Murtaza Rafiq Bhutto
The title refers to a documentary that I would like our youth to view in order to educate themselves before making accusations against anyone. When we talk about martyrs, we mean those who are prepared to battle against tyranny for justice at any costs, without regard to their own lives, families, or cultures.
Sadly, in this Islamic Republic of Pakistan, we have seen middle-class and lower-class people give up their lives and families for political leaders and political parties.
When we compare our country to any other democratic and developed nation, we typically see martyrs in the military and armed forces. The PPP is the organisation that produces the majority of the slain political leaders and activists. The PPP is the only political party with a history of sacrifices. I will begin with the party’s founding and its leader, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, who rose to prominence as the voice of the middle class and lower classes, advocating for “food, cloth, and shelter.”
The leader fulfilled his commitments to the Pakistani people and did so with success. His stunning family was referred to as the Kennedy family of Pakistan at the time. There is no denying that he served the people of this nation; in fact, some of the PPP’s most well-known opponent politicians now serve as examples of this kind of individual. Nobody knows why he was hung during a military rule, and the issue is still pending in the relevant court. our family’s selfless sacrifice of their lives for the citizens of our nation is a true example. T
he daughter Benazir Bhutto was imprisoned in solitary confinement, a facility reserved for the most wanted offenders; her two sons, Shahnawaz and Mir Murtaza Bhutto, were suspected of being involved in plane hijacking and anti-state or terrorist activities. I have no idea what the young people of today think or why they follow leaders who have connections in real politics. Future generations can always look up to the leaders as role models. Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, in my opinion, also established a precedent by refusing to get personnel in the face of any circumstance. Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto’s name always comes to mind when we discuss martyrs. She was Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto’s eldest child, and despite everything that she had to overcome, she made the decision to rise above it all and continue on. Regarding the events of the martial law regulations, I am at a loss for words, but definitely! She stood and confronted everything in a democratic manner following all that transpired with the family that was slain under Zia’s reign. Following the assassination of his great-father, she rose to prominence as the face of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).
Years of victimisation later, she was appointed Pakistan’s first female prime minister when democratic elections were finally declared. This historic campaign is known as the “Movement for the restoration of democracy.” Following the assassination of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, 3000 PPP activists and supporters were detained, many of whom stayed in prison for the following ten years.
The road to becoming the first female leader in history was not an easy one. As we were leaving the home after taking the oath, former President Zardari told us in one of the interviews that she said, “Today, I have avenged my father.” I wish I could put my sentiments into words, but sadly, the world we live in has made us extremely tough, making it difficult for us to express our feelings.
Moving ahead, even if you are in authority, dealing with the propaganda apparatus in the halls of power is not simple. Things began to negatively portray President Zardari and to split the family in some way. Even though her father was killed, her brother was poisoned, and her husband was targeted in an attempt to stop her, she persisted in her efforts. Moving forward, she persisted in her fight and developed into a far harder or stronger woman. The struggle with the corridors of power is still ongoing. She becomes the Prime Minister of this country once more. I won’t go into detail about her accomplishments for the people of this country; there is a list of them, particularly from her second term in office, and this time the conflict had to do with someone within the family.
As I mentioned before, the power of corridors doesn’t shatter you the same way that plans exist and are carried out differently from weapon-based warfare. Regretfully, the heir to the Bhutto dynasty was martyred in his sister’s government, and from what I’ve heard, the incident with Mir broke Mohtarma from the inside out. Afterwards, President Zardari was detained and accused in multiple cases; however, after more than ten years of incarceration and victimisation, they found no evidence against him in a single case, and he was allowed to be freed with dignity.
Mohtarma was left with no choice but to leave the country and she went into exile with the approval of the honourable courts. In an interview, president zardari sobbed as he described how the mohtarma and children’s meeting used to take place at the superintendent’s office. Asifa Bhutto, her younger daughter, took his hands and said, “This time, you are going with us,” leaving him speechless. Naturally, we can all relate to his feelings at that moment because we are all fathers.
Mohtarma refused to give up even when her family was martyred, or imprisoned. Now, when Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto announces her return to Pakistan on October 18, 2007, the movement similar to the MRD is about to get underway. When we met with Senator Nisar Khuhro, who is currently the PPP’s President Sindh and was the chapter president at the time, he gave us some behind-the-scenes looks at October 18. He said that we had insisted that Mohtarma should return and struggle to bring democracy back. People came together on October 18th from all across the nation to greet their beloved leader. The administration granted permission for the demonstration, which we were given until 12 PM. The majority of the PPP leaders were riding in a motorcade with her when it became congested, so Mohtarma asked some of the leaders to make room, and some people got out. Nisar Khuhro was riding in the car directly behind the motorcade when, at precisely 12 PM, we arrived at the Karsaz road. Suddenly, the street lights behind us went off, and we heard the explosion in an instant.
The Janisar-e-Benazir squad had formed in a circle to guard the mohtarma when the second bomb occurred, and the bloodshed of those janisars was all over his face and clothes. He stopped the car and opened the door to investigate what had happened. He discovered that his feet were on human flesh. Thankfully, Mohtarma was safe, and the leaders hurried to Bilawal House with her. He also informed us that Mohtarma had instructed us to file a police report, writing it by hand. However, when we went to the police station, they declined to file our complaint, and the administration cleaned the roads in a matter of hours. We had faced such circumstances previously, first during the martial law era and then on May 12 in Karachi, so it was very sad for all of us to be unable to identify the dead individuals. To stand up to the oppression of the power corridors, our people had sacrificed their lives.
Our leaders constantly lead us ahead and we find them in the forefront of the conflict; they taught us how to fight from Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto to Bilawal Bhutto, and they always had our back. Unfortunately, this is what’s happening to us right now. We want the elections to be announced as soon as possible, but the authorities are already using delaying tactics to push back the dates, so we still don’t know if they will take place early or later. He went on to say that we would continue to fight until justice is served, just like we have been doing.
Furthermore, even though they had done everything, either directly or indirectly, our leadership and we would not give up until the very end. We still have faith in the legal system and know that one day the honourable courts of justice would uphold justice. During the political conflict, Mohtarma knew she wouldn’t survive, but she made the decision to continue on.
Her daughter Bakhtawar Bhutto said in an interview that Mohtarma had wished her birthday in advance and had the gift wrapped and in her drawer before she left for Karachi. My experience with political leaders is limited, but as a parent, I can see that children are a person’s most valuable asset and that fulfilling your responsibilities comes before engaging in combat. To be honest, I did not see these kinds of things firsthand, and I do not enjoy politics much since I am aware that it not only costs you loved ones but also your integrity and dignity. Ultimately, I would advise our nation’s citizens to honor their vote, and I would advise political leaders to honor their mandate. Select the candidate you believe in, vote sensibly, and don’t base your decision only on your cultural or religious beliefs or mother language. The only viable solution in these economic times is democracy.
As for my vote, let me say that I have always liked dictators and that when I was younger, I believed that I knew more than my father or my ancestors. However, as I got older, I realised that I knew nothing and that the idea that a dictator is always good was a myth. After learning more about PPP’s background, I decided to vote for them because on a lighter note I enjoyed the song “Dila Teer Bija- Dushmana Te.” I hope that the party’s leadership will continue to serve the people of this nation.
