Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Recollections and remembrances

silenced him and asked the wait “what do you want”? “I want a ride in yourhelicopter”, the man requested. Traitors Jam Sadiq Ali and Jatoi were also present.Shaheed turned to them. “Did you hear what this man wants”? Then he instructedme that two new pairs of clothes should be prepared for the man before evening.“Take him to the kitchen and feed him well. In the evening he will accompany me in thehelicopter”, he ordered. I and Noor Muhammad Mughal immediately took him toa nearby tailor for his dresses. We then brought him back to take lunch with us.However, he was compensated for the helicopter ride by receiving one thousandrupees, since the security staff felt that the man was slightly abnormal, and couldeven insist on jumping from the helicopter in mid flight.It was Ramdhan, I was repairing some damaged picture frames in the corridor.Shaheed Bhutto emerged from his room and asked me if the Azan had beencalled? I was so engrossed in my work that I thought he had asked if the frameshad been repaired. I said. Yes Sir!”.Shaheed picked up two dates from a plate and ate them. A little while latter,Chacha Taj Mohammad, the Major Domo appeared with the food trolley andwent inside his room. Shaheed followed him and sat down to eat. After about tenminutes the Azan was called and I suddenly realized that because of my mistakehe had broken his fast ten minutes ahead of Iftar time. I got so nervous that I leftthe pictures and frames in the corridor and ran for my house. On his next twovisits to Al-Murtaza I avoided facing him. His third visit was a Khuli Kutcheriand I went over to pay my respects. Shaheed just smiled. I knew my lapse hadbeen forgiven.One day when Shaheed was staying at Al-Murtaza, I saw that a crowd hadgathered outside the main gate. I was told that an old man had come to Karachiwith his daughter. I met the old man, who told me that he could not get hisdaughter married because of his poverty. He wanted some help from the PrimeMinister. I went inside and requested Noor Mohammad Mogul, that if he couldbring up the matter to the notice of Shaheed, may be the old man could receivesome help. Noor Mohammad told Shaheed about it and he sent both of us outsideto check if it was a genuine case. We got all the details from the old man and wentback to tell the Shaheed that the old man was a vegetable vendor from a poorlocality in Karachi. His need was genuine. Shaheed took out twenty thousandrupees from his brief case and instructed us to give the money to the old man.When we gave the money to the old man he could not believe his eyes. Heoffered us one thousand rupees each as a reward. We declined and asked him togo back and get his daughter married.The story of how I became Flashman from Foolishman is also very interesting.Shaheed had a rare taste for antiques. He wanted to put an antique door in 71Clifton. Mr. Katpar arranged a door for twenty thousand rupees from Jacobabad.Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Recollections and Remembrances; Copyright © www.bhutto.org 79