A Pakistan without Benazir Bhutto

The general belief is that no one is indispensable in this mortal world. But in my humble opinion, there are definitely exceptions to this general rule. Had Jinnah (our Quaid-e-Azam) and Benazir Bhutto lived a little longer, Pakistan would have been a different and a much better country.

Mohammad Ali Jinnah, like his rival Indian prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, would have given a liberal, democratic and multi-religious constitution to Pakistan, free from exploitation of minorities and deprived classes.

Similarly, had Benazir Bhutto lived longer, she might have built a more secure and harmonious Pakistan based on a grand reconciliation which she proposed and advocated before her unfortunate killing in the streets of the power centre of Rawalpindi in broad daylight.

Benazir had returned to Pakistan with the mission of reconciliation in a politically and religiously divided country. She wrote a book called 'Reconciliation', preaching a long-lasting pact of peaceful coexistence between the warring ideologies.

In her philosophical but equally practical formula of grand reconciliation, she referred to and quoted examples from across the globe to prove that conflict can be transformed into peaceful coexistence through dialogue. Benazir, who was educated at Oxford University and trained under the traditional British parliamentary practices, initially believed that debate and talks could settle and resolve contentious issues. 

But with her practical experience in her own country and learning from abroad, she perhaps realised that settled societies like Britain can resolve issues through dialogue without compromising their principled positions. But in unsettled societies like the Middle East, India and Pakistan, the warring rivals have to make sacrifices and compromises to reach reconciliation. These groups might have to sacrifice their principled positions as well.

One could say that such efforts at reconciliation were also practised by Israeli politician and philosopher and two-time prime minister Ishaq Rabin (Yitzhak Rabin). Rabin was instrumental in finalising the historic Oslo Accord that suggested a two-state solution for a peaceful and sustainable coexistence between Israel and Palestine. Rabin had met Benazir, and both exchanged views on regional and international politics – though it is important to note that Benazir strongly supported the Palestinian cause.

Ultimately, she did proceed towards a reconciliation between the establishment and the PPP. I am also privy to Benazir’s desire to sit with her ideological rival from Jamaat-e-Islami, Qazi Hussain Ahmed, to pave the way for establishing a working relationship. 

Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General Amir ul Azeem was part of this informal communication. I personally brought Benazir’s message to the Jamaat-e-Islami leadership. Qazi Sahib had consented to this meeting, but her unfortunate murder spoiled this golden opportunity to bridge the gap between two conflicting ideologies.

Had Benazir been lucky enough to have survived the second consecutive attack on her life, we might have seen a more harmonious and more peaceful Pakistan. She believed in the reconciliation of ideas rather than the clash of ideas. In the last years of her life, she seemed to act like a mystic who loves all and hates none. She had been a fighter in all her political life, but in her last days, she was peace and reconciliation personified.

Benazir’s reconciliation with General Musharraf is still very unpopular in Pakistan and is considered a dirty power deal. Guaranteed and patronised by the US and the British establishments, it was the best solution in those critical times of the war against terror.

Named the NRO, the agreement was a pact between Musharraf and a popular political party for the transition to democracy through fair and free elections. It was patterned on the Oslo Accords and the Mandela Model. But this pact couldn’t work because General Musharraf backed out. Ironically, the harshest critic of the NRO, Imran Khan, now seeks the same kind of settlement from the army leadership. The prime demand of the PTI is to release Imran, which means withdrawing all the pending cases against him. Isn’t that another NRO?

Unfortunately, the powers that be always create Frankensteins to counter their political enemies. But they forget the universal lesson that Frankenstein's monsters ultimately kill their own creators.

Benazir was accused by her opponents of corruption and having foreign currency accounts in Switzerland. Subsequently, she had to spend the worst time of her life, facing cases at home and abroad. Ultimately, she was sentenced by a Pakistani court (whose judge was later thrown out of the judiciary for committing injustice at the behest of then-prime minister Nawaz Sharif) and red warrants from Interpol were sought against her.

Her reputation was damaged a lot, but she fought back against all the odds, and eventually, all the cases against her were withdrawn unconditionally. She returned to Pakistan with a clean slate and radiating victory. But Frankenstein's monsters once again struck at their creators. The Sharif family also came under fire for corruption charges, foreign bank accounts, and kickbacks. 

Though many cases have already been decided in the Sharifs' favour, they still suffer a loss of reputation. The moral of the story is that whoever digs a pit for others, eventually falls himself into it. Imran’s social media brigade is a new Frankenstein's monster, and if he doesn’t control it, that brigade will attack him as well.

Seventeen years have passed since we lost Benazir, who used to advocate for reconciliation. But we are getting farther and farther away from reconciliation. And as a result, we are literally drowning in a deep sea of hatred and infighting. We couldn’t benefit from Benazir’s recipe of reconciliation, which is the only way out. But this recipe can only be effective if each party involved is ready to sacrifice its stated position.

People have been cruel to the real heroes of their times, be they truthful prophets or visionary politicians. Rabin was the greatest benefactor of the Jews and wanted a sustainable and peaceful Israel by giving a two-state solution. But the extremists killed their own visionary leader. Since his killing in 1995, Israel has been at war and will remain entangled in the flames of war until and unless the Oslo Accords are fully implemented. Benazir was also killed by fundamentalists, although she wanted peace and tranquillity for future generations as well.

The writer is the editor of Jang in Lahore, an anchor, and the executive director at Geo TV.

Disclaimer: The viewpoints expressed in this piece are the writer's own and don't necessarily reflect Geo.tv's editorial policy.

Originally published in The News