Murtaza Bhutto

THE MILLSTONES OF HISTORY GRIND PAKISTAN
By Dr Mubashir Hasan
"THE mainsprings of any society's democratic foundations are the institutions
that it nourishes. These institutions of the state are: the president as head of
state; the prime minister as head of government; the judiciary; [and]
Parliament. When these state institutions fall into irreconcilable discord
concomitantly most often, with the distribution of authority among them
having come into conflict, most societies degenerate into a fratricidal
upheaval and civil war."
That was Mir Murtaza Bhutto writing in The Nation on August 27, 1996. The
entire article showed a fairly developed political insight. Pleasantly surprised,
I called to congratulate him on his writing. Murtaza is no more with us. The
nation should mourn the loss of an educated leader, a species rare in
Pakistan.
For those who have removed Murtaza from our midst, the real problem has
been and is Prime Minister Benazir. As long as Murtaza was alive, removing
Benazir carried unacceptable risks. Murtaza could take over the mantle of the
elder Bhutto's legend. Else Murtaza and Benazir would be striving for a
common cause, separately or jointly. That would have presented formidable
political problems. Murtaza gone, the way is clear. Benazir stands perilously
weakened. She is the next to go. Such are the brutal pathways of realpolitik.
Patrons of Benazir, the leaders of the executive, the judiciary and the
parliament of Pakistan and the leader of the foreign powers, the United
States, have reasons to feel perturbed by the prevailing conditions in
Pakistan. The US is making little headway in achieving its economic, strategic
and social objectives relating to Pakistan. Progress in the fields of nuclear
non-proliferation, containing religious fundamentalism, Pakistan-India
relations, curbing narcotics trade, balance of Pakistan's trade, Pakistan's
capacity to service its debts, foreign investments etc., etc. is just not there.
Benazir has become a liability for her Pakistani patrons also. The country has
taken giant strides towards anarchy. Neither life nor property is any longer
safe in Pakistan. Who else but Benazir is being held responsible for the
Murtaza Bhutto; Copyright © www.bhutto.org
79