Bilawal’s absence at Benazir’s anniversary raises many an eyebrow

The absence of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari at the fourth death anniversary of his mother and late PPP chairwoman Benazir Bhutto has left several questions unanswered and raised many an eyebrow. President’s spokesman Farhatullah Babar said Bilawal had participated in the Quran Khawani held for his mother at the Dubai residence of President Asif Ali Zardari. This was a rare occasion and a surprise for observes and party workers, as Benazir’s son, following Muslim tradition, had attended all three previous death anniversaries of his mother.
Political analyst Hassan Askari Rizvi said the move was a well-thought-out security measure for the family of President Zardari, saying security threats might have compelled the family to avoid appearing at one place. “This is a measure adopted by the queen of England and the royal family members. Former dictator General Ziaul Haq was also criticised for violating this security principle as he had taken with him many senior army officers who died in his plane crash in 1985,” Rizvi said. Staying away from the country, Bilawal, however, chose to contribute an op-ed column on the eve of his mother’s death anniversary, in which he forcefully pitched for a “democratic Pakistan” and “‘independent judiciary”, while urging batting for a “strong” but apolitical military at the same time. Bilawal’s remarks came as the talks of government being in confrontation with the army and the courts gather steam.
Commenting on his party’s viewpoint about the armed forces, Bilawal wrote, “The PPP has always been careful to distinguish between the army as an institution and the dictator who abuses his position. We have always believed in a strong military under the control of an elected government.”
“A strong military is needed in order to protect our territorial borders and defeat the internal cancer of Islamist extremism. The politicisation of this institution under dictatorship engages it in arenas where it has no place and, as a result, weakens its ability to perform its primary function.”
Feeling the heat of the case pending with the apex court on memo controversy, Bilawal wrote, “We have always supported an independent judiciary and would never let the abuses of individual judges in the past sabotage our mission of establishing a free, impartial and independent judiciary.”
Interestingly, Bilawal had shifted to Prime Minister’s House and taken the reigns of the party when the president had left for Dubai after suffering a stroke on December 6. In absence of his father, Bilawal had taken care of the party’s affairs which reflected that he had been officially launched to run the party’s affairs.
On December 17, Bilawal had co-chaired the party’s parliamentary party meeting held at the Prime Minister’s House. Addressing the meeting, Bilawal had termed the PPP as a party that excelled in sacrifices.
However, as soon as President Asif Ali Zardari returned from Dubai, Bilawal left for Dubai despite the fact that her mother’s death anniversary was only a week away.