The Dirty Tricks Brigade Tries to Spoil a Party

Beyond Benazir
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The Pakistan Peoples Party is right to keep her family in charge.
By Husain Haqqani
January 16, 2008
The Pakistan Peoples Party's decision to elect Benazir Bhutto's 19-year-old son, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, and her husband, Asif Ali Zardari, as co-chairs of the party in the aftermath of her assassination is being criticized as representing dynastic politics that do not promote democracy.

But a distinction needs to be made between dynastic politics and the politics of family legacy. And the context of such family-based leadership needs to be understood.

Much of the recent coverage of events characterizes Pakistan as facing a choice between flawed, family-oriented and often corrupt politics and the supposed stability provided by a military-intelligence establishment that has fostered terrorism for years. The international community, including the United States, must side with Pakistan's politicians, whatever their real or perceived faults. An unaccountable secret service and a military leader with delusions of regional grandeur could keep Pakistan, and its neighbors, mired in endless violence.

It is difficult for Americans to understand a situation in which a well-organized political party unites around the charisma of a single family while retaining a vast pool of talented leaders. But family legacies have worked to build democracies in countries as far apart as Greece and India.

The Papandreou and Karamanlis families provide leaders for rival parties in Greece, and the Nehru-Gandhi family has been the focal point for the Indian National Congress. The Pakistan Peoples Party, like other parties with family-based leadership, has a lot of talent in its ranks. That talent would remain available to Bhutto's husband and son. The choice of leaders from a particular family is often important for its symbolism and does not make the party a family fiefdom.

There is a fundamental divide in Pakistan. On one side stands the civil-military oligarchy (currently headed by Pervez Musharraf) that rules with the covert machinations of an all-powerful intelligence service, which fixes elections, divides parties and buys off politicians at will. On the other side are politicians who question the military-intelligence oligarchy's right to rule and pay the price by being periodically jailed and frequently vilified.

If, in the aftermath of Bhutto's tragic assassination, the party had taken time to go through the entire process of a party primary or intra-party election, the intelligence apparatus would have actively worked to divide Pakistan's largest opposition party, with the huge resources of the state, considerably boosted by U.S. anti-terrorism funding, at their disposal. By rallying the party base around Bhutto's son and husband, the party has saved itself from the intrigues of Musharraf's secret services.

Some view the Bhutto legacy as a thorn in Pakistan's history. But to the family's supporters, the Bhutto name represents a wealthy family that spoke for redistribution of wealth in an elitist state during the late 1960s, when much of Pakistan's economic growth just went to 22 major families. Since 1967, when Zulfikar Ali Bhutto founded the Pakistan Peoples Party, the country's poor have continued to identify with it. The number of the well-to-do in Pakistan has increased manifold over the years, but the country still has 65 million people living below the poverty line and another 65 million living just above it — a total of 130 million poor people in a country of 160 million.

The Bhuttos have not been perfect, as critics remind us on a regular basis, and their stints in power did not always fulfill expectations. Western-educated Pakistanis, including professionals living in the U.S., resent what they consider feudal politics. But most of them refuse to engage in the political process and pay the price of combating militarism and dictatorship. And the removal of each Bhutto government by military or palace coup has only added to the aura of the family's struggle and sacrifice against military dominance.

As managers, Pakistan's politicians might not meet the standards of their country's professional elite. But they have the courage to question dictators and remain connected to the masses when the elites simply neglect them.

The visceral association with the Bhutto family and the PPP of millions of Pakistanis cannot be explained without reference to the value of sentiments in politics. And as Drew Weston's book, "The Political Brain: The Role of Emotion in Deciding the Fate of the Nation," demonstrates, even in the United States, feelings trump cold analysis in the making of political choices.

Husain Haqqani, a professor at Boston University, is co-chair of the Hudson Institute's Project on Islam and Democracy, author of "Pakistan: Between Mosque and Military" and a former advisor to Benazir Bhutto.

Re: #16 - You wrote that:

"It is towards the above that Zardari has announced moving his base to Lahore, and possible nomination of Ch. Aitezaz as Senior Vice Chairman of the party."

This is the popular rumour circulating these days that AA will be appointed as the Senior Vice Chariman of PPP.

However, the news (which has been reported very mutely in the media and civil society) was that AA had fallen out of favour with BB and was completely marginalized by her.

It is no hidden secret that he did suffer a lot of humiliation at the hands of BB allegedly for his work towards the restoration of the CJ and also as a possible alternative to BB against Musharraf for PMship. Therefore, it will be interesting to watch the reaction of the senior party leaders to any such news and subsequent decision regarding the same.

Re: # 13
Tahmed32 - The other day - a group of us were all set to watch a movie. Everything was set up, and while settling down to watch the movie, with the remote in one hand and a decent drink on the other, one of the group uttered the following (they were having a discussion on BiBi et al)

Maya Mari Na Man Mara, Mar Mar Gaye Shareer
Asha Trishna Na Mari, Keh Gaye Das Kabir

They seem rather apt at this juncture.

Re: # 12
Madam I have not critisized BB for her gender....
Kindly do not assume things on your own...
BB was the leader of PPP and she assumed her father's role.....
Let me assure you the comparion was only regarding the two's stature in that role....
If it pleases you than let me frankly admit that ZAB's both sons were not even 1/10th of BB....
Please be a little mature....
I did not refer to her gender ......
but merely to her role as PPP chairperson and Pakistan's PM....
Calling some one a pig with out even thinking that what he means is immature....and childish....
Thats all.....
if you still think that I am sexist....
Ok think whatever you want to.....
A mature person before leveling such an allegation exercises a lot of care.....
your rude language depicts your own shortcomings...And this is the last time (for that matter the first and last time) I am conversing with you....
No matter what you come up with in your next post, I am not going to answer....
I do not want to converse with people who are shamelessly immature and bring in gender issue when it was never ever the intention on my part......

Re: #17 (The article by Mr. Hussain Haqqani)

It is quite interesting to note that Mr. Haqqani's wife was given a ticket by the PPP despite the strong opposition offered by Ms. Naheed Khan (who was BB's political and personal secretary).Ms. Khan chose not to contest the elections in protest despite her closeness with BB.

#18 Posted by Jahanzeb.Awan,

The rift between Ch. Aitezaz and Benazir was basically pro-deal and anti-deal. That included the Lawyers' movement in which Benazir had sidelined and distanced herself from Aitezaz.

Interestingly, this divide is very visible between the PPP Sindh leadership and that of PPP Punjab, including rank and file. Punjab PPP was anti-deal while Sindh was pro.

I think Zardari's first task is to correct that divide - because the deal went with Benazir and is now irrelevant - and he appears to be working at it.

... however all this discussion appears to be moot. I just spoke to a provincial assembly candidate of PML-N who does not believe there will be any elections.

Re: # 8

{It is that of the scoundrel musharraf. Who has made a mockery of the Pakistani electoral process in the past with his crooked one-man "referendums", who had destroyed the Supreme Court,}

Now where have I heard that before, Hmmm....

(NYT)
Bhutto’s Persona Raises Distrust, as Well as Hope

By JANE PERLEZ

Published: November 11, 2007

"While Ms. Bhutto has managed to maintain much of her freedom of movement this week, her biggest rival in the party, Aitzaz Ahsan, the leader of the lawyers’ movement against General Musharraf, was jailed on the first night of the emergency rule.

Mr. Ahsan is a Cambridge University-educated lawyer who served in her father’s cabinet, and then hers, and he defended Ms. Bhutto in a series of corruption cases in the early 1990s.

But in an illustration of Ms. Bhutto’s attitude to competition, he was quickly frozen out by Ms. Bhutto after he was introduced around Washington last year as a possible counterbalance to General Musharraf, senior members of the party said."

The complete article can be found at :

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/11/world/asia/11bhutto.html?scp=16&sq=Ai tzaz+Ahsan

Zardari has successfully hijacked the leadership of PPP from Bhuttos to Zardari by delivering the Fake Will.

On one hand is Fatima Bhutto, who was brought up in Pakistan. She knows Pakistan, she is educated, she is 25 yr old which makes her to get into parlianment rightaway. She write articles unlike Benazir, whose first job was the PM of Pakistan.

On the other hand we have the spoiled drunk Bilawal Zardari, who is into fornication as well and this idiot was saying in the conference that Pakistan can disintegrate, do u really think, he has the wisom to judge this.

Comparison Of Fatima Bhutto and Bilawal Zardari.

http://pak1stanfirst.com/2008/01/08/if-a-bhutto-must-run-pakistan-why-not-fa tima/

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23430938-details/Free+alcoho l%2C+hangovers%2C+bisexual+friends+and+a+girl+called+Boozie+Suzie+...+inside+the +student+life+of+Bilawal+Bhutto+Zardari/article.do

please fix the following link as why-not-fatima (there is no space)

I unequivocally hate all these m/f feudal fukks, their offspring, and their chamchas. But what really makes my skin crawl is the fact that apparently educated and sensible people not only write articles about them but make idols, icons, and martyrs out of them. No wonder our nation and country is such a cesspool.

If PPP can be run only by Bhuttos by killing the democratic system within the party then Fatima is a better choice in my opinion as she is real Bhutto unlike Bilawal, as compared by the writer.
Ideally PPP should have conducted elections within the party to choose the new leader or the leadership should be given to second person in command (Amin Fahim), which make me say that these political parties are no democratic.
Again, some people are very pessimistic and then can only curse and spread hate without understanding the other person's point of view.

Re: # 29

Bhai I am not cursing you but listen to yourself. All you are saying is i that "oh it is really bad to fall into a septic tank, full of you know what, but I would rather fall into this septic tank rather than that one". So who should one blame; you or the septic tank.

Please read between the lines. I am not supporting anyone, things are not Ideal in Pakistan as I suggested that the correct way was the party election, but pakistan is not ideal and if people really want a Bhutto to lead PPP, I was agreeing with the writer that Fatima is better than Bilawal when it comes to the PPP leadership.
Or do u have any better proposal on this issue, rather than just being pessimistc and only critisizing?

Re: # 31

yes the better solution is to express your disgust with this whole masquerade that a corrupt, vicious, and pro-western ruling elite puts on. Tell them that what you do is unacceptable. Boycott them. Spread the awareness to your fellow citizens. Refuse to be a part of their exploiting games. No compromises. This is the best you can do. If they mend their ways; accept the supremacy of law and social justice; it is for their own good. And if they don't, then each and everyone of them will face the guilotine, just like benazir did at liaqat park. It is written on the wall. The cleansing and scrubbing process that has taken on its own momentum now is irreversible. Nature does not favor incompetent, corrupt, weak. It replaces them with more fit species. Dump the losers.