Bhutto’s Judicial Murder Revisited

"I similarly raised hell at home and got into a lot of trouble"

One can sympathize with your poor parents... must have been Karma for something they had done to deserve you as a son.

Re: # 16

Masadi mian,

Every single one of our discussion ended in you running away unable to answer direct questions.

All of your posts are pure crap like your website and your latest book- which I hear is not much to read. No real Bhutto-admirer or PPP Supporter would want to associate with unthinking and unintelligent fellow like you.

Like I said this fool is a charlatan, not only have I answered the solitary claim he raised in his post against ZAB, he has never addressed any of my points with reasons of his own, other than copy pastes of claims by some Western historians and ad hominem agianst me (and in this case my book which he hasn't read)

He writes " which I hear is not much to read"

You heard from whom? He wants to insinuate that he heard that the book is no good from HP of course. He couldn't stand the admiration that HP has had all through my chowk career for my writings so now he wants to create a rift between this friendship for social justice. I don't care what anyone thinks of my work but more than that I don't trust charlatans like you, third rate minds that cannot think worth sh** the sum total of whose life and thought is based on man worship and the authority of others....

First of all you haven't had any thing of any notable academic value as response except it is because you say so. Out of the known fallacies, you employ 99 percent and still fail to convince people of your third rate arguments.

But What is this with you and everything being about HP. Most of your books are crap and you know it. No one has insinuated anything about HP.

But even HP, who you declare as your greatest supporter, does not agree with many things you write. As for your great friendship for social justice blah blah - I am glad and no I am not "jealous" of your "special" relationship with HP.

Can we stop this bickering here Asadi and Yassar?

The reality is that there were more similarities than differences between the two leaders. They came from different backgrounds and from another era of political development. While Bhutto was no doubt a genius in terms of playing games, setting up the political situations and taking advantages of the situations. The problem was his political development took place when he was working with different dictatorial leaders. So he had a difficult time understanding the democratic processes and tolerances.

Jinnah emerged in extremely competitive environs and he had solid experience with different shades of politicians. While both clearly were good leaders, jinnah created a coalition of hugely diverse people and dealt with an opposition that was not only strong but was also led by some astute politicians such as Gandhi and Sardar Patel.

Both had amazing qualities of working against the status quo. Jinnah was able to create a space out of nowhere surprising many opponents. Bhutto too found an opening in working as a minority party.

Though Asadi's assessment in #6 is accurate and I agree with that completely.

HP,

That is precisely my view. You know I am an old Bhutto supporter ... it is in my blood.

Bhutto was widely admired because he promised to bring to fruition what Jinnah had promised.

However he failed despite all odds in his favor. Therein lies the great tragedy.

I don't agree with your assessment of Mujib though. I think Mujib was a great man of action. He did lose his mind in his very last year though. He like Jinnah and Bhutto became the expression of the will of their people.

Except for this: "ZAB merely protected the political rights of his constituents in the West," Asadi

Bhutto clearly saw an opening and worked with the army like many politicians still do. You don't protect the rights of people by supporting the army in destroying the majority party. If Majib or the Awami league had taken over, we might have had many democratic changes in Pakistan. Though I still believe that Mujib too was not interested in united Pakistan as he knew that army would not allow him to lead Pakistan for long.

Mujib would have given Pakistan a much better and more democratic constitution even though he was not really a fan of democracy himself.

Very well written both posts HP.

"Stop bickering asadi and yassar"

There is no bickering on my part. Masadi has the right to his own opinion but he feels only he has the right and everyone else must concur with him or face the vilest abuse
from him.

Well it will be a cold day in hell before that happens.

Re: # 23

THis is a correct thesis. The awami league rule would have meant end of feudalism in WP and end of army rule for good. As a matter of fact this thesis is the basis on which the corrupt ruling elite of WP and fouji junta decided that Pakistan need to be biforcated and hence the tragedy of East pakistan.

The Ba_tards that murdered ZAB

killed his sons and now his daughter too.

May they burn in hell!

#1 Zee(hadi)max,

While I sympathize with the Bhutto family for what happened to ZAB (and later, to the BeeB), the braggadocio that you post in #1 is somebody’s created account of fiction, perhaps (for all I know) with the motive of riling up people.

An eyewitness’ gripping (and moving) account of the actual ZAB hanging was published right here on this web-site and is still available. "The Last Moments of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
" by Mukhlis T, published on July 11, 2005. (www.chowk.com/articles/7373). According to that article, Mr. ZAB was (understandably) very perturbed at the moment of his hanging and the moments immediately preceding, and he did not say much and certainly nothing of the kind that you put up here.

Re: # 27; bjk;

I know I'd most probably be called a superficial dingo/murtid etc for saying this, problem is we are just sooo desperate for 'a god-like' hero amongst our mist; a saviour/messiah if you will. Jinnah/Bhutto are all a reflection of this mentality.

I strongly disagree with the aborrhent punishment he had to receive (dished out by none other than the "Kalifa-tul-muslimeen, Ameer-ul-momineen and Zill-e-subhani" General Mohammed Zia-ul-huq); but his 'democratic' period, when he could have achieved so much, was marred by the same sort of dirty political games (including severe persecution of opponents and in many occasions 'missings/deaths') that has been a hallmark of our country.

Just after this post, there will be a 'hue and cry' as we have seen before but that is the reality. He was no different (if anything worse in many ways) from his predecessors or successors for that matter.

I still say this in the strongest possible terms that if the democratic process hadn't been interrupted, it would have been much much better for the future to come; unfortunately that was a big turning point in our history and the opportunity was lost; the demage can be repaired still and that is why I watch this space intently but with caution.

Re: 28

kalifa should be Khalifa
demage should be damage

apologies..

Cheema sahib,

Many times “charismatic” leaders get carried away by their own charisma, they start thinking that they can do no wrong – that they can get away with virtually anything because they are strong in other areas!

The tragedy is that they realize little that their real loss is not whether they get elected during elections or not (which, in most cases they win – and would have won anyway), but what they fail to accomplish because they could not expand their own thinking horizons! They play petty politics, they plan strategies and maneuvers, and they miss out on what life is all about!

At the time of the Shimla pact, Bhutto was the undisputed Pakistani leader. The Pakistani khakis were a humbled lot – for a change, and he, a civilian leader had absolute power. Mrs. Gandhi wanted to come to some settlement of the Kashmir issue. That was one time that a workable solution could indeed have been worked out – had he the vision…

But, like the Jinnah, he lacked the vision! He made excuses. He talked wishy-washy. He gave little and he got little.

He only wanted time to rebuild the armed forces so that his khakis will live to fight the Indians another day!

He got his wish – anticipating little that HE was to be the rejuvenated khakis’ first victim!

#27 Posted by bjkumar,

Bhutto had been on hunger strike since 9 days, which is why he was carried on a stretcher. He was too feeble to walk. Col Rafiuddin stated in an interview on GEO that he clearly heard the word 'Finish' in a very faint voice, and he presumes the next word was 'it'.

Col Rafiuddin was the ISI Colonel assigned to keep 24/7 watch over Bhutto in jail till the edge of the gallows, and recorded each of his movements and utterances as he was required to do.

I don't know who this 'Mukhlis T' is. Probably one of the sort who killed ZAB and still rejoice over the judicial murder.

The actual link to the article by Mukhlis T (“The Last Moments of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto”) is the following:

www.chowk.com/articles/9370

(not the one I provided in #27)

And Zeemax, the guy Mukhlis T – whoever that be – merely translated a chapter of Col. Rafi ud Din’s Urdu book “Bhutto kay akhri 323 din”.