Remembering the extraordinary Benazir Bhutto on her birth anniversary

In the immortal words of Benazir Bhutto herself: “As history’s pendulum swung. The desert wind calls. Marvi calls. A call the desert wind carries. Children: hear the desert wind, hear it whisper. Have faith. We will win.”

Grace, fortitude and foresight. These are the words that most aptly describe her legacy on what would have been her 67th birthday.

Leading from the front, Bhutto took the reins of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) at a very young age after the politically motivated murder of her father and former Prime Minister, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. Despite her age when she began in politics, she achieved what most people only dare to dream of.

Rising from a patriarchal society, Bhutto became a global symbol for women empowerment in a very short span of time. Internationally, she was the face of Pakistan and the modern day Muslim woman. Being the first twice elected female Prime Minister of the Muslim world, she achieved a number of accomplishments in her political career, thereby setting a benchmark for others and future generations to follow.

Women, children and youth were always at the forefront of her development agenda for Pakistan. During her two short terms in power, she took practical but revolutionary steps which resulted in systemic changes over the years for the betterment of Pakistan’s women. 

The whole world acknowledged her vision, and recognized her contributions to the cause of Pakistan and its people, making Bhutto the recipient of the prestigious United Nations Human Rights Award in 2008 – a doubly special year as it was also the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. To date, she is the only Pakistani Prime Minister to deliver a joint session address in the US Congress and received a thunderous, two-minute standing ovation from US lawmakers.

Senator Sehar Kamran 

During her tenure, women were included in policy making circles as stakeholders. A special five percent job quota was reserved for them in the public sector. A women’s bank which gave loans to women entrepreneurs was set up to economically strengthen the country’s female population-- who had been largely ignored in national policymaking circles. Moreover, her government is credited for initiating the first vocational training program for women, and monthly welfare stipends for widows and orphans were initiated.

A number of other structural initiatives to empower women were taken, such as inducting them into the higher judiciary and bureaucracy. A network of women police stations was established to facilitate women and a women’s ministry was established for bridging gender disparities and to address women-specific issues. Under the auspices of the ministry, women’s centers were established to help women facing the menace of domestic violence.

Regarding the health care sector, a Lady Health Workers program was initiated in 1994 through the Prime Minister’s Program for Family Planning and Primary Care. It was recognized internationally as one of the world’s most successful health service delivery programs.

One of Bhutto’s lesser known achievements was making public the report of the Zarri Sarfaraz Commission (1983-85) regarding the status of health and education, the role of social and religious elements and the impact of discriminatory legislations on women. This document was previously marked confidential by the previous government of General Zia-ul-Haq, but under the PPP government, was distributed in universities and among different sections of society to raise awareness and gauge feedback. The report significantly helped in increasing understanding of how discriminatory legislation impacted women in Pakistan.

The whole world acknowledged her vision, and recognized her contributions to the cause of Pakistan and its people, making Bhutto the recipient of the prestigious United Nations Human Rights Award in 2008 – a doubly special year as it was also the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. 

To date, she is the only Pakistani Prime Minister to deliver a joint session address in the US Congress and received a thunderous, two-minute standing ovation from US lawmakers.

Only a few individuals are able to leave an indelible mark on history. Bhutto was among them.

History will forever remember Benazir Bhutto as an icon for women and the one who broke the figurative glass ceiling in this country. From empowering the masses in a bid to establish a truly egalitarian society, her innumerable services for the betterment and development of the country will always be remembered in glowing words. She will continue to live in the hearts of all the millions of people who loved her-- now and always.

*Sehar Kamran is the President of the Centre for Pakistan and Gulf Studies (CPGS), she is a prominent politician, acadmeician and practitioner in the areas of regional, international defense and strategic studies. Twitter @SeharKamran