After Bakhtawar’s legal notice, launch of book on Benazir cancelled

KARACHI: The organisers of Karachi Literature Festival (KLF), which kicked off on Friday, have cancelled the launch of a book on Benazir Bhutto, after a legal notice was sent by the former premier's daughter Bakhtawar Bhutto Zardari.

Authored by Abida Hussain, the book 'Special Star: Benazir Bhutto' highlights different aspects of the life of the former prime minister of Pakistan.

"Absolute lies against my mother, 10 years after her death, when she cannot defend herself," Bakhtawar criticised the author, calling the book as "fabricated, no referenced garbage."

She has sent a legal notice to the author, Oxford University Press managing director Amina Syed and KLF founder Salma Adil, BBC Urdu reported.

Bakhtawar, in her notice, alleged that Abida tried to give the wrong perception about Benazir Bhutto by showing her fake affiliation with the former premier and hence tried to defame the Pakistan Peoples Party.

The notice also warned Amina to immediately stop the launching ceremony of the book at KLF.

Amina told BBC Urdu that she has cancelled the book launch, while Abida Hussain's name has been taken off from the list of writers participating in the event.

"See, we had published this book and we intended to launch it at KLF," she said. "At present, we have cancelled the launching of the book and stopped its sale as well."

Amina said that presently they have individually approached experts, who will go through the book and decide about the future course of action, for they take this kind of mistake very seriously.

The book has a mention of Benazir's early life, including her education, her father Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto's hanging, and her first meeting with the author in 1975.

The book also covers the first tenure of the former premier and its toppling, her second tenure and then exile.

BBC Urdu quoted Abida as saying that she was informed by the Oxford University Press that they have been issued three notices and one is issued to her.

"It is beyond my understanding because I have not written any negative thing and most of it is in praise of Benazir Bhutto," she said. "She (Bakhtawar) has also not clarified what she did not like."

The legal notice, issued by the PPP leadership, says that the author, in the preface, introduced herself as Benazir Bhutto's friend, which is incorrect along with the rest of the analysis in the book.

The party also has the stance that the book is being written and published 10 years after the death of Benazir Bhutto, and the late prime minister cannot even defend herself.

The party said that it is similar to insulting the former premier and her followers.