When Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan mentioned former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in his recent speech, I remembered a few sentences from Ms. Benazir Bhutto’s book ‘Daughter of the East’ and that American document from 1977, access to which was made public many years ago.
The Difference Between Zulfikar, Benazir
Before getting to what is written in the book, it is important to note that Benazir and her father represented two different eras and moods. Benazir’s political career began with the intervention of the army in politics and the struggle against military dictatorship, but at every opportunity she chose the path of reconciliation instead of confrontation.
In contrast, his father Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto grew up under martial law before becoming a democrat. He became a leader only when he was the foreign minister of a dictator. His popularity was due to his attractive personality, conversational ability, command of the English language, soft touch with the media and his patriotic attitude during the 1965 war. In fact, he had achieved all this before the People’s Party came into existence.
There was another major difference between him and Benazir. It was his feudal and selfish nature. He was later unjustly murdered by a new dictator. However, before martial law and executions, the 1977 Pehiya Jam strikes, violent demonstrations, hundreds of deaths and calls for help from the army also took place during Bhutto’s regime.
Imran’s Allegations
The situations of 1977 and today are very different. Now Imran Khan is giving the impression that an external power wants to kill him and also that the opposition was conspiring to end his government with foreign money. However, both things are similar to Bhutto’s statements in 1977.
Imran Khan is giving the impression that an external power wants to kill him and also that the opposition was conspiring to end his government with foreign money. But the situations of 1977 and today are very different
Imran Khan has been compared to Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto before. Some PPP members may have swelled with pride when Imran Khan called Bhutto a great leader in his last speech, but they may not know that it is magnanimous to give a little praise to the elders of their rival. There is a proven formula for showing up. When the speaker also mentions that he is being abused the same as his rival’s elders, one must immediately question whether this is not a rote lecture by a spin doctor. Public relations officers and communication consultants are hired to learn similar tactics and lessons, have a good knowledge of public psychology and mood along with speech, broadcasting and publishing.
Selling Lies, Distortions
By the way, the work of these communication consultants in Pakistan is very easy. The politicians depend on these communication consultants. They can easily make an important media topic out of any malicious or half-truth because our collective behavior is similar. The communication consultants don’t hesitate to present events by distorting them at will. In any case, they try to get some result that supports their position, even if it is based on a lie, it must be wah wah.
It is true that there were significant differences between America and Pakistan on issues such as the non-supply of arms in 1965, non-support of Pakistan’s stand on Kashmir and the purchase of a nuclear power plant from France. Is there any statement in the truth that there was a huge American conspiracy against the Bhutto government?
Till date, there has been no formal inquiry into this ‘conspiracy’ in Pakistan. Benazir Bhutto, while analyzing the situation and events of 1977, writes in her book that she did not find any trace of the American conspiracy behind the attempts to worsen the situation in Pakistan or overthrow the Bhutto government. There was also no evidence of distribution of $25 million to Bhutto’s opponents. They also scrutinized CIA documents but it was not possible to prove that the American CIA had any role in destabilizing the situation in Pakistan.
Benazir Bhutto’s Analysis
Benazir Bhutto concludes in her analysis that the situation that worsened in Pakistan in 1977 (after martial law and Bhutto’s execution) was possible because a few people allowed it to happen. A few people could have stopped all this. The MNA leadership could have stopped the incidents of strikes and violence in the country and the Chief of Army Staff could have prioritized the benefit of the country instead of thinking about himself.
Benazir Bhutto’s conclusion clearly shows that unlike her father and the current leadership of the country, she considered it important to focus less on the machinations of others and more on her own individual behavior as a leader.
It is not known who will be the prime minister of Pakistan after a few days. But it is certain that Imran Khan will also be remembered in history as the seller of ‘Bhutto’s name’ like the current leadership of the People’s Party.
