Bhutto’s Judicial Murder Revisited

Re: # 192

The more likely explanation is you got carried away and typed abusive crap in haste. Now you are feeling lousy so you are apologizing - but are too chicken to admit what you did.

I understand the acting in haste and feeling lousy part, I have done that many times myself.

But the best solution is to accept responsibility!

Truth is the way! Be truthful.

So says Gandhiji! :)

Opinion from Dawn, Monday April 14, 2008




Defining Bhutto’s mission


By Qazi Faez Isa


PRIME Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani vowed to accomplish Bhutto’s mission on his 29th death anniversary. What was the ‘mission’ of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and what were the powers confronting Bhutto when he embarked upon it?

Thirty years ago, there was another general in the President’s House and he also felt threatened and wanted a compromise. In Bhutto’s address to the Larkana Bar Association on March 13, 1968, he stated, “On many occasions close associates and relatives of the president have come to me for a compromise; I have not taken a single step to have any compromise… The president has been talking about the stability of the country. Where are the institutions which provide for genuine stability? This is not the way stability is given to the people… Interference in the judiciary has increased… Please search your hearts and tell me: are members of the legal profession satisfied with the prevailing conditions?”

Bhutto informed the nation about his differences with Ayub: “The people have no place in the government. The military rules here… Yet, it is argued that the country has made tremendous progress, and that there is stability. What stability? The stability of the graveyard?” (Peshawar, Nov 5, 1968)

“Zulfi had roused most of West Pakistan, bringing its young men from a state of apathy or despair to the brink of righteous revolt against the military dictator and his major pillars of support,” writes Stanley Wolpert in Zulfi Bhutto of Pakistan.

Bhutto evicted one general from the President’s House, but the next general who occupied it would hang him at 2 am on April 4, 1979. Stanley Wolpert records the event thus, “Fearing possible riots, Zia had rushed to have it ‘over’ and ‘done’ with before dawn. Contrary to the Pakistani prison ‘code’ for hangings, he had ordered Zulfi Bhutto’s murder in the dead of night. Then Zia felt for the first time in 21 months that he could breathe easy. And soon he would announce gleefully to his henchmen, ‘the b…..d’s dead’.”

From his stinking death cell, Bhutto addressed his tormentor: “You take so much pride in being a ‘soldier of Islam’ (an expression which you stole from my speech at the Islamic Summit Conference). Are you true to anyone and what have you learnt from the sacred principles of Islam? Does Islam teach you to break your oath, does Islam tell you to fabricate false cases and hound your mohsin (mentor)…? Islam teaches us justice… what justice can I expect from you? The conspirator who dislodged his own prime minister by force of arms…”

Bhutto was tried for the murder of Mohammad Ahmad Khan Kasuri, father of Ahmad Raza Kasuri, the supposed target. The Supreme Court on the basis of the razor-split four-three judgment sent Bhutto to the gallows. This was unprecedented. It was also unprecedented to rest a conviction solely on the tainted confession of Masood Mahmood (director-general, Federal Security Force) a self-confessed murderer. With regard to Masood Mahmood, who also hailed from Kasur, the Supreme Court (minority of three) stated that he was motivated by “Rivalry and jealousy at the local level which could as well have spawned a motive in the mind of Mr Masood Mahmood to do away with Mr Kasuri who was evidently his strong rival in the field of power politics of Kasur” (PLD 1979 Supreme Court 53, page 708).

Ahmad Raza Kasuri was an MNA who “did not sign or vote in favour of the Constitution of Pakistan of 1973” (PLD 1978 Lahore 518 at 540). He is also a staunch Musharraf supporter. The nexus of the presidency with other anti-Bhutto forces does not end here. The father of Attorney-General Malik Muhammad Qayyum, Muhammad Akram, was one of the hanging judges. There is also the perennial Sharifuddin Pirzada, Zia’s attorney-general, who secured a favourable verdict for the dictator. He diabolically contended in the Begum Nusrat Bhutto case that Bhutto was “the usurper who had illegally assumed power as a result of massive rigging”. Musharraf’s first act, after his coup, was to seek Pirzada’s assistance. He was handsomely rewarded from the peoples’ taxes.

Those who have harmed Bhutto and their progeny have done exceedingly well under the auspices of General Musharraf. Generals Ayub and Zia’s sons and grandson were inducted into his federal cabinet, whilst Bhutto’s daughter assassinated virtually at the threshold of the President’s House.

“Politics is not the illegal seizure of the state machinery,” Bhutto wrote to Zia from his death cell. Bhutto spurred the nation to dream again. “Politics is not the conversion of a flowering society into a wasteland. Politics is the soul of life. It is my eternal romance with the people. Only the people can break this eternal bond. To me, politics and the people are synonymous…. My blood is the blood of Pakistan. I am a part of its dust, a part of its aroma. The tears of the people are my tears. A smile on their beautiful face is a part of my smile….”

What was Bhutto’s mission? When Bhutto was arrested, Begum Nusrat Bhutto challenged his incarceration. Bhutto submitted a Rejoinder (PLD 1977 Supreme Court 657) that reveals what he stood for. “The Respondent (Zia) alone has destroyed … the judiciary by his illegal actions of July 5, 1977. The only way to restore legitimacy and save Pakistan is to roundly reject his action of July 5.… Any attempt to justify that action will … take us back to … Doom.” “An independent judiciary is the antithesis of martial law. An independent judiciary can only function under the umbrella of the Constitution and not under the shadow of the gun of a brown Duke of Wellington. An independent judiciary exists side by side with an executive chosen by the people and a legislature elected by them.” Zia’s “attempts to subvert the Constitution... made him guilty of the offence of high treason”.

“I was the author of the Constitution of 1973,” wrote Bhutto. The Constitution was his mission. An independent judiciary was his mission. To undo the actions of July 5 was his mission. Not to compromise with generals was his mission. Bhutto’s neck snapped but his determination did not. Will Bhutto’s political heirs honour his memory? Will they move to undo the actions of Nov 3? Will they restore the judiciary (without tampering with Bhutto’s Constitution)?

#194 article "PRIME Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani vowed to accomplish Bhutto’s mission on his 29th death anniversary.."

YRG is a fake "appointed" PM by those that do not hold any legitimate authority with the PPP- unlike ZAB who was a people's prime minister. You cannot expect a fake to fulfill the people's agenda...

Dear brothers in faith,

Don't let CHOWK's new look fool you into thinking that some 'new management' has taken over and that things will suddenly improve. If they do at all, let it be known that I have repeatedly requested CHOWK editors to MODERATE and control the RAW-agents who have nothing better to do than analyse Pakistani news and then stoop to abusing Islam and the Prophets by pretending to be interacters!

There is deathly silence at the editor's desk. Surprised? Not only this, they are guilty of killing quite a few of my articles over the years! I beleive, they still have not received the 'security clearance' to publish them.

One door closes but many others will open. CHOWK is not the final frontier; that it has degenerated into a hate-site should not come as a surprise to those who have turned it into one.

One evening's worth of search reveals that these anti-Islam half-humans will not reform. They are nicely linked; most 'kufr' is anyway. That goodnes stands squabbling amongst itself is a sad situation and I expect that born-Muslim interacters here will remember who they are, where they come from, and where they might be headed if they join hands with 'highly-educated satans'.

Indeed, the Qur'an calls all such persons who lapse into utter unbelief 'monkeys' and 'pigs'. Why? Because the outward behaviour and moral decadence begins to resemble that of such animals.

I must thank those who stood up for me, and those who even thought of doing the same but were afraid of being ridiculed or abused.

There are three kinds of men in this world; fighters, collaborators, and traitors.

See where you fit!

Regards.

Salute to Z A Bhutto!
M Waqar
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was executed on April 4, 1979, a darkest day in the history of Pakistan. Bhutto wrote a book from his death cell, Titled “If I am assassinated,” its last pages contained a quote from Russian author Nikolai Dostoevsky: “Man’s dearest possession is his life, and since it is given to him to live but once, he must so live as not to be scared with the shame of a cowardly and trivial past, so as not to be tortured for years without purpose, that dying he can say, ‘All my life and my strength were given to the first cause in the world - the liberation of mankind.’ ” As death stared the Z.A Bhutto in the face, he stared back. His past has no shame of cowardice. His daughter, too, gave her life in courage. “If India builds the bomb we will eat grass or leaves, we will go hungry. But we will get one of our own.” This statement by Zulfiar Ali Bhutto should open up our eyes and bring back the passion of patriotism, unity and love for each others for the sake of Pakistan. I would like to express that this man is and was hero of Pakistan. Historians, Retired Judges of the Superior Courts and eminent lawyers have now unanimously admitted that Mr. Z.A Bhutto was hanged by a military dictator General Zia-Ul Haq by orchestrating a judicial trial to get rid of a popular leader. He gave Pakistan its first constitution, nuclear programme, held peace talks with India and brought 90,000 POW who were in Indian prison and were going to face war crimes. He liberated the small farmers and peasants from the repression and cruelty of big landlords and banished the jagirdari and sardari system declaring that all citizens are born equal and must live with equal rights. Z.A Bhutto was a Legend, who lived and died like a hero with courage, determination and devotion to his principles, when cruel dictator Zia was going to kill him, Z.A Bhutto could sign few papers and could live in exile but he was a real man, he was not a coward. He too could have made a deal and lived to fight another day; but only great men with principles sacrifice their life for their cause. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto earned everlasting fame in the pantheon of leaders from the Third World in the struggle against colonialism and imperialism. He had the privilege of interacting with many of those leaders who played a great role in the epic struggle for national independence in the 20th Century including Mao Tse Tung, Soekarno, Chou-en Lai, and Gamal Abdel Nasser. He belonged to a category of anti-imperialist leaders who included Jamal Nasir of Egypt and Jawahir Lal Nehru of India. He was a brilliant Diplomat who negotiated some of Pakistan’s most enduring diplomatic policies as well as bargaining from a position of weakness against Indira Gandhi in Simla. He was a great diplomat; there is a story that the American President John F. Kennedy was much impressed with then Foreign Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. When they met, Kennedy walked with him in the Rose Garden and said, “Bhutto, if you were an American, you would be in my Cabinet”. To which Zulfikar Ali Bhutto smilingly replied, “No, Mr. President. If I were an American, you would be in my cabinet”. A Pan Islamic socialist who weakened the Feudal and tribal system.. He also pushed through Pakistan’s nuclear programme despite enormous International pressure. He was also a brilliant politician whose popularity and powerful speeches impressed even his worst opponents. It took a great man to get Pakistan out of the 71 trauma. A dynamic leader, who stood up against imperialism and looked to China and other progressive countries for an alliance. When he was Prime Minister, the country prospered and was set on a course of industrial and agricultural development. He gained popularity in villages and poor industrial areas. Bhutto was the only true leader in our history who gave us constitution, identity in international relations. You will be surprised to know when Bhutto became as Foreign Minister, at that time; we did not have ambassador level relations with so many big countries of the world like Indonesia etc. He empowers the poor of his country. Such people like Z.A BHUTTO are born rarely, who will forget his capabilities as an extempore speaker, as an writer, as an diplomat, as an leader and above all as lover of poor. On the day of his martyrdom his opponents called him as a culprit but same are now calling him as an innocent. The simple reason for this is that Zia tried his best to create divisions among people in order to finish the popularity of Bhutto. The irony is all those who hatched conspiracy against him are no more in this mortal world, all of them died a horrible death. Bhutto was the greatest leader we can think in the modern history. In his book “If I Am Assassinated”, Bhutto clearly mentions his fear of 120 million Pakistanis under a defenseless sky in comparison to a nuclear India. What a vision! India could have swallowed Pakistan long ago if thanks to Bhutto we were not an atomic power. On the economic front Bhutto vision for nationalization was that Pakistanis will work hard like Chinese, but here Pakistanis failed him. The labor and the management of nationalized industry had no interest to take advantage of this opportunity. Using this as a golden opportunity, the industrialists, bureaucrats, and above all corrupt army declared him as an unsuccessful leader. Bhutto loved poor and poor loved Bhutto. This relationship is ever lasting. The first leader who legislated labor laws and enforced in Pakistan and nobody could do it till now. This is the reason of his popularity among labors. He tried to unite the Islamic world. The Pakistan is still under developing country because Bhutto is not alive. Z.A Bhutto is the first person in Pakistan who has given the voice to the common people. Z.A Bhutto was great charismatic leader, man of masses, top class negotiator, excellent communicator, a visionary, known for mercurial brilliance, wit and a highly well read person. He attracted mammoth crowds where ever he addressed public meetings even in remote regions of the country. He was a man of masses because of his personal charm and charisma and the one who spoke in the language of workers, laborers, peasants and the people in the streets. He would make the people feel that he was one of them, understood them, had solutions to their problems and give them roti, kapra aur makan. He might have given all these things to them if his government had not become target of the establishment’s conspiracies. ZA Bhutto’s Powerful Political Legacy Cannot be eliminated. In no time Bhutto had made a tremendous impact all around. As Minister for Fuel and Power, he had diverse explorers tapping into Pakistan’s underground hidden energy resources. For the first time Russians were involved in oil and gas exploration. His time as Minister for Science and Technology was well spent. He could measure the advancements made by India in the atomic field. I can’t help grieving the tragic death of a Hero who paid with his life to set an ultimate example of principled politics. I hope we honor Shaheed Bhutto by giving to the weak and less fortunate people of Pakistan the gift of unconditional empowerment through democracy and moral governance and not trade his dream for our illusions. Bourgeois battled Bhutto’s populist economic and political enforcement, the bourgeois and the petty-bourgeois became ready instruments in carrying out their social propaganda against Bhutto. He was the man behind introducing democracy in the country by kicking out the dictatorial rule and finally gave a consensus constitution of 1973 with guarantees to basic human rights under the supremacy of parliament. Cruel dictators like Zia and Musharraf are responsible for bringing fundamentalists into the corridor of power, Mush, who is now trumping against them just an eye wash. Political Leaders must posses’ qualities of power, vision, ethics, courage, knowledge, decision making, integrity, enthusiasms and devotion and should have principles, Z.A BHUTTO had all those qualities. Mr. Bhutto lived consciously to make history and to leave a legacy in the form of the development of his nation. He is right credited with saving Pakistan at the darkest moment of its history, as French President Giscardd’ Estaing said he was the man,” who incarnated Pakistan at a dramatic hour of its history”. Z A BHUTTO was indeed a great leader, a leader we must salute today; who gave voice to the voiceless and helped them shape their own destiny. It was under his leadership that every Pakistani given the right to passport. Education was nationalized and made available to every child. Scores of Universities were built to turn the children of the discriminated and downtrodden into lawyers, doctors and engineers liberating them from a destiny of backwardness. Bhutto pushed politics out of the posh drawing rooms into real Pakistan-into the muddy lanes and villages of the poor. The ever-lasting contribution of Bhutto was to raise the consciousness of the people for democracy. He awakened the masses, making them realize they were the legitimate fountainhead of political power. He enlightened the peasants, the industrial workers, the students, the women and the rest of the common people of their importance and of their right of franchise, which is the definite means of bringing changes and improvement in the lives of the common people. He deeply cherished democracy and democratic values and in the end gave his life for the cause of freedom. In the case of Pakistan, he viewed military rule as a negation of the very genesis of the country that came into being as a result of a democratic process and a vote. Today as the Nation pays tribute to one of its greatest sons; it is destined to move forward in the spirit of Federalism, Democracy, Autonomy and Egalitarianism which he lit through his example of courage in the defense of principles and ideals. Z.A BHUTTO was a people leader, a legend and a poet and he remained so till the last breath in his body. He was a true revolutionary; his revolution was against imperialism, against bourgeois. He was a charismatic leader and his charisma still rules the nation. Z.A Bhutto ruled the hearts of people when he was alive and till date he rules their hearts. Z.A Bhutto was a principled friend to the poor, downtrodden and oppressed. He was fearless in his beliefs and refused to bow before any man or power other than the Almighty. His contributions to an impregnable Pakistan are seen in the Kamra Aeronautical factory, Heavy Mechanical Complex at Taxila, modernization of Karachi Shipyard, creation of precision engineering works, Pakistan Steel Mills, Port Qasim, Pakistan Automobile Corporation to name a few. By signing the Simla Accord of 1972 he negotiated longest peace between India and Pakistan. His social reforms laid the foundation of an egalitarian society, his non-aligned foreign policy earned Pakistan respect in the comity of nations. He lifted the nation drowning in a sea of despair to Himalayan heights. The death cell in which his killers kept him failed to break his will or his determination to challenge military rule and stand up as the leader of the people. Bhutto was a modernizer and saw nationalism as the key to unity. He rejected fanaticism. He gave pride to the poor. As leader of the Third World he spoke boldly against racism, colonialism and imperialism. He fearlessly defended the right of nations to independence. When the 1973 Ramadan War broke out, he sent Pakistan’s military to defend the borders of the Muslim countries including the Golan Heights of Syria. Bhutto’s short life of fifty years was spent in the service of many international, regional and national causes. Today Pakistan is at the crossroads. Its policies relating to Nuclear, Taliban, India, Militancy, Religious Parties, Democracy and Economy are in shambles. Shaheed Bhutto believed that the army could protect its institutional competence by keeping out of politics. He said, “Those soldiers who leave the barracks to move into Government mansions lose wars and become prisoners of war as happened in 1971; his words reverberate as a warning and a guide to the country to save its honor, respect, pride and position by reverting to the golden principles that gave it birth. April 4 falls at a time when Pakistan is faced with a critical situation. The dark shadow of military dictatorship clouds the political horizon and spawns fissiparous tendencies striking at the solidarity of the country. Rocket launchers and bomb blasts kill innocents while the military is involved in operations against its own people. The rise of the suicide bomber and armed struggle is reminiscent of an earlier military dictatorship. The tyranny of General Zia’s military rule led to the Kalashnikov culture where young men picked up automatic weapons. That culture has reasserted itself under the military dictatorship of General Musharraf. Except that the weapons are more dangerous than the Kalashnikovs of yesterday. Every time a General ruled Pakistan, innocent people were being killed. Today many people in Pakistan must be scared as Mr. Zardari is shaking hands with MQM, let’s not forget that Mr. Bhutto and Benazir were killed by two presidents,who were supporters of MQM, if Asfand Wali Khan has some reservations about MQM. Z.A Bhutto was born in 1928. He was martyred in 1979. Yet he lives in the hearts and minds of the people still shining like a star that brightens the sky motivating those caught in the prisons of oppression. No doubt, the age of Bhutto was an age of revolution. At the time of his over throw; Bhutto was emerging as a spokesman of the world of Islam and the leader of the third world. Although his life and political career were cruelly terminated, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto will always be remembered as one of the great leaders who took part in the liberation of the third world from the yoke of Imperialism and Neo Colonialism during the twentieth century. “It is better to live like a lion for one day than to live like a jackal for a thousand.” Z.A.BHUTTO” Long Live Bhuttoism!