In January 1991 I wrote a letter to Ms. Benazir Bhutto, the first ever woman Prime Minister of an Islamic country. She served as elected prime minister of Pakistan two times. First time she became prime minister of the country in 1988 but was removed in 1990 by the President of Pakistan, Ghulam Ishaque Khan, after leveling allegations. Second time she was elected prime minster in 1993 but once again was removed by another President, Farooq Ahmed Leghari in 1996. So my letter was written after her first removal from the office. Benazir Bhutto was assassinated at a public rally on 27 December 2007.

Benazir Bhutto was the daughter of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, another elected prime minister of Pakistan, who was dethroned by the army chief, General Zia-ul-Haque, in 1977. Mr. Z. A. Bhutto was sentenced to death by the apex courts of Pakistan for the alleged ordering of a preplanned murder.

Pertinently, my letter was written more than three decades back but many realities can still be found existing, as were present at that time. I am reproducing few excerpts from the duly acknowledged letter, in the following:  

“Having a retrospective look over your regime, what we find is that you clearly conceded to the whims of the Establishment and totally ignored proletariat, the backbone of your party. Strangely enough, you did not realize that what forced the Establishment to tolerate your presence, at the corridors of power, was nothing other than your strong footing among common masses. Despite being illiterate and unrealistic, the proletariat never forgot the commitment and dedication of Bhutto for the uplift of general public.”

“No doubt, you could not come to power, even for a single day, without making compromises with the Establishment. But the burning question remains that, was coming in “nominal” power worth sacrificing principles?  Just in order to remain in power you lost a lot of People’s Party’s supporters.”

“Mohtarma, in fact your strategy backfired. Perhaps you underestimated their shrewdness. I believe that the Establishment trapped you and you fell into the pitfall. They wanted to snatch the socialist and egalitarian spirit from your body and have achieved it. The magic touch has gone.”

“Madam, take my word that they shall vehemently resist surrender, to the people of Pakistan, what they have schemingly usurped and retained right since the partition of the Subcontinent. They, who sabotaged all previous efforts and endeavors to implement human rights and freedom, have not only got all resources in their hands but are fully vigilant and alert to defend their interests. Any call for bringing the land reforms, civil service reforms or an attempt to deprive top brass of their “rights” would be overthrown and severely punished for doing excesses. They shall make a threatening example out of everyone who would dare to come in their ways – same as they did in the case of Z. A. Bhutto.”

“Now they have devised a modified and deadly weapon to “judiciously” execute every dangerous challenger to vested interest. This new hatchet to chop body parts is their own version of Shariat. From now on a new form of suppression and subjugation is going to be unleashed”.

“I believe that at the moment you are standing at a crossroad, haven’t got much time to take a decisive and final step. In my humble opinion you have got three options left open:   

1. Get yourself out of all mess. Abandon practical politics and leave the country to settle down somewhere in Europe or the United States. An extremely intelligent person like yourself can most capably establish herself as a prolific writer with tremendous inherent journalistic capabilities.
2. Confine the People’s Party up to Sindh and practice regional politics. Still being a stronghold of the party, rural Sindh shall keep you in a bargaining position. The validity of Sindh Card can never be ignored, howsoever.
3. Once again switch over to Z. A. Bhutto’s political plans.”

“When I say that we should opt for Bhutto’s ideals I don’t mean, at all, that Z. A. Bhutto was infallible or he didn’t make mistakes. Neither I advocate to implement Bhutto’s policies, as they were, without necessary modification nor I want to see People’s Party as a stagnant pool of ideas – blocking flow of new thoughts and fruitful innovations.”

“Madam, I understand that most of my talk looks rhetorical, philosophical and idealistic – far from being politically favorable in actual practice. I know that in a ritualistic community, like ours, it is “heretical” to talk of creative freedom and scientific way of living. However, I believe that political awareness among Pakistani people has raised up to a greater degree and at least a minority of intellectually enhanced and spirited individuals has already been generated in the country. Though quite a small but intelligent enough faction of the society understands the actual situation and is willing to bring about the change.”

“Pragmatically speaking, the democratic lovers of the country are, definitely, not in a substantial position, required to break the absolute power of ruling trio: civil bureaucracy, military bureaucracy and feudalism (Unfortunately, your recent record of coalescing with this class has made your commitment towards the struggle for national salvation doubtful in the eyes of the public). One finds it very difficult and puzzling to estimate the chances of popular conversion and also the time it would take to complete, at the present pace. It is quite true that the idea of launching a literary crusade, to promote democratic and progressive thought on massive scale, can avail nothing much. But does it mean that we too should let ourselves float along with obscurant reactionaries and let the common public deprive from acquiring the right of being informed? No, certainly not. It shall be the most heinous crime to live our own lives in contentment while a big majority of subjugated mankind continues to pay a heavy toll for their inherent ignorance.”

“As Thomas Carlyle wrote, “Nothing is more terrible than activity without insight” the grooming of free and liberal thinkers and intellectuals is the fundamental requisite to lay the foundation of a modern society.”