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"The party is far from over, it will derive strength from its sorrow and even though the death of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto came as a tremendous shock, it has not and will not fragment", says Senator Reza Rabbani, Deputy Secretary General - Pakistan People's Party and Leader of Opposition in the Senate of Pakistan.
Like all political assassinations, the tragic event of December 27th was and remains shrouded in mystery. Who do you think was behind the heinous act, and why?
I think it’s premature at this stage to say who was behind this assassination of Mohtarma Shaheed Benazir Bhutto but obviously that is why we are asking for the help of United Nations. This will help us get to the bottom of this issue and find out who was involved, because from day one the regime has pointed its finger towards Al-Qaeda. We’re not ready to buy that story but even if one wants to go according to what the regime says, then it means that the crime has transcended Pakistan’s territorial boundary and therefore its all the more reason to involve an organization like UN to find out where the conspiracy took place, who was the financer and what was the actual motive.
The assassination has raised a number of questions like; was she assassinated to destabilize Pakistan; was she assassinated to halt the democratization process; was she assassinated to bring about what some think tanks have anticipated regarding changes in the geographical boundaries of Pakistan; or was she assassinated to help denuclearize Pakistan. However at this point it is unclear and one can’t pinpoint fingers at anyone. I believe with the passage of time history will record its final verdict.
How will Zardari’s new role affect the party?
I don’t think Zardari’s new role will affect the party in any way. The party is totally united and I think it is a unique example in Pakistan’s history. Even after the loss of such a towering personality like Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, the party stood strong and within 72 hours resolved the leadership issue unlike any other political party in Pakistan’s history. Obviously the PPP has faced reverberations of her assassination, but I think all credit must be given to the party as it did not fragment and ‘Insha’Allah’ it will not, because we are an ideological party. During her days in exile, Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto inculcated leadership within the party and I think that now Zardari will carry on that role.
Will the party leaders emerge from this tragedy or remain under these shadows?
It is not only the party leadership, but the entire nation that is under the shadow of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto’s assassination, as its impact on all segments of society has been tremendous. How important she was to the entire nation and abroad has come out more vividly after her assassination, as there was no part or parcel of the party leadership across Pakistan that did not feel the effects of this event. However those working closely with her have been affected more, including myself. We had been receiving reports that there was a threat to her life, but no one really thought that it would actually happen. As I said, that the party leadership is motivated by ideology, we are motivated by the fact that we have to continue the struggle that she left behind, and that the party shall turn this sorrow into strength.
Does this mean Fatima Bhutto who has exposure to local politics will finally step into the limelight and sideline PPP-P?
Fatima has been in the political limelight long. I don’t think that her impact will be that tremendous, that she would lead that wing, as the PPP is a party which is rooted deeply in the working classes of Pakistan. I don’t believe that a single individual would be able to make an impact the way the entire party can. So I don’t think that Fatima Bhutto will be able to sideline the party.
Why wasn’t Benazir’s ‘will’ released to the media, and are there any issues within the ranks of PPP regarding its authenticity?
First of all, there are no issues regarding the authenticity of the will as far as party members are concerned. At the time when the will was shared, we had just finished the ‘soyem’ and were tremendously grieved. It was a document that was supposed to be shared by the party within its ranks, and the central executive committee. However given the demand by the media, it is now been published in her book, which is to be released by month end.
It is said that Benazir was pro-democracy so the party should vote for the next head as being the chairperson is not something one can inherit. Do you agree with this?
Well theoretically yes, but I think we have to move out of theory and look at political realities. And the political reality is that everywhere, leaders are usually chosen from personalities that have a towering influence over the masses, including members and workers of the party. For example, the Congress party of India decided to do away with the Nehru dynasty, but they couldn’t and eventually they had to bring in Sonia Gandhi. Similarly in Pakistan, I don’t know why PPP is the only party that is continuously criticized for this. If you look across the political spectrum in Pakistan, it is a continuation of the same. For instance the ANP was started by Bacha Khan, then passed down to Khan Wali Khan and now to Asfandyar Wali Khan. Similarly is the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (S), which is headed by Maulana Fazl-ur-Rahman, and before him his father Maulana Mufti Mehomood. So these political circumstances have been the norm in Pakistan. Every other year we have issuances of martial law, and when martial law is not there, establishments are busy to destabilize the political parties and the system. So theoretically it should be done, but the ground realities do not warrant it. If the political process is allowed to continue, a day will come when political parties shall be able to rely more on democratic tradition than anything else.
On the other hand of the spectrum, there are claims that the next leader should be from Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto’s bloodline, which is Fatima Bhutto or Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto (Junior). What do you think about this approach?
I don’t subscribe to this point of view since this is not a heritage or lineage issue in that sense of the term. After the political death of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, his legacy was continued by Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto and she built on it and she had her own sacrifices, her own struggle, her own personality and her own impact on Pakistani as well as world politics. She did not become chairperson just because of heritage. Bilawal, I think, represents a bit of both his grandfather and mother and having taken the name of Bhutto takes this legacy forward.
Keeping all these factors in view, what do you think will become of the Party - is it over as some claim, or will it regain its former glory? How is the party positioning itself for the upcoming elections, and what do you believe will be the outcome?
The party is far from over, like I said earlier the party will derive strength from its sorrow and even though the death of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto came as a tremendous shock to the party, it has not and will not fragment. The party is still united and head strong and it will progress and grow and move forward to fulfil the dream and legacy that Mohtarma has left behind.
If the elections are free and fair, we shall win hands down, no question about that, the party will sweep the polls, I am sure of that. During Mohtarma Shaheed Benazir Bhutto’s lifetime, we had done all our homework. We have our manifesto ready, we have policies in place and we would be looking to build a national reconciliation and national consensus on major issues, as we believe that the problems faced by the country are enormous and that no single party can solve them, and hence it has to be a collective national effort.
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