbolized all values of liberal democracy. She not only forced Musharraf to go on back foot, but also the major electoral parties to take the route of electoral mass mobilization to turn the tables on the authoritarian manipulation of the electoral process and democracy.

Her charismatic appeal across the country was at its peak and she succeeded in pulling millions of people to her public rallies in her aggressive election campaign. In the course of two weeks, she along with the PML-N succeeded in brushing aside the big chaudharys of so-called secure constituencies in the Punjab and elsewhere. The PML-Q turned out to a house of cards while facing the two-pronged massive electoral campaigns being run by two popular former prime ministers in the Punjab. Interestingly, she was fast emerging as the only prime ministerial candidate in a three-way contest in the Punjab and NWFP after having achieved a sweeping position in Sindh. And this was the turning point for the powers that started panicking as they saw the electoral game they had setup slipping out of their hands. Bhutto had to be neutralized by those rogue elements within the establishment and their outlawed terrorist comrades who saw in her a powerful liberal adversary emerging. It was an unholy alliance between the rogue elements within the establishment that preferred to criminally neglect her security to facilitate the job of terrorists once aligned with it.

The conflict between the popular aspirations of the masses and an authoritarian establishment remains irreconcilable, so is it between the Bhuttos and the garrison who is intolerant to anyone who challenges their monopoly over Pakistan. There is a clear historical link between the judicial murder of Zulifikar Ali Bhutto, death and killing of Shahnawaz and Murtaza Bhutto and now Benazir Bhutto who was the last among the second generation of Bhuttos to keep the PPP's defiance going. The Bhutto phenomenon, unlike its populist counterparts elsewhere in the third world, has shown remarkable resilience and survived the changing times of history with communism coming to an end. In the void, thus created by the exit of strong leftist movements from historical stage, it was incredible for Bhutto's populism to survive while keeping the hopes of the people alive in their possible emancipation.

This was Ms Bhutto who intelligently transformed the PPP into a more liberal and social democratic party than Z. A. Bhutto had perceived. She professed democratic values, abandoned anti-India chauvinism, adopted more secular traits and married the PPP's socialism to sustainable economic development. Unlike her father she nursed no vendetta or personal enmity. She, rather, bridged Bhutto anti-Bhutto divide by practicing pluralism and showing greater tolerance for the critics and adversaries. That is why when Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was hanged the parties of the PNA distributed sweets and did not send a message of condolence to the bereaved family or the party. But on Ms Bhutto's demise the whole nation, regardless of ethnic or political divides, is beating its chest in grief. That shows her magnetic appeal across all divides.

Although Ms Bhutto's assassination has left a great void that cannot be filled since it takes decade to build an international icon of her stature, she in her death has galvanized the PPP beyond its traditional constituency. Her elimination may appear to strengthen garrison or benefit extremists, but a charged populist democratic PPP will defeat the designs of her murderers. The PPP at the worse moment of its history has remarkably behaved with patience and perseverance. It showed its formidable presence in all the four provinces and demonstrated its will to keep the unity of federating units above all ethno-regional cleavages. This show of greater unity by the people and the PPP rank and file also call upon the children of the Bhuttos to burry their differences and jointly pursue the behest of their elder Bhuttos.

The PPP's central executive, in the aftermath of the death of their beloved leader, has taken remarkable decisions. By bringing Bilawal as chairman they have kept the Benazir factor in keeping the unity of party intact. By asking Asif Zardari to co-chair party organization to help party surmount its current predicament, the party has taken a wise decision since Mr Zardari has shown the necessary talent and courage to face hardships. He is in fact a true jiyala and a great loyalist of Bhuttos. In his first test of leadership, Mr Zardari has proved his mettle while defending the PPP's federalist stand against secessionist tendencies. By nominating the gentleman from Sindh, Makhdoom Amin Faheem, as PPP's candidate for prime ministry the party has removed the possibility of confusion and a tug of war for the top slot. The most intelligent desion that it has taken is to go along the elections on January 8 while keeping the PML-N on board. This has put the establishment and its surrogates in a quandary. Why should a winning PPP riding the wave of sympathy for Benazir run away from the electoral contest? The lines are now drawn and the democratic forces must not let Benazir's great sacrifice go in vain. Benazir has become immortal; let us build a truly democratic republic in her sweet memory. My last tributes to her and I have no words to pay my respect to a very kind friend and leader.