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This is the month of April and the fourth day of April reminds me of the wayward course of our history I never even witnessed. On this day, thirty years ago, military ruler General Zia-ul-Haq tried to kill Mr. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto but ended up making him a legend. Thirty years is a long time in the span of living memory and Pakistanis of my age group have no personal linkage to that traumatic moment in the life of this country. But Bhutto, the mercurial prince of our politics, remains a pulsating point of reference in our national affairs. All of us had - and have - a Bhutto of our own. Writing about Bhutto is not an easy task because of his charismatic character and the role he has played in the political history of Pakistan. He is essentially an instrument of passion in our politics and that passion is hard to be erased from our collective consciousness no matter how hard his opposition (read opposition + heirs) may try. He was the only charismatic leader to have emerged in our post-independence history. We all are indebted to his role as the father of the nuclear programme and as the leader who injected hope and a sense of renewal at the darkest moment in our history in December 1971.
We need to remember that he, a former prime minister, was the only man of high political stature to have been hanged in the entire history of Pakistan, in spite of the fact that this history is replete with gross derelictions of all kinds, including subversion of the constitution. And it is also tainted with so many political murders. On this anniversary of Bhutto's execution, we should underline the need for the establishment as well as the political class to make a fresh effort to come to terms with the life and death of Bhutto. The Bhutto phenomenon should be understood in the context of our present wanderings in political wilderness. The Pakistan People's Party of Mr. Zardari must not forget that Benazir inherited her father's charisma, and such is the power of this inheritance that she has twice defeated the machinations of the establishment to become the prime minister of Pakistan. And it is the sole reason behind the power which Mr. Zardari is enjoying today and this may be the last chance. After this current performance of the PPP government, how long will PPP remains the biggest political party is a separate subject but it may be instructive to recall the initial promise of this party in the late sixties. The times, surely, have changed. Still, the radical change that Bhutto had brought about at that time is a unique chapter in our history. At that time, Bhutto represented the immortal yearnings of the ordinary people of this country for change and progress. He was the first and, remains so far, the only leader who awakened the masses and planted the seed of hope in their hearts. Has that hope survived the depredations of more than a quarter century? Indeed, that mobilisation is the soul of the Bhutto phenomenon. Results of the elections of 1970 were a revolution of a kind. Though many aspirations kindled at that time were somewhat betrayed in later years, that initial investment has not totally been exhausted. We should recognise that conditions in which Bhutto assumed power, and then governed the country, were exceptional. The manner, in which he rose to the occasion, as I have said, is a demonstration of what leadership can achieve in a period of national distress. It was his great achievement that in a short time, it seemed business as usual. In one of his speeches, he had said that he would "like to move the mountains, to change the course of history". This is the challenge that belongs to our present leaders. But I am afraid that there is no other leader of Bhutto's brilliance and intellectual vigour. Whether a proper juridical review of Bhutto's case is possible or not, this anniversary does make us think of the tragic event that took place thirty years ago. I find it interesting that most of his admirers often cherish the memories of the time when he was out of power; while those who oppose him can only recall the time he was in power. One may agree or disagree with the politics of Mr. Bhutto but no sane person can deny the impact of Bhutto factor in the politics of Pakistan even after 30 years of his death. 
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