By Staff Reporter
GARHI KHUDA BAKHSH: In a fervent appeal for national unity amid deepening political divisions, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, the chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party, said on Saturday his father, President Asif Ali Zardari, stood as the singular figure capable of bridging the country’s bitter partisan rifts and guiding it through intertwined political and economic crises.
Speaking before a vast crowd gathered to mark the 18th anniversary of the assassination of his mother, the former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, Bhutto-Zardari invoked the elder Zardari’s history of reconciliation as a beacon for Pakistan’s troubled present. “There is one person who can take Pakistan out of political polarisation — the king of reconciliation — and that person is Asif Ali Zardari,” he said, his voice carrying over the solemn assembly at the Bhutto family mausoleum in this rural Sindh Province village.
The commemoration, held under tight security on a crisp winter day, drew thousands of party loyalists and mourners, many waving red, black and green PPP flags and chanting slogans in memory of Bhutto, who was killed in a gun and bomb attack near Rawalpindi’s Liaquat Bagh on Dec. 27, 2007, shortly after addressing a rally. Her death plunged Pakistan into chaos, exacerbating ethnic tensions and economic instability at a time when the nation was already reeling from military rule under Gen. Pervez Musharraf.
Bhutto-Zardari, 37, the scion of one of Pakistan’s most storied political dynasties, used the occasion to warn that ongoing polarization was eroding the foundations of democracy, the economy and even national security. He argued that resolving the political impasse was essential to economic recovery. “If Pakistan is to be pulled out of the political crisis, it will automatically help the country emerge from the economic crisis as well,” he said.
He called for a shift away from confrontation toward dialogue among the nation’s fractious political factions, urging opposition groups to exercise restraint and governing parties to prioritize the country’s welfare over narrow interests. “If we want to resolve our problems, political forces will have to find a political way forward,” Bhutto-Zardari said, emphasising that solutions lay in engagement rather than enmity.
Drawing on the turbulent aftermath of his mother’s death, he recounted how the nation teetered on the brink of disintegration, with widespread protests and cries of “Pakistan na khappay” — a Sindhi phrase meaning “We don’t want Pakistan” — echoing across provinces. “It was Asif Ali Zardari who saved the federation by raising the slogan of ‘Pakistan khappay’ and also removed a dictator,” he added, referring to Zardari’s role in rallying support for democratic restoration and pressuring General Musharraf to step down in 2008.
Zardari, who served as president from 2008 to 2013 and was re-elected to the largely ceremonial post in March 2024, has long been a polarizing figure himself, dogged by corruption allegations that he has denied. Yet his son’s praise underscored the PPP’s strategy of positioning him as a unifier in a landscape dominated by rivalries, including the enduring feud between the PPP, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf led by the imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
In Garhi Khuda Bakhsh, where the Bhutto family’s marble-domed shrine houses the graves of Bhutto, her father Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, brother Shahnawaz Bhutto and other relatives, the gathering blended mourning with political resolve. The event, marked by a public holiday in Sindh province and heavy security involving more than 8,500 police officers, Rangers and other forces, drew senior party leaders, including President Asif Ali Zardari, Bhutto’s widower.
Bhutto-Zardari also called for expanding the powers of provinces to help resolve the federal government’s fiscal woes, including by taking on more responsibility for tax collection and electricity supply. The chairman of the PPP framed his proposal as a patriotic effort to bolster the nation’s economy without encroaching on provincial rights.
“If there is an issue of fiscal space for the federal government, then as a patriot, I would want to solve it,” Bhutto-Zardari said. “We think that instead of attempts to snatch authority from provinces, it would be better if the federal government gives further responsibilities to the provinces. We are ready to take on further responsibilities to fix the economy and government’s issues.”
He singled out tax collection as an area ripe for provincial involvement, urging the federal government to collaborate with the provinces to increase revenue. “We will collect better taxes than the Federal Board of Revenue and eliminate your financial crises,” he said. Bhutto-Zardari also suggested handing over electricity distribution from federal utilities to the provinces. “We will perform better than the Centre,” he added. “There are many other ways in which the PPP will work together with the federal government and solve their issues. We should all eliminate Pakistan’s economic issues together so we can solve the people’s financial issues.”
The PPP, he emphasised, operates as a federal party committed to national unity, viewing the central government’s challenges as its own. “The PPP has its own politics and history, and as the chain binding the four provinces, we have a greater responsibility to want to solve the Centre’s issue while protecting provincial rights,” he said. Reflecting on his mother’s legacy, Bhutto-Zardari described her final message as one of reconciliation, essential for navigating Pakistan’s current political crisis.
He urged parties to reject “political extremism” and for supporters to restore civility to politics, criticicing actions like the nationwide riots on May 9, 2023, or attacks on institutional leaders. “Political forces will have to chart a political path,” he said. “The opposition parties should engage in responsible politics and the government parties should also think in the national interest.” The PPP, he noted, has eschewed revenge politics, which he said harms the country, its people and even the party’s base.
In his own remarks, President Zardari recalled how the party rallied around the slogan of national unity in the wake of her death, forgoing retaliation to preserve stability. “Today was the day the PPP saved the country by championing the slogan of Pakistan,” he said.
The president invoked a recent border clash with India in May, praising the military’s response. “Modi got to know it is no joke,” Zardari said, referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India. “Pakistan is Pakistan and we are Muslims and know how to defend ourselves.” He issued a stark warning against future threats. “If any evil eye or country ever looked at Pakistan again, then remember that Asif Zardari, the PPP and Bhutto and Bibi’s scions are sitting here and we are all ready for the field of war to sacrifice ourselves to protect our nation.”
In a separate message marking the anniversary, Zardari called for “unity over division,” stressing that his wife “never believed in vindictiveness and vendetta.” He described her as a trailblazer, the first female prime minister of a Muslim country, elected twice despite a landscape marred by exclusion, patriarchy and authoritarian interruptions.
“Her repeated return to electoral politics reflected an unshakeable faith in peaceful political struggle and unadulterated democracy,” he said. “She gave voice to the voiceless. She pulled farmers, workers and low-income families like a super magnet towards her, who remained at the centre of her politics.” Zardari highlighted her rejection of sectarianism and bigotry, her advocacy for minorities and her stand against extremism. “Her courage in the face of extremism remains one of her most enduring legacies,” he said, adding that her assassination underscored the need to combat terrorism through ideas, education and respect for diversity. “For the youth of Pakistan, her life offers a clear lesson,” he continued. “Speak up for justice, organise peacefully and do not surrender hope in the face of adversity. She confronted censorship and repression with resolve, proving that truth cannot be silenced forever.”
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif paid tribute as well, calling Bhutto’s legacy one of patriotism, courage and commitment to democratic values. He said she promoted tolerance, harmony and forbearance, principles that guide efforts to strengthen democracy. Sharif reaffirmed the government’s dedication to tolerance, rule of law, democratic governance and public welfare.
In his anniversary message, Bhutto-Zardari portrayed his mother as “the fearless voice of democracy, the hope of the oppressed and an unyielding symbol of resistance against dictatorship, extremism and intolerance.” He said her “supreme sacrifice was a pledge written in blood that democracy in Pakistan would never surrender.” Reaffirming the PPP’s mission, he pledged to advance social and economic justice, constitutional supremacy, women’s empowerment and minority protections. “Her sacrifice is our strength, her vision our guiding light and her courage our lasting responsibility,” he said. “Her dream lives on in every voice raised for justice and every step taken for democracy.”
He noted her people-centered policies as prime minister, which bolstered defence, sovereignty and Pakistan’s international image. “Benazir’s vision of a peaceful, democratic and inclusive Pakistan continues to inspire generations, especially women and youth,” he added.
Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari, Bhutto’s daughter, visited the mausoleum on Friday and posted on the social media platform X. “She lived with courage and led with compassion. Her strength lives on in every voice that refuses injustice.” “In every struggle and every accomplishment, we think of you, miss you, and pray for you,” she wrote. “We continue to strive to fulfil your vision and values. Your absence leaves us searching for the guidance only you could give.”
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