Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Recollections and remembrances

presence was desired at Government House. I presume his whereabouts wasgiven by 70 Clifton. It was then he learnt that he was to become CommerceMinister. We were happy for Zulfi but at the same time felt father’s absencepoignantly.Zulfi immediately left for Garhi Khuda Baksh to offer ‘Fateha’ at father’s grave.That same night Nusrat had to go to the hospital. A few hours later Shah Nawazwas born. He was a beautiful baby and grew up to be a handsome man. Little didwe know then what the future held for him. Shah Nawaz would become a victimof conspiracy and was murdered in a foreign land at the age of twenty six.General Zia did not only deprive our family but the whole nation of anoutstanding and brilliant personality. Even his detractors cannot deny he was agreat patriot. He would have been a great asset. He was well educated, very wellread. An orator respected by the great statesmen of the time: Soekarno who putall Indonesian asset at the disposal of Pakistan at the time of our first war withIndia. Nasir of Egypt, Chou-En-Lai, the late King Faisal, President Assad of Syria.Col. Gaddafi with whose contribution we were able to acquire a Nuclear Plant,the former President of France Giscard D’Estaing. Zulfi was respected and worldleaders were his personal friends. He initiated friendship with China. No otherPakistani can claim personal friendship and equation with world statesmen. AfterQuaid-e-Azam he was the best known Pakistani in the world. Zulfi’s trialinvoked world interest. Many representatives of the Muslim countries were inIslamabad to plead for his life. They realized his life was valuable to the MuslimWorld.I am very fortunate that this great man was my brother. As a brother he wasaffectionate and thoughtful. In his school days when he went on trips with hisfriends he always brought back gifts for us although he had to manage on a tightbudget. After my marriage he always kept in touch. I asked his help for friendsand acquaintances and our servants and he always obliged.I am proud of his many contributions but most proud of his tremendous courageand dignity in the days of his trial and in the death cell. In his cell he enlightenedmy husband and myself on various subjects. His behavior was as if we werevisiting him in 70 Clifton: cheerful and alert. Only a person absolutely innocentcould be so.I will always regret not been allowed to see him on his last day on earth althoughwe were not aware of it. I visited him every Wednesday. He knew that andexpected me. My husband and I reached the jail and were told Nusrat andBenazir were with him. That was bewildering. It was not their days for visitinghim. However we waited and saw a car with dark windows up drive past. Wewere then told by the authorities that our visit was cancelled. After meeting ZulfiZulfikar Ali Bhutto, Recollections and Remembrances; Copyright © www.bhutto.org 32