Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Recollections and Remembrances Foreword Mohtrama Benazir Bhutto Reproduced By: Sani Hussain Panhwar Member Sindh Council, PPP Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Recollections and Remembrances; Copyright © www.bhutto.org 1 Dedicated to The people of Pakistan Shaheed Bhutto’s source of strength Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Recollections and Remembrances; Copyright © www.bhutto.org 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS FOREWORD .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 6 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 9 HE WAS A LOVING HUSBAND Begum Nusrat Bhutto .. .. .. .. .. 10 A HAPPY MAN ALWAYS Ameer Begum .. .. .. .. .. .. 22 A SISTER SPEAKS Mrs. Munawar -ul-Islam .. .. .. .. .. 28 MONJO PAYARO CHACHO Miss Shabnam Bhutto .. .. .. .. .. 34 AN IDEAL OF MILLIONS Mr. Tariq Islam .. .. .. .. .. .. 39 EARLY YEARS. Mr. Omar Kureshi .. .. .. .. .. .. 50 AN UNCOMPROMISING LAWYER Mr. G. H. Abbasi .. .. .. .. .. .. 53 COMMUNICATION WITH THE MASSES WAS HIS KEY Haji Nazar Muhammad Leghari .. .. .. .. 58 MERA SAHIB Mr. Abdul Qayum Khan .. .. .. .. .. 63 THE MEMOIRS Mr. Dost Mohammad .. .. .. .. .. 67 IN THE LINE OF DUTY Mr. Mohammed Urs .. .. .. .. .. 72 HOME SWEET HOME Mr. Usman Flashman .. .. .. .. .. 76 Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Recollections and Remembrances; Copyright © www.bhutto.org 3 MY LEADER. Mr. Muhammad Hanif Khan .. .. .. .. 81 MR BHUTTO AS PRIME MINISTER Major Gen. (Rd) Nasirullah Khan Babar .. .. .. 89 BHUTTO AS A REFORMER Sheikh Muhammad Rasheed .. .. .. .. 99 MY FIRST MEETING WITH SHAHEED Sheikh Rafiq Ahmed .. .. .. .. .. 123 A HOUSEHOLD NAME IN EVERY POOR HOME Mr. Ghias-ud-din Janbaz .. .. .. .. .. 125 THE MAN WHO MEANT BUSINESS Mr. F. K. Bandial .. .. .. .. .. .. 132 IK NARA BANA HEY USKA LAHOO Mr. Habib Jalib .. .. .. .. .. .. 137 HISTORY LIVES IN HIM Mr. Mahmood Sham .. .. .. .. .. 141 WHEN HE “DID NOT” SPEAK ON POLITICS Dr. Kamil Rajpar .. .. .. .. .. .. 145 THEY ARE MY PAKISTAN Mr. Sayeed Humayun Adv .. .. .. .. 154 BHUTTO SAHIB IN THE CAMERA’S EYE Mr. Zahid Hussain .. .. .. .. .. 159 A DESIGNER’S VIEW Mr. Curt Hill Fram .. .. .. .. .. .. 162 GOOD DEED PAYS Munshi Mohammed Hassan Bhutto .. .. .. 163 HIS LAND FOR THE LANDLESS Mr. Alan Narejo .. .. .. .. .. .. 164 Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Recollections and Remembrances; Copyright © www.bhutto.org 4 DOORS ALWAYS OPEN Mr. Abdul Wahid Soomro .. .. .. .. .. 165 TIMELY HELP FOR THE PEOPLE Mr. Ghulam Mustafa Umrani .. .. .. .. 166 PROMISE FULFILLED Mr. Mohammed Hassan Soddar .. .. .. .. 167 BHUTTO SAHIB ENCOURAGED GOOD WORK Mr. Akhtar Ali Ghangro .. .. .. .. .. 168 RESPECT FOR TEACHERS Mr. Nattik Garello .. .. .. .. .. .. 169 Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Recollections and Remembrances; Copyright © www.bhutto.org 5 FOREWORD “Speak of me as I am; nothing extenuate, Nor set down aught in malice”. Shakespeare: Othello “ZULFIKAR ALI BHUTTO: Recollections and Remembrances” is one of the series of books that will be published in due course of time. World leaders, men of letters, intellectuals, journalists here and abroad who have had some association with Shaheed Bhutto have written about him, their experiences with him on various occasions. His charisma as a leader of the masses, his statesmanship and his life long instinct by design and by his deeds to be part of history have left indelible imprints on the sands of time, and his unique niche in the world of politics have given him permanence as an engrossing subject in which the more you learn the more you know of life and about life. For any student of history understanding of politics in South Asia in the global milieu of changing perceptions and realities would be incomplete without a study of him and apportionment of his role in the populist movements of far-reaching universal consequences. Different people had different interests in Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Intellectuals saw in him a giant unequal to match skills with. World leaders felt comfortable in his company because deliberating with him was always an enlightening and enriching experience. For the masses he was an embodiment of their suppressed aspirations. He was a singular phenomenon in a Third World country which had been kept in chains by reactionary and obscurantist forces. His progressive socio-economic and democratic ideas not only gave him the strength but also a popular support to consolidate the edifice of the state on an agenda which pledged total national commitment to power to the people as a means to guarantee roti, kapra aur makkan for all. Besides being a multi-dimensional subject for intellectual, academic research and pursuit as has been manifested in unending writings on him, inconclusively falling too short of the world canvas that he occupied. the present undertaking “Zulfikar Ali Bhutto: Recollections and Remembrances” is just a small attempt towards collecting and printing reminiscences of those who have been associated with him as a child, as a student, as his friends, political colleagues, workers, ministers, family members and those who attended to him at some stage or the other in his illustrious life. In their own way these recollections and remembrances throw some light on his personality and the traits that made him an eternal flame for lightning up causes Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Recollections and Remembrances; Copyright © www.bhutto.org 6 pertaining to the welfare of the poor and the denied, for getting across through the dark tunnel of despair. Anecdotes about him and about his life, his being the most apt person to handle a crisis, the dauntless determination that he showed in inspiring the nation to look to a better tomorrow after the fall of Dhaka in 1971, and the unsurpassable chapter in human dignity that he wrote in his blood by showing preference to an honorable death, to surrendering to the dictates of a dictator open new vistas of inquiry into higher human values that survive even to this day in un-diminishing legacy that he bequeathed to the people of Pakistan. Shaheed Bhutto was a keen and ardent student of history. Many a great leader of the yore and of his age, leading lights in the world of letters, diplomacy and statecraft made him pick up the best from them to carve for himself an enviable position among those who have helped in some way in the progress of mankind against retrogressive forces. However, as other writings on him and this book would show, he was most impressed by Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah founder of Pakistan. His friend late Piloo Mody in his book, “Zulfi My friend” brings out Shaheed Bhutto’s devotion to the Quaid as follows: “For Zulfi everything that Jinnah said or did was correct.” And that he was a fanatic supporter of Jinnah’s two nation theory, demand for Pakistan and commitment to enlightened Islam. I have maintained that big and small contributions in making history need always to be recorded. Shaheed Bhutto was yesterday a relevant subject for comment, be is today an appropriate case for study and so shall be remain tomorrow. Therefore, all those who knew him and for whom he was an individual of interest--owe it to history to write about him, about his period, his leadership and above all, the man that he was, to leave enough source-material and data for posterity, as well as a homage to Shaheed Bhutto who, conscious of his rightful place in history, lived and died for his people. I am grateful to Mr. Khurshed Junejo, who hails from Shaheed Bhutto’s home district of Larkana, for accepting the challenge of compiling Recollections of Shaheed Bhutto. I am also grateful to all those who made contributions to the book and helped make it a reality. Finally the book is a tribute from a loving daughter to a loving father. Not only was he a great political leader but a great family man. From him I learnt: “The best thing any parent can give his child is a good education. Everything else can be taken coral, but not an education:” “Values and character are more important than material well being. We can take nothing to the grave except a good name;” Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Recollections and Remembrances; Copyright © www.bhutto.org 7 “All men and women are equal. In Islam a king and a beggar are buried in the same kafan:” “Never go in for short term gains but your place in history:” “Realities change. This time too shall pass.” “Ultimate victory belongs to the masses” “Politics is the highest Juror of public service” “I would rather live like a lion for a day than a jackal Jar a decade” “Honour is more important than life” He is gone from us. Yet he lives amongst us. I see his face not only in my children but in all children, in the future generations for whom he sacrificed his life. I would request all those who wish to contribute their recollections for posterity to send these articles to Mr. Khurshed Junejo at Bilawal House. Karachi. Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Recollections and Remembrances; Copyright © www.bhutto.org 8 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT “ZULFIKAR ALI BHUTTO: Recollections and Remembrances” has been the outcome of tireless efforts of the following friends and colleagues, without whose active participation and contribution at various stages of the book’s preparation, editing and printing would not have been possible. Mr. Wajid Shamsul Hasan and Mr. Taj Haider made the manuscript printable, after painstaking editing, especially those contributions which had been rendered in Urdu and have been converted in English. Mr. Waqar Abid Personal Secretary to Mohtrama Benazir Bhutto, Ms. Naheed Khan, Political Secretary to Co-Chairperson of the PPP, Dr. Safdar Abbasi, Political Secretary to Co-Chairperson. Mr. Yousaf Talpur, Incharge PPP Sindh Secretariat, Mr. Ejazul Hassan, Mr. Sadiq Jalari. Mr. John Nazareth, and Syed Muhammad Reza Kazmi helped in collecting the material persuading people to write, proof-editing etc. Many others --- a long list that is impossible to be mentioned individually, have also made immense contribution in the preparation of the book Bhutto Memorial Society is indebted to them for their invaluable assistance. Khurshed Junejo Compiler Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Recollections and Remembrances; Copyright © www.bhutto.org 9