Welcome Home Ms Bhutto

Benazir Bhutto landed in Pakistan on 18th of October after ending 8 years of self- imposed exile. Her return was inevitable and understood since the script had already been written in Washington. The news of her return was met with excitement among her supporters but it was not known that a large number of people will throng the roads of Karachi from every nook and corner of the country to welcome home their exiled leader. Most of those supporters belonged to the lower strata of society; who are barely literate and don’t comprehend the complexities of politics. The educated lot remained aloof from the celebratory procession and preferred to watch the drama unfold on their television screens.

The procession started off at a snail’s pace with the crowd going berserk to catch the glimpse of their leader. They danced, clapped and cheered for her. Everyone was happy and in the festive mood but somewhere people who were not part of the procession had a feeling that something can go wrong. And then their worst fears unfortunately became true. The night fell on the city of lights but the dancing and cheering procession had not shown any signs of weariness. Then the apparently peaceful night turned into a nightmare when two powerful blasts rocked the caravan and since BB along with her party members was traveling in the armored truck they survived the blast.

Benazir Bhutto had already been warned by the government of a possible suicide attack but still she came to Pakistan according to her plan. Ten on ten for her commitment to her party workers and to all those who looked forward to her return. She was provided with a bullet proof rostrum on the truck but she chose to stand on the top front of her campaign vehicle; totally vulnerable and exposed to the people. Ten on ten for putting on a valor show as she could have been directly targeted by a sniper or by a suicide bomber for that matter standing like that.

There is no doubt that BB was the prime target of the attack. A lot has been changed in those 8 years. Pakistan is paying a heavy price for being the key US ally in the war on terror. In 2007, after Iraq the maximum number of suicide attacks took place in Pakistan. Although her government was behind the making of Taliban but she is not in the good books of religious extremists for her recent statements regarding the elimination of extremism. She had never been in the good books of Al-Qaeda either as she once told the CNN’s terrorism analyst Peter Bergen that Osama Bin Laden tried to bribe some of the parliamentarians to pass the no confidence vote against her government in 1989 that she narrowly survived. She is taken as another US ally by the foreign and local elements in Waziristan. So this means that it’ll be one rough ride for her in Pakistan as she has more foes than friends. She, however, remained unhurt and once again like always the ordinary people lost their lives and suffered the brunt.

Many criticized that Benazir Bhutto shouldn’t have come back and if she had to then there was no need to attract such large crowds. Politics is like a showbiz you remain in the public’s mind as long as you are in the limelight. Out of sight is out of mind and after all she was coming back after 8 years. It is a long period for a person who has an insatiable desire for power. Politicians leave the country covertly when they are caught in an unavoidable accountability soup but they always come back with a bang. Then she was coming back with many assurances and great confidence since she had the full backing of USA. So her quiet, lackluster return was totally out of question.

The other objection was raised that such procession or rallies shouldn’t be held in Pakistan given the security situation. Although Pakistan is deprived of true political culture but political gatherings are part of a normal political process in any country. But it is not just about the political rallies we have witnessed the worst suicide bombings in the religious gatherings, in the court room and in the public places as well. This means no gathering is safe from the extremist elements. If suppose BB had come back and had been rushed to her home quietly from the airport even then after a week or so she would have kicked off her political campaign with some public rally and this might have happened. No one is safe from the wrath of those extremists who don’t seem to think twice before taking so many lives. These ruthless people can attack anyone anywhere and those attacks are alarmingly on the rise. These nefarious elements which are said to be in minority affect the lives and happiness of majority in an unimaginable way.

The supporters and PPP workers, who were there to welcome Benazir Bhutto came of their own free will. You can coax at the most 50,000 people for attending a rally or a procession but certainly not as many as were present that day in Karachi. The ordinary citizen’s psyche is very simple. They can be very easily trapped in the false promises and the rosy dreams of future. An ordinary person also has a short memory and a big heart. They tend to forget pretty soon that the leader they are going to welcome is the one who has been involved in innumerable accountability cases. She was the one who couldn’t get justice to her assassinated brother’s family. She is the one whose husband was a scourge for the business and corporate community. She is the one who setting aside her remaining integrity bowed to the military leader to have a share in power. And she is the one who failed to do anything substantial for those ordinary people when given a chance twice. The ordinary people have a big heart so they thought to forgive her once again despite the fact that she made the poor country poorer and honestly, they have no other choice as well. There are only three big players out there; the military, BB and Nawaz Sharif. They keep trying one after other thinking that perhaps they might bring some positive change in their miserable lives.

Benazir Bhutto would carry on with her agenda, the ordinary people will get busy in making ends meet and the life in the city will be returned to normal; but what about those families who lost their loved ones in this blast. Those ordinary people or the PPP supporters who showered BB with their unprecedented love and support on her return deserve to be reciprocated with equal amount of love and respect. She should personally compensate the bereaved families. Why politicians always make their help conditional with assuming the office; they can help the poor to an extent while not in the power. If she does so these ordinary people and PPP supporters will be obliged and ready to lay their lives for her. Because hero/celebrity worship is yet another trait of an ordinary man’s psyche.