Qamar Zaman Kaira Quaid-i-Awam Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was born on 5th January 1928 at Larkana. His father Sir Shahnawaz Bhutto was an eminent political leader of the sub-continent, who led the movement for the separation of Sind from Bombay to save the people of Sind from the long and arduous journey to Bombay for attending courts or other official matters. Sir Shahnawaz paid special attention to the political grooming of his son by narrating to him the stories pertaining to the family prestige, chivalry and service to humanity. His mother used to advise him to help the poor and the oppressed. Shaheed Z. A. Bhutto had moulded his personality in consonance with his family honour, prestige and the perceptions of his mother. Sir Shahnawaz was a Minister in Bombay during 1935 under the British regime. It is said that one day Governor Lord Braboran invited him at a dinner along with his sons. Governor Lord Braboran while shaking hands with the Imdad Ali Bhutto, the elder son of Sir Shahnawaz remarked how handsome this young man was. Imdad Bhutto Ali thanked the Governor for the compliment and replied that the Governor himself was very attractive. Quaid-i-Awam Bhutto on his turn observed that the Governor was beautiful because he was feeding on the blood of our beautiful country. The Governor was extremely confounded and kept looking at the Quaid-i-awam in amazement and then pointing his finger to Sir Shahnawaz said, your son is a poet and a revolutionary. On return from the banquet Sir Shahnawaz asked his son what was the need to say such a thing there? In a swath of emotions, Bhutto replied, it is our country and they have forcibly usurped it. Every country of the world which has been enslaved is our country. After saying this he started crying. Quaid-i-Awam received his primary education in Larkana and then Bombay and after that he was sent to London for higher education. Puilo Moodi, who was his classmate, says that during his student days Bhutto was extremely sensitive, avid supporter of the independence movement and great admirer of Quaid-d-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. During that period he acquired a deep insight into the world history. He had an intimate knowledge of the geographical history of the world and its civilizations. After completing his education, he returned to his country and joined the legal profession. When Ayub Khan invited him to join his cabinet to benefit from his ability and intelligence, he could not refuse. His first priority was to ensure that no single power should enjoy monopoly over the world affairs. He was a staunch opponent of colonialism. He played a significant role in establishing friendly relations with the Soviet Union and China. He left the Ayub cabinet when he signed Tashkent Agreement after the 1965 war. On 30th November he founded Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) with a manifesto Islam is our religion, democracy our politics, socialism our economy and people are the source of power Under this manifesto he chartered a programme for providing roti, kapra aur makan. He brought politics out of the drawing rooms of palaces to the threshold of the dwellers of mud houses and declared the political paradise is under the feet of the masses. It was a philosophy which implied that it is the prerogative of the people to elect whomsoever they want, and to reject those who fail to win their franchise. The politics of Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto revolved around the poor, the down-trodden and labourers in society. His captivating and magical personality gave political consciousness and courage to the people enabling them to walk with their heads held high. In the 1970 elections, the people overwhelmingly voted for the candidates nominated by him. It is an irrefutable reality that Allah Almighty blessed Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto with great honour, respect and prestige. No wonder that he had inherited tremendous honour and estate and throughout his life his conduct reflected the traits of honour and bravery. He was passionate about the honour and independence of his country which is amply evident from his address to the Security Council on 14th December 1971. It was an address of a revolutionary poet. He said that Security Council was like a fashion house where amorphous bodies are draped in glittering clothing. Today people are talking about ground realities here and nobody is mindful of the sanctity of borders. I have neither come here to accept defeat nor would tolerate any disgrace for my country. What was illegitimate till yesterday is being declared legitimate today by the Security Council. The delegates of Soviet Union, a comrade country, are laughing and thumping the desk as if they belong to a Nazi country. My heart is shedding tears of blood. After saying this he tore apart the notes of his speech and left the hall. Some elements harbouring prejudice and hatred against Quaid-i-Awam have been striving to create the impression that he had shredded the papers of a resolution submitted in the Security Council by Poland and had he not done this the country could have been saved. The reality is that he tore his own notes. Even otherwise the Polish resolution was a blatant attempt to push Pakistan into accepting a disgraceful defeat. The detractors of Bhutto have not even read the Polish resolution. As a follow-up to the adoption of that resolution our Generals would have been tried for war crimes and Pakistan would have been put in the dock. Later that month, the Quaid-i-Awam addressing a press conference said, Tell the world to get off from our back and also keep its shadow away from us. We have the courage to rebuild our country and we will show them. Bhutto was a man of unfailing determination. When he was given the responsibility to lead a crest-fallen nation, the country was in ruins. More than ninety thousand of our civilian and military officers and soldiers were POWs in India and five thousand square miles of our territory was under Indian occupation. The nation was in a state of despair and despondency. In his first address to the nation after assuming office, he declared we have lost a war but not the courage, we will rebuild the country He stood true to his words. He visited India and as a result of his parleys with Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi the captured territory and the POWs were retrieved honourably. Lord Braboran was right to remark that the son of Shahnawaz Bhutto was a poet and a revolutionary. There is no denying the fact that from 1938 to 4th April 1979 he lived his life as a poet and a revolutionary. Even the death cell could not break his determination and his inherited courage. One may or may not agree but the fact is that Bhutto created a new Pakistan; a Pakistan which for the first time breathed in an atmosphere of independence; a Pakistan which entered the realm of self-esteem after casting off the shackles of slavery; a Pakistan that had become a welfare state for its citizens where the cleavage between poor and rich had vanished and where the class system had crumbled. He gave a unanimous constitution of 1973 and established the ascendancy of the elected parliament. He initiated nuclear programme to thwart the nefarious designs of our enemies and to ensure that no one could cast his evil eye at us. He established Heavy Mechanical Complex that produces tanks and ammunition. The same institution produced Al-Khalid tank that is unmatched in the world. Quaid-i-Awam built Aeronautical Complex, an institution which today is a custodian of our defence. Quaid-i-Awam loved the cultures of different people living in the country. He was aware of the fact that the identity of a nation depended on promotion and survival of different cultural entities forming that nation. A renowned columnist and intellectual Abbas Athar says Bhutto who wanted Pakistan to be a nuclear power even if the people had to eat grass, also envisioned it to be an economically and socially strong and self-respecting country. But he was hanged to prove that no grass grew on the gallows. Allow me to say that Quaid-i-Awam Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto rebuilt our beloved country, besides restoring its dignity and self-esteem. But alas an evil eye struck this dignified country. On 5th July 1977, the country fell in the hands of power seekers and greedy elements who perpetuated the machinations with the sole purpose to prolong their unconstitutional and unethical rule. The dignified, self-respecting and independent Pakistan that Bhutto had built was mortgaged to outside powers by these self-seekers and power hungry elements. The nation is still suffering from the consequences of their evil actions. As a student of history when I look back at the events of the past, I have a nauseating feeling. Would that the tragedy of 5th July had not happened, and our country would not have been there, where we find it today. The writer is Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting.