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Tanveer Jafri: Real Successor Of Benazir Bhutto?

Published: Wed 6 Feb 2008 03:10 PM
Pakistan: Real Successor of Bhutto?
By Tanveer Jafri
The age of upheaval & instability visible in Pakistan has never been witnessed so far. The general elections in Pakistan are underway. Despite there are clouds of anarchy, doubt, partiality & distrust in these elections. Some political parties are boycotting the elections whereas some are telling it a mockery. Some are demanding the appointment of foreign observers whereas some are hoping for the return of Pakistan People's Party because of sympathy produced on the death of Benazir Bhutto. There is possibility of anarchy & violence during the elections. But in the above circumstances the people of Pakistan are in a fix that after the death of Benazir Bhutto whom to accept as the real successor of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the founder of Pakistan peoples party, and former Prime Minister of Pakistan.
On December 27, 2007, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, the Chief of Pakistan Peoples Party, 54 year old Benazir Bhutto was killed in Rawalpindi in Punjab state of Pakistan. At that time, she was coming out, after addressing a meeting. After this death, in an emergency meeting, the Pakistan Peoples Party declared the name of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, 19, son of Benazir Bhutto as the new President of the PPP whereas Asif Ali Zardari, the father of Bilawal was declared as the acting president. The people of Pakistan didn't give an immediate reaction after the death of Benazir Bhutto. But now after one month of this incident, people of Pakistan have started to talk about the real successor of the Pakistan Peoples Party organized by the Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Son in law Asif Ali Zardari, his son Bilawal Bhutto Zardari or anybody else?
If we look upon the family of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, we see the name of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's son, Murtaza Bhutto even before the name of Benazir Bhutto. Murtaza Bhutto was killed on September 20, 1996, by the Pakistan police in Karachi. Six companions of Murtaza were also killed in this shootout. After this incident, the family of Murtaza Bhutto became politically totally inactive. But during that time, an intelligent daughter of Murtaza Bhutto, Fatima Bhutto was studying in Columbia University. Fatima Bhutto, who was born on May 29, 1982 in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan has become an established poetess & writer. After her first group of poems, 'Whisper of the Desert' she has started to touch the heights of fame. She was only fifteen years old when her first book on poems was published. At present Fatima Bhutto is working as a columnist in many newspapers.
On the other side, the public of Pakistan has sympathy with Begum Bhutto's son Bilawal, after the death of Benazir no one can deny this bitter truth that Benazir Bhutto was the most popular & accepted leader of Pakistan public whereas her husband Asif Ali Zardari is disliked by the Pakistani people. The reason for this dislike is that Zardari is being tried under many corruption cases. Even the charges of corruption have proved in some of these cases. For these corruption cases, the courts have convicted Zardari & he has undergone imprisonment for these crimes. One can guess the involvement of Zardari in corruption that he is called Mr. Ten Percent among the Pakistani people. So in these circumstances, the people of clear thinking think that if Bilawal Bhutto Zardari handles the political reigns of the country, how will Pakistan Peoples Party make his path easy & how can he keep himself away from the blots of a defame industrialist father. What is the guarantee of the fact that after coming in power & in the present organizational form of the Pakistan Peoples Party, Asif Ali Zardari will not involve himself in corruption?
It is misfortunate for Pakistan that it is facing many adverse circumstances. The man who sits on the apex chair feels himself so much intoxicated in power that to keep him in power; he is ready to do each & everything. There may be former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif or former Prime Minister's husband Asif Ali Zardari in the democratic setup; the blots of corruption are visible on all these top leaders. In these circumstances, the supporters of the Pakistan Peoples Party are forced to think about that should be handed over the reigns of the political party established by late Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, to that successor who has been charged with the corruption charges or who is a personality of clear impressions.
Benazir Bhutto is called the daughter of the East. Now the niece of Benazir & daughter of Murtaza Bhutto, who is Fatima Bhutto, 25 years old, is seen as the second daughter of East. Fatima will join the politics or not, that will be decided by her. But during these guesses, the reactions show the high thinking & intelligence of Fatima. Fatima says that instead of joining the active politics, she wants to be linked with the public through her writings. Despite she also takes interest in the public welfare activities associated with the Pak public. About being active in politics, she clearly says that it is not compulsory to be in active politics for the persons of the families of the political personalities. She clearly gives the message that in spite of being the grand daughter of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, she is not interested in politics. She has no interest in becoming the active political successor of Bhutto.
Undoubtedly, the new generation politics want to board the political ship of their political relative & reach the top place. This can be seen in India, Pakistan & many other countries. In spite of it, if the sharp minded Fatima Bhutto, who has high thinking, ignores the ancestral political setup, it is surely her high thinking & a good aspect of her personality.
Undoubtedly, Fatima Bhutto has no active participation in the present election being held in Pakistan but the possibility of her remaining aloof from it is far away. Not only for the Pakistan Peoples Party but for the Bhutto family & the public of Pakistan it is better & there should be a leader of clear impressions like Fatima Bhutto for Pakistan. So that Pakistan Peoples Party that has been facing the charges of corruption for the last two decades may get a leader of clear impressions & a right political successor.
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About the Author: Tanveer Jafri is a columnist based in India.He is related with hundreds of most popular daily news papers/portals in India and abroad. Jafri, Almost writes in the field of communal harmony, world peace, anti communalism, anti terrorism, national integration, national & international politics etc.He is a devoted social activist for world peace, unity, integrity & global brotherhood. Tanveer Jafri is also a member of Haryana Sahitya Academy & Haryana Urdu Academy (state govt. bodies in India). Thousands articles of the author have been published in different newspapers, websites & newsportals throughout the world. He is also a receipent of so many awards in the field of Communal Harmony & other social activities. (Email : tanveerjafriamb_AT_gmail.com )

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