Cover Story
PPP’s Leadership Crisis
The PPP’s record of running the government has not been a very enviable
one though its young leader Bilawal Bhutto believes in progressive politics,
in learning from the past and looking forward.
Aesop’s fable “The Boy Who Cried Wolf” tells of a boy who got bored and decided to amuse himself by toying with local villagers’ emotions. The boy played a practical joke and yelled, “Wolf, wolf!” knowing the villagers would run, pitch forks in hand, to save the boy and sheep from ravenous wolves. After numerous jokes, the villagers no longer believed the boy and failed to come to his aid when he actually needed it. “The boy cannot fool us again,” they said, ignoring his pleas. The wolves devoured the sheep, depriving the villagers of a major food supply.
The fable’s themes include deception, faith, responsibility, truth and trust.
This preamble reminds me of Pakistan’s politics.
Opinions regarding Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leadership vary wildly. Historically the PPP has enjoyed a global reputation for progressive leadership, promoting democracy, women’s rights, eradicating the feudal system, poverty and upliftment of the masses.
During the 1970s, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s PPP was a socialist nationalist party with the mandate of ‘Roti, Kapra, Makan’. After the war of 1971, PPP controlled the country. They went on to win the 1977 elections and ruled for some time. Opposition claimed rigging and, as tensions increased, Gen. Zia ul Haq declared martial law.
After a controversial trial, Z.A. Bhutto was found guilty of murdering a political opponent and hanged in 1979.
Bhutto’s daughter, Benazir, was later elected twice as Prime Minister but her government was dismissed both times on corruption charges - Benazir herself was accused of alleged corruption as well as extra judicial killings. In 1990, Benazir was removed from office by President Ghulum Ishaq Khan who accused her of corruption; then in 1996, President Farooq Leghari levelled similar allegations against the Prime Minister.
Despite countless reports of alleged massive-scale corruption of Asif Ali Zardari and Mohtarama Benazir Bhutto, some continue to revere the late Mohtarama Benazir Bhutto – especially since she was Pakistan’s first female head of government.
To be fair, Pakistan having a female Prime Minister is to be greatly admired. Even America –the world’s premier superpower – has yet to elect a female president! And investigations into the Clinton Foundation showed men were being paid more than women for the same jobs! So much for Hillary Clinton’s claims for gender equality!
Bilawal claims to be an advocate of freedom of expression, women empowerment and minority rights.
In 2007, Benazir was assassinated. Neither Benazir’s husband, Zardari, nor her security advisor, Rehman Malik, were with her. After a cell phone call, Benazir was allegedly told by Sherry Rehman to stand up in the sunroof of a bulletproof white Toyota Land Cruiser – from where this vehicle was procured remains a question for many – and Benazir, waving to the crowds, was fatally wounded shortly thereafter.
According to The Washington Post, the crime scene was cleared before any forensic examination could be completed. And Zardari did not allow a formal autopsy to be conducted – despite the ambiguity surrounding Benazir’s death. Hospital reports and Ministry of Interior reports were conflicting – did the Prime Minister die from the shockwave from a bomb blast which fractured her skull, or shrapnel from the blast, or as a result of bullet wounds? The New York Times questioned how Scotland Yard investigators could reach any conclusion regarding her manner of death “absent autopsy results or potentially important evidence that was washed away by cleanup crews in the immediate aftermath of the blast.”
In any case, Benazir’s legacy would be defined by her manner of death. According to sources, Benazir’s cell phone – which would likely provide vital evidence – was later retrieved from Bilawal House and presumably destroyed by Rehman Malik, at Zardari’s request.
Multiple reports and sources state that Benazir was planning to divorce Zardari. What would Zardari have lost if Benazir did divorce him? During Benazir’s second term, Zardari served as Federal Investment Minister, Chief of the Intelligence Bureau and Head of FIA. Zardari’s academic background and other qualifications remain unclear.
Benazir herself acknowledged she was guilty of turning a blind eye to Zardari’s abuses of power, including free access to people: “…one of the mistakes [Zardari] made was that he allowed too free an access to people, and when you’re in power, access can lead to abuse… And I was guilty of turning a blind eye to abuse that could have been caused by access to [Zardari]. Or abuse that could have been caused to access to my federal cabinet.”
Just three days after Benazir’s assassination, 19-year old Bilawal was appointed leader of the PPP.
The PPP’s official website: (www.ppp.org.pk) under ‘Achievements by Government and Policy’ includes three individuals: Z.A. Bhutto, Benazir Bhutto and Asif Ali Zardari. Two deceased persons and a third who has been globally alleged to be one of the most corrupt politicians in Pakistan’s history.
Bilawal is quoted as saying, “I have learned politics from both my father and mother… I engage in progressive politics, learning from the past but looking forward….”
PPP’s website claims, “Roti, Kapra Aur Makaan, Ilm, Sehat, Sab Ko Kaam”: freedom from helplessness, economic justice, strengthening democracy, ensuring rights and peace, Naujawan Pakistan, etc. But what are the quantifiable and qualifiable proofs?
What about the jobs that are promised and water resources that are withheld from poor people prior to elections? What about South Badin where water was redirected from thousands of people who had to migrate, because of a political dispute due to previous PPP party members shifting to another party. What about the Sindh government hospitals being so filthy no sane person who understands basic hygiene would set foot inside?
Bilawal claims to be an advocate for freedom of expression, women empowerment, minority rights. What responsible steps has Bilawal – or any of the PPP leadership – taken?
In 2018 Bilawal traveled to the USA, presumably to request help towards democratic efforts. Was his leisurely California trip more productive than his Washington DC trip?
PPP’s chronic tales of deception have led to its own people in Sindh distrusting them with basics such as water, economic empowerment, shelter. Keep the poor uneducated, unempowered, illiterate and they will have no choice but to be slaves. Democracy is dead but feudalism is alive and well.
A family legacy of deception, with no real sense of responsibility – even to the poor people of Sindh. If PPP can’t run a desert, how can PPP run a country?
The villagers, it seems, no longer have faith in the boy who cried wolf.
![]() The writer is a vlogger and communications consultant. She lives in Islamabad and can be reached at cynthia.ritchie |
Cover Story
|
Tributes
|
Special Editorial Feature
|
News Buzz
|
Update |
Leave a Reply