ISLAMABAD: Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was iconic in his appeal and contribution for making Pakistan a true modern, liberal and democratic state.
This was the crux of the discussion here on Friday at a seminar on the legacy of Bhutto arranged by the Shaheed Bhutto Foundation (SBF). After four decades, “Bhutto is still unmatched for the foundations, which he laid, from the Constitution of 1973 to an atomic programme to empowering the marginalised masses,” speakers said.
“This was a consensus among speakers,” they said. Speaking on the occasion, broadcaster and political analyst Murtaza Solangi said that Bhutto joined Ayub Khan’s cabinet and later on rebelled against him on the Kashmir issue and formed his own party called the PPP, which needs rebirth and rebranding as per the needs of the current times.
He said that when he was associated with the American radio service, “Voice of America” and Benazir Bhutto was interviewed by him several times before her coming back to Pakistan. “She was a mother, wife, sister and moreover a true role model leader,” he concluded.
Asif Khan, a political and rights activist, recalled Bhutto’s role in the formation and activation of the Non Alignment Movement (NAM) in the 1960s, including clubbing together all Muslim countries in a single club that became one of the indirect reasons for his martyrdom. “He, in actual laid the foundation of today’s China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC),” he added.
In his welcoming note, Shaheed Bhutto Foundation CEO Sikandar Ali Hullio said that both ZA Bhutto and his daughter Benazir Bhutto, where the tragic legacy of Bhutto’s struggle and passion is refreshed that they left behind, written with blood and bombs, as it was not an age of swords.
