Remembering " ZA Bhutto "

[sparklingway]

Well distortion of facts and history is something that I abhor and his irrational behaviour in the SC has to be studied under the light of the events that were happening. Presenting a youtube video will influence the opinion of many, but not the avid reader.

Khalid Hasan on the Polish Resolution:-

Yet another charge that does not go away is that Bhutto tore up a Polish resolution in the Security Council that, if accepted, would have saved Pakistan in 1971. Some years ago, I decided to fish out the text of this much-hyped Polish resolution that is mentioned in the same breath to this day with the breakup of Pakistan and the emergence of Bangladesh.

Here are the facts. What Bhutto tore up was not this resolution but his notes and doodles. Iftikhar Ali, the distinguished Associated Press of Pakistan correspondent, who was then based at the United Nations and was present in the Security Council, walked up to Bhutto’s table and picked up all the torn up papers, examined them carefully and put them back, before rushing out after Bhutto to get a comment from him before filing his report.

And now for the Polish resolution. On December 15, 1971, the Security Council met at Bhutto’s request. Bhutto had agreed to rush to the United Nations as it debated the war and crisis in East Pakistan. Two draft resolutions had been submitted to the Council on that day. There was an Anglo-French resolution that called for a cessation of hostilities, the urgent conclusion of a comprehensive political settlement and the appointment by the UN Secretary General of a special representative to “lend his good offices, in particular for the solution of humanitarian problems”.

There was also a Polish resolution that called for peaceful transfer of power in the eastern theatre of conflict to “the representatives of the people lawfully elected in December 1970”. It also called for negotiations between India and Pakistan for troop withdrawals in the western theatre. Now if any resolution should have been accepted by Bhutto, it should have been the Anglo-French one.

However, by now this really was all academic as Gen Niazi had already thrown in the towel and East Pakistan under Indian bayonets had become Bangladesh. Bhutto’s move was brilliant. It was the only way a defeated and humiliated Pakistan could retrieve what it could of its honour. The Polish resolution, moved at the express instructions of the Soviet Union which was backing India not Pakistan, Bhutto’s detractors should remember, was an unvarnished demand for power to be transferred to the Awami League with immediate effect.

Next day, Bhutto entered the Security Council looking grim and made the most emotional, though well-prepared, speech of his career. It was in that speech that he said, “I have not come here to accept abject surrender. If the Security Council wants me to be a party of the legalization of abject surrender, then I say that under no circumstances, shall it be so. The United Nations resembles those fashion houses which hide ugly realities by draping ungainly figures in alluring apparel.

“The Permanent Representative of the Soviet Union talked about realities. Mr Permanent Representative, look at this reality. I know that you are the representative of a great country. You behave like one. The way you throw out your chest, the way you thump the table, you do not talk like Comrade Malik, you talk like Czar Malik. I see that you are smiling, well, I am not because my heart is bleeding.

“I am leaving your Security Council. I find it disgraceful to my person and to my country to remain here a moment longer than necessary. I am not boycotting. Impose any decision, have a treaty worse than the Treaty of Versailles, legalise aggression, legalise occupation, legalize everything that has been illegal up to December 15, 1971. I will not be a party to it. We will fight. We will go back and fight. My country beckons me. Why should I be a party to the ignominious surrender of a part of my country? You can take your Security Council. Here you are. I am going.”

Agha Shahi on the Polish Resolution (which has never voted on)

“As for the Polish Resolution, it is a matter of deep regret that a country such as Poland, with a profoundly tragic history of dismemberment and partition, should present a formula or prescription for the dismemberment of Pakistan. It is strange, for example, that in one operative paragraph of the Polish draft, it is stated that after the Pakistani troops had begun their withdrawal, the Indian armed forces would withdraw. That means that the Pakistan forces should withdraw from their own territory, and then the foreign occupying forces would begin to withdraw.”

PS:- No thanks for Zia. We have suffered much because of him already.

 

[pak-marine]

=Meengla;774405]As a young teenager in the late 70's in Karachi I remember the execution of ZAB; I remember some rumors that ZAB was to be executed on the 4th. I remember I was WISHING that ZAB not be spared the execution. I remembered Pir Pagara's exhortations to the people to ask for some mercy should ZAB be released....

What was the response by the people ? were there any mass protests etc ?

 

[pak-marine]

yes if zia dident take ove our country preety much would have been gone... ....

zia's ex brothers in arms ended up loosing half of the country ,Zia itslef is cursed till this day by all pakistan because of what he did to our land. look around please whats happning all cause of a generals silly foriegn policy and cooperation with americans. Playing their war games on our own soil ... some times i wonder what kind of brainless gits could allow such a thing but hey man wont blame you its the much addressed denial mode many in our nation are in!

 

[zagahaga]

zia's ex brothers in arms ended up loosing half of the country ,Zia itslef is cursed till this day by all pakistan because of what he did to our land. look around please whats happning all cause of a generals silly foriegn policy and cooperation with americans. Playing their war games on our own soil ... some times i wonder what kind of brainless gits could allow such a thing but hey man wont blame you its the much addressed denial mode many in our nation are in!

wow pak marine everyone knows zia did much more for pakstiani than bhutto its a pure given fact thank you

 

[sparklingway]

wow pak marine everyone knows zia did much more for pakstiani than bhutto its a pure given fact thank you

And thank you for your wonderful insight into history, politics, international relations, political and social philosophy and economics. I really learn a lot from your all encompassing statement.

 

[zagahaga]

And thank you for your wonderful insight into history, politics, international relations, political and social philosophy and economics. I really learn a lot from your all encompassing statement.

honestely brother you really trip me out your long responses and the guy in the picture who i really dont know . but he really looks like a scientest? i do not know......?

 

[sparklingway]

honestely brother you really trip me out your long responses and the guy in the picture who i really dont know . but he really looks like a scientest? i do not know......?

The "guy" in the picture is perhaps the most iconic and famous Urdu poet of the last part of the previous century. His name is Faiz Ahmed Faiz and his poetry was a story of the struggle of the people of Pakistan and their political and social problems. A staunch Marxist, Faiz was convicted along many in the 1951 Rawalpindi Conspiracy Case and wrote the greatest (IMO) poem of struggle "Nisaar Mein Teri Galiyon ke…".

 

[zagahaga]

The "guy" in the picture is perhaps the most iconic and famous Urdu poet of the last part of the previous century. His name is Faiz Ahmed Faiz and his poetry was a story of the struggle of the people of Pakistan and their political and social problems. A staunch Marxist, Faiz was convicted along many in the 1951 Rawalpindi Conspiracy Case and wrote the greatest (IMO) poem of struggle "Nisaar Mein Teri Galiyon ke?".

cool you see i learned soo many things from you i learned that the dude in your picture is a really good man 2# zulfiqar ali bhutto dident rip the parchment that he recvied from the securrity council 3# general zia is a dictator loooool ... that sums it up

 

[Meengla]

What was the response by the people ? were there any mass protests etc ?

I don't personally remember any mass protests but I think there were some protests here and there. What I do remember is that I felt satisfied after the news of his execution. I hate to admit it but I was very young--or at least politically too naive--and was told that all kinds of bad things about Bhutto; this was not uncommon with the Jamaati followers in Urdu-speaking community of Karachi.

Oh, there was this old fruit vendor (Theley Wala) whom we kids used to taunt by repeatedly coming near him and teasing him that his beloved Bhutto would be hanged. He would curse us and chase after us. I remember him crying like a lot in open after ZAB's execution.

PS. To this day I have never reconciled with my elders' brainwashing me as a child to that extent of hatred against ZAB. I have been a firm supporter of liberalism and PPP since the arrival of Benazir Bhutto to Pakistan in 1986.

 

[sparklingway]

I don't personally remember any mass protests but I think there were some protests here and there. What I do remember is that I felt satisfied after the news of his execution. I hate to admit it but I was very young--or at least politically too naive--and was told that all kinds of bad things about Bhutto; this was not uncommon with the Jamaati followers in Urdu-speaking community of Karachi.

Oh, there was this old fruit vendor (Theley Wala) whom we kids used to taunt by repeatedly coming near him and teasing him that his beloved Bhutto would be hanged. He would curse us and chase after us. I remember him crying like a lot in open after ZAB's execution.

PS. To this day I have never reconciled with my elders' brainwashing me as a child to that extent of hatred against ZAB. I have been a firm supporter of liberalism and PPP since the arrival of Benazir Bhutto to Pakistan in 1986.

What you went through is the sorry ordeal that most kids go through. It's either love PPP, love PML-N, army is the only "institution" that will save the country, Jamaat is best or you-should-hate-politics. No room for independent thinking and mental growth.

Already the state indoctrinates a cohesive story of jingoistic nationalism and teaches a distorted history and adults in your family top it up. I don't know why adults indoctrinate hate and love for specific personalities in kids. You are taught to hate somebody from your childhood and this is obviously wrong to do to a kid. Child psychologists emphasize that a child should never be discouraged from thinking freely nor should he be discouraged with negativity. A child's mind is being formulated to a specific ideology and this is nothing less than what terrorists do, inculcate and develop a specific mindset and ideology. Our society somehow tries to limit free thinking and thought in more than one ways. I'm digressing now into the sad tale of the murder of history and the reasons behind it.

As for the protests, it is a sad story that there weren't many. Many people expected mass rioting and protests. The nation shook but didn't cry, another symbol of the lack of moral courage or did we just stop caring?

A bunch of jiyalas immolated themselves on what is now Mushtaq Baig Shaheed Road in Rawalpindi (opposite the now Jinnah Park which used to be the Central Jail). The families of the jiyalas who immolated themselves have never been cared for by the PPP as well. A sad story in itself.

 

[Meengla]

meengla,

you think the americans would have backed us up by supporting us if russians invaded paksitan and afganistan
h

Oh, this really tells a lot about about your 'knowledge' of lack of thereof, your hatred against ZAB, and your frame of reference.

Here are some--only a few quick facts--Americans, almost all Western countries, almost all Arab countries, and even Israel, supported Pakistan whole-heartedly when the Soviet invaded Afghanistan. There are many living generals, including the likes of Hamid Gul, who would not deny these FACTS.

And...to support my point above about the revenge for Vietnam, look up Carter's National Security Advisor Zbig who is still living and who still does not shy away from claiming the trap setup for the Soviets by the CIA.

I don't know where you guys come from. But I dont want to be around you guys and your sick ways.

To HELL with Zia.

 

[VrSoLdIeRs]

he was a great leader... but on his level small mistakes end up as blunders!!!

 

[third eye]

Years ago I read a book entitled 'Zulfi my friend' by Piloo Mody . A well written book gave a fair insight on ZAB.

ZAB was a master at manipulation. On more occasion than one he ran with the hare & hunted with the hound - a quality most politicians thrive on.

In my opinion he shares a part in the grief Pak found itself on 16 Dec 71.Being himself,he was quick to take advantage of the situation.

His death I feel was unwarranted .

 

[pak-marine]

Editorial
Strange request Strange request Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto entered public life at the early age of 30, in 1958. In his book The Myth of Independence he writes about his views on foreign policy and the paramount objectives of Pakistan’s people.

I was a student in those days and whenever I heard that he was to address the National Assembly, which was then housed in Rawalpindi’s Lalkurti, I would be in attendance.

As a result of his disagreement over the Tashkent Declaration, Bhutto resigned in June 1966. That evening I rushed to his residence at Rawalpindi’s Civil Lines and found the place thronged with people waiting to pay their respects. Mr Bhutto then left for Lahore, travelling by rail, and was given a tumultuous welcome that unnerved the regime of the day.

When Mr Bhutto initiated his movement against Ayub Khan, the first shot at his procession was fired near the Polytechnic College on Peshawar Road. It killed a student, which triggered riots all over Punjab. I was there on the premises of the Intercontinental Hotel, Rawalpindi, when police raided the place in order to arrest Bhutto, whose movement gained momentum as it was joined by millions.

Pakistan was in shambles when he took over power. Morale was low and faith in the survival of the country was receding, yet with his very first speech on television he managed to inspire the nation.

Amongst Mr Bhutto’s greatest achievements was the 1973 Constitution. Another was the first jurists’ conference, held in Karachi in 1973. I had the honour of hearing Mr Bhutto speak in the presence of the great judges and jurists of the time: he expressed his desire to transform the polity of the nation following the principles of Islamic social justice. It was then that he coined the term ‘Islamic socialism’.

He was indeed a true leader of the people, bringing about changes in labour and other laws to ameliorate the lot of the citizenry. Impressed by Olaf Palme and the manifesto of the Social Democratic Party of Sweden, he wished to adopt in Pakistan the Swedish paradigm.

Mr Bhutto was at his best, perhaps, at the Islamic Summit organised in Lahore in 1974. I had never before seen such a galaxy of Muslim leaders as was gathered at the Shalamar Gardens reception. Their presence showed their respect for him but unfortunately, his emerging stature in the international arena also engendered jealousies against him. Regardless, another of his landmark achievements was the commencement of Pakistan’s nuclear programmes, as well as the retrieval of prisoners of the 1971 war.

The trial against Mr Bhutto for conspiracy to murder commenced on October 24, 1977; I attended some of the proceedings at the Lahore High Court and paid respects to Mr Bhutto twice during the time he was confined in a specially built dock in the court of the Chief Justice. He remained undaunted in spirit, though saddened. The controversial trial shocked many around the world and in The Judiciary and Politics in Pakistan, M. Dilawar Mahmood observes:

“It would be argued for the years to come whether Mr Bhutto ever got a fair trial. If the apprehension and pleadings of the accused are any criterion then Mr Bhutto’s Transfer Application moved in the high court as well as in the Supreme Court of Pakistan bear ample testimony to the fact that he never got a fair trial.”

And in Daughter of the East Benazir Bhutto quotes John Matthews, QC, a British lawyer who witnessed the trial and was shocked by the proceedings.

What baffles me most is why Mr Bhutto’s statement was not recorded under Section 342 of the Criminal Code of Pakistan which provides an undertrial person the opportunity to make a statement, spell out an alternate theory or reasons for his false involvement.

He did address the Supreme Court during the appeal, though:

“Everyone who is made of flesh has to leave this world one day. I do not want life as life, but I want justice […] The question is not that I have to establish my innocence; the question is that the prosecution has to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt. I want my innocence to be established not for the person of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. I want it established for the higher consideration that this has been a grotesque injustice. It puts the Dreyfus case in the shade.”

In my view this was a fit case for remand and retrial inter alia on the plea of bias and for providing Mr Bhutto the opportunity to record his statement under the aforementioned clause of the criminal code.

Yet on Feb 6, 1979, the Supreme Court gave its four to three vote upholding the death sentence. However, Mr Bhutto is vindicated by the fact that his case is never quoted as a legal precedent. Mr Bhutto was executed on April 4, 1979, despite unprecedented levels of international outcry. I was returning home from Attock where I was posted as a judge in the sessions court when I heard news of the execution. Murree Road was empty; a dark, dusty wind blew and many people cried that day “Zulm ho gaya” (“Grave injustice has been done&#8221.

Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal, Allama Iqbal’s son, told me a personal story. He said he had been in bed when in the middle of the night, he thought he saw Mr Bhutto saying “Look, doctor, what have they done to me”. As he tried to awaken his wife, the figure disappeared. Later, he learned that the execution had taken place at about the same time.

Henry Kissinger, whose discomfort with Mr Bhutto can be read about in his book The White House Years, said about the execution: “[…] But his courage and vision in 1971 should have earned him a better fate than the tragic end his passionate countrymen meted out to him and that blighted their reputation for mercy.”

The visionary leader was physically eliminated but lives perennially in our hearts and minds; may Allah bless the soul of this martyr.

 

[Murshad]

Very pleasantly surprising, a thread “Remembering ZA Bhutto " started here and really went well where majority of the members are with services background.