‘Mischief, thou art afoot’ in Pakistan
Posted: Wednesday, January 02, 2008 12:19 PM
Filed Under:
Islamabad, Pakistan
By Carol Grisanti, NBC News Producer
It was just three days after the assassination of Benazir Bhutto that her husband, Asif Ali Zardari announced that Bhutto, in her last will and testament, had appointed him to lead her party, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).
At least that is Zardari's version of Bhutto's last wishes.
Zardari then added, contrary to his late wife's wishes, he wanted to pass her mantle on to their oldest son, 19-year-old, Bilawal Zardari. In keeping with the burden of blood and dynasty, the younger Zardari quickly added his grandfather's name, calling himself Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. His grandfather, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, founded the Pakistan People’s Party. The name change was symbolic. Bilawal was now a Bhutto; he had asserted his birthright to lead the party.
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| Naeem Ul Haq / EPA |
| Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, right, the son of Benazir Bhutto, carries his mother's portrait as his father Asif Zardari talks with journalists during a press conference at the Bhutto residence on Sunday. |
The elder Zardari would manage the party for his son until he finishes university; in effect he would become "prince regent." He would be the kingmaker.
He also said that Bhutto’s will would not be made public.
My immediate reaction upon listening to the Zardari was, Why not make Bhutto's will public?
I asked around and many Pakistanis felt the same as I did. Some doubt there even was a will.
Shakespearean echoes
It brought to mind scenes from Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar."
"We will hear the will: read it Mark Anthony," cried one citizen of Rome.
"The will, the will! We will hear Caesar's will." The voices of the crowd rose in unison.
"Have patience gentle friends, I must not read it; It is not meet you know how Caesar loved you... It will inflame you, it will make you mad," Mark Anthony cried back.
No one ever knew what was in Caesar's will.
A noted Pakistani columnist confided to me that he had spoken with three people very close to Bhutto. "They had substantial knowledge of her intentions and all say that Benazir had no intention of leaving the party to her husband," he said, on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject.
The announcement by Bhutto's husband that their son would become titular head of the party, even though he has no political experience, still needs to finish his degree at Britain's Oxford University, and has spent most of his life outside of Pakistan, was an astute and clever move. In a few years, Bhutto-Zardari will become chairperson for life of Pakistan's largest political party, by rite of name and blood, just like his mother.
But the fact that until that time comes, Bhutto's husband controls the party may be so controversial that the party may split apart.
‘Mr. Ten Percent’
Zardari is tremendously unpopular, even loathed, by many in the party and outside of it. He is known as "Mr. Ten Percent" for the alleged kickbacks he received on government contracts while his wife was in power. Along with Bhutto, he faced corruption charges in Pakistan, Switzerland, Spain and England for plundering the country, allegedly to the tune of $1.5 billion.
Party stalwarts blame Zardari for Bhutto’s political "fall." She had to leave the country and go into self-imposed exile for eight years or else face criminal charges on corruption. Bhutto and Zardari have always denied the charges – insisting they were politically motivated.
The corruption charges were recently dropped in a U.S.-brokered amnesty with Pakistan’s President Pervez Musharraf. It allowed Bhutto to return home in October of last year to lead her party in parliamentary elections which were originally scheduled for Jan. 8, but which have been delayed until Feb. 18 because of unrest following her assassination.
And that's not all. A large number of Pakistanis believe that Zardari was behind and organized the murder of Bhutto’s brother, Murtaza, who was killed under mysterious circumstances on Sept. 20, 1996. The case is still pending in the Pakistani courts.
Benazir refused to allow her older brother, Murtaza, to challenge her for control of the party. According to author and renowned South Asia expert, William Dalrymple, "When [Murtaza] persisted in doing so, he ended up shot dead in highly suspicious circumstances outside the family home. Murtaza's wife Ghinwa and his daughter, Fatima, as well as Benazir's mother, all firmly believe that Benazir gave the order to have him killed."
Bloodline politics
Politics in South Asia is dynastic, feudal, tribal and violent. One is either born to rule or one is not. Political parties are family properties.
"I wish it were otherwise," said Talat Masood, a security analyst. "It's a vote-catching factor to keep it in the family. The dynastic effect in South Asia is too critical, otherwise the party may split."
Zardari's supporters say he is a pragmatic politician. He knows that he has to reach out to the party's heavyweights or else the party will fracture and fall apart. He knows he needs his son to carry the Bhutto name and legacy.
Most Pakistanis agree that it will be difficult for Zardari to hold the party together. The Bhutto family feuds have resurfaced. Arguments over name and succession have begun. Some Bhutto family members insist that the name and birthright passes through the father and that Bhutto's son is a Zardari not a Bhutto.
The senior leaders of the Pakistan People’s Party are eager to dispel any rumors of jostling for power and position. But signals coming out of the party's top rank and file suggest all may not be well.
And now that he has returned to Pakistan, Zardari will have to appear before the courts. He is still charged with the murder of Bhutto's brother, Murtaza.
I thumbed thru Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar" again.
Another quote from Mark Anthony caught my eye: "Now let it work. Mischief, thou art afoot. Take thou what course thou wilt!"
