By Bashir Riaz
Late Begum Nusrat Bhutto, the wife of late Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, was an iron lady who stood against the undemocratic forces in Pakistan. She staunchly faced the tyrannical rule of the late military dictator General Ziaul Haq with utmost bravado. Despite house arrests, physical and emotional attacks on her by the government, she persisted in her struggle to raise the flag of democracy in the country. Her unwavering courage proved to be a source of inspiration for the workers of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).
In her lifetime, Begum Nusrat Bhutto was awarded the highest civilian award for a democratic struggle against dictatorship. She enjoyed tremendous respect not only among party workers but also in the top national political circles. She gained that respect due to her kind heart and love for the people of Pakistan.
The honour to meet Begum Nusrat was bestowed on me by her husband Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, who introduced me as a friend. It was indeed a proud and happy moment of my life. Ever since our first meeting, Begum Nusrat always treated me with kindness.
In her public life, she led her people by example and gave them a clear message that there would be no compromise on the struggle for democracy even if it meant writing history with their blood. Fortunately, history has not forgotten the dark times of dictatorship where she stood up as a beacon of light for democracy in the country.
The strength of Begum Nusrat’s resolve could be gauged from the fact that her message managed to travel from one generation to another. Her children continued her struggle against dictatorship, and today her grandson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari is fighting for a democratic system in Pakistan.
After she lost her husband to dictatorship, Begum Nusrat took charge of PPP as its chairperson and continued her struggle against martial law. The undemocratic forces were so terrified of this strong-willed lady that they tried to put out the spark that burned brightly for democracy through tactics involving arrests and jail terms for party workers. But state authorities were proved wrong as Begum Nusrat kept the party flag high. After the incident where she was assaulted with batons by police at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, a photograph of a wounded Begum Nusrat was published in all the newspapers of Pakistan, which unmasked the ugly face of dictatorship.
When such tactics proved futile, the state resorted to emotional and mental torture by targeting Begum Nusrat’s children. Her daughter was put under house arrest and denied medical assistance. She was treated inhumanely in Sukkar jail and was kept away from her mother. The resolve of the Bhutto ladies shook the dictator and made him paranoid.
Proving his cowardice, General Zia postponed the elections scheduled on October 16, 1979. The Musawat newspaper, which was the voice of PPP, was also shut down.
During this time, Begum Nusrat also faced separation from both her sons, Mir Murtaza Bhutto and Shahnawaz Bhutto. Despite all the difficulties, she dashed the hopes of Ziaul Haq to continue running the country with an iron hand.
Begum Bhutto was diagnosed with lung cancer during her long detention and the regime tried to seize the opportunity of taking revenge on its opponents by denying her aid. However, due to national and international pressure, she was allowed to go outside Pakistan for the sake of her health and treatment. On November 22, 1982, Begum Nusrat Bhutto reached Munich in Germany. Her health was very frail and she was accompanied by her sister as caretaker. Even though she was extremely ill, she addressed party workers who had come from all corners of Europe to see her.
Begum Nusrat Bhutto was born on March 23, 1928, and passed away on October 23, 2011.
The writer is the former advisor to Benazir Bhutto and senior advisor to PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari
