Steering the ship aright

What Benazir might have done in such troubled times

Today (June 21^st) is Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto’s 61^st birthday. I miss her more this time around as I see Pakistan surrounded by multiple crises. The world around us is changing fast. Both India and Afghanistan are headed for new starts after their elections. The Middles East is going through drastic realignments. The US and Iran explore possibilities of a détente and China re-adjusts to new realities.

I don’t think the current rulers understand the challenging situation around us, let alone do something about it. I wish Mohtarma would have been around to steers us to right decisions. She had the capacity to understand the intricacies involved in such geopolitical challenges and had the vision to watch Pakistan’s best interests. She was groomed for this role by none other than her illustrious father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who gave his life to putting Pakistan in such a prominent position which was not liked by then world powers.

Mohtarma Shaheed mixed real politics with universal values of propriety and idealism. I firmly believe that Pakistan would not have been as isolated and mistrusted if she had been alive. She knew how to carry national institutions along and yet introduce daring and innovative changes in accordance with new realities. Her handling of the Kashmir issue should be the best example. The people of Kashmir nurture a special fondness of her because she never gave up on Pakistan’s position but was always open to new ideas.

I recall that there was pressure on her to show flexibility when she was invited to New Delhi by the Confederation of Indian Industries. Many expected that just because she was not in power she would change her stance on Kashmir. But she made sure that she should emphasise the self-determination right of Kashmiris. She declared All Parties Hurriat Conference as the sole representative of Kashmiris and this was the pivot of PPP policy.

Despite her firm stance she was given immense reception by Indian leadership. She was received by then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee along with his National Security Advisor Brajesh Mishra, who had earlier met her separately also. She met Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani on a luncheon meeting and held talks with Opposition Leader Sonia Gandhi and former Foreign Minister Natwar Singh at tea. Everybody welcomed her visit to New Delhi.

This was unusual as the attack on the Indian Parliament took place a little before the visit and India had blamed Pakistan for that. The anti-Pakistan stance in India was at its peak and yet because of her stature she was given extra reception and protocol. She tried to cool down the tempers but without compromising her position on Kashmir. In fact, she used the opportunity to goad India to resolve the Kashmir issue, which caused rancor between the two countries.

India insisted that its constitution stipulated Kashmir was its integral part and no party could renege on that. Mohtarma Shaheed, while terming the UN resolutions on Kashmir as paramount, advocated that Kashmiris on both sides should be allowed to see each other. She introduced the idea of maintaining “soft borders” as a confidence building measure, which could lead to a right of self-determination for Kashmiris at some stage. She reiterated her stance on Kashmir in the Confederation seminar. Her position on declaring the Hurriat as the sole representative was much resented but Mohtarma was always firm when it came to her convictions.

She was invited again to India in a seminar hosted by daily The Hindustan Times. Mohtarma was the keynote speaker along with former US Secretary of State Madeline Albright while the seminar was inaugurated by Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. She was again hosted by top Indian leadership. She helped bring down the tension between the two countries. Such was her appeal that a Star Plus journalist was forced to say that “she was Bhutto’s daughter and we should be careful about sweet talk”. Others commented that her popularity was such that she would win hands down if she were to contest elections in India. I had the honour of accompanying her during those two Indian tours where she made us proud of being Pakistanis.

I am sure she would have a clear understanding of how to guide Pakistan out of the ongoing diplomatic morass where we have become the pariahs of the world.

Dictators tried to dissuade her from her mission by feeding misinformation about her. But she remained undeterred to the last. I remember writing about her: “No matter what her detractors might do, nobody could erase her image from the hearts of people here, there and everywhere. She continues to live in our hearts and will always do.” This is how I would like to pay homage to her on her birthday. Rest in peace, Mohtrama!