Murtaza Bhutto

FATIMA CAN WEAR BHUTTO MANTLE
LARKANA, Sept 24, 1996: Fatima Bhutto, Murtaza Bhutto's 14-year-old
daughter, controls her emotions as she talks about the last moments she
shared with her father — the best father one could have. "It was at about 5:30
in the evening. We talked and joked around for about 10 minutes. He had to
go out to meet some people. At around 8:45pm we heard the gunshots ... then
I saw him struggling (for life) at the hospital," she said. "My father was a
brave man who fought for what he believed in. I am very proud of him."
Murtaza, chief of his faction of Pakistan Peoples Party — PPP (Shaheed
Bhutto) — died around midnight Friday/Saturday near his Clifton residence
in a confrontation with law enforcers. Several of his guards, party leaders,
aides and a bystander also died while many others injured. In a country
where dynastic politics plays a significant role, the Bhuttos are the single
most powerful family. The Bhutto name on a ballot virtually guarantees a
seat in parliament. Fatima was first seen in public when she campaigned for
her father in the run-up to the 1993 elections with her mother, Ghinwa, and
brother, Zulfikar Jr., touring remote areas and waving victory signs.
Her father Murtaza was a blunt and charismatic man who commanded
attention. Benazir, her aunt and the two-time prime minister is eloquent and a
skilled politician. Fatima, with her gentle smile, already carries the Bhutto
name and observers say she has the ability to wear the Bhutto mantle of
leadership as well. "We have only dreamt of personalities like Yasser Arafat
and Muammar Qadhafi or read about them in books. Fatima has met them
and came to know them through Murtaza," said Murtaza supporter Shahid
Shah. "She has poise and grace." Many observers have likened her composure
and demeanour to that of Priyanka Gandhi when her father Rajiv was
assassinated in India. When Fatima sat by her father's body in Karachi the
morning after he died, she wept softly, often biting her lip to keep from
breaking down.
"I miss him a lot. My father was the best father, the best parent one can have.
He was my best friend and an excellent companion," Fatima said. Born to
Murtaza and his first wife, an Afghan, Fatima appears interested in politics.
Her parents were divorced when she was a baby and Fatima was raised by
her father while he was in exile in Damascus. Murtaza once said that he had
not wanted his daughter to be raised by others and that he enjoyed looking
after her. He taught her about politics and history at an early age. "My father
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