June 21, 2008 would have been the 55th birth anniversary of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto had she survived the assassination on Dec 27, 2007. History will pass the final verdict on her life, times and achievements; but in the murky political arena of Pakistan, the Bhuttos stand out. Four of them (Zulfiqar, Shahnawaz, Murtaza, Benazir) lost their lives when they could have served their country. General Ayub Khan, the first Desi Commander-in-Chief (C-in-C) of the Pakistan Army had surgically removed the entire political leadership of the country to establish the evil Establishment Empire that he headed. In the corridors of power, ZAB discovered the absence of people's participation. When the dictator started to celebrate his decade in power, Bhutto decided to struck. All the have-nots, students and progressives marched under the red, green and black PPP flag. The mighty Ayub empire collapsed, shattering dictator's dream of installing Gohar Ayub in his place. Gen. Yayha Khan and his troops surrendered in East Pakistan and Quaid's Pakistan was dismembered. ZAB emerged as an un-disputed leader of what was left of the motherland. After the passages of two constitutions (1972, 1973) the establishment rule was finally over. By 1975 the Khakis and the Baboos realigned to attack the nascent democratic order. ZAB was surrounded and cornered. Elections were announced in 1977 ahead of schedule, overnight Pakistan National Alliance (PNA) emerged. The ISI conspiracy aided by foreign masters was put in action. Finally ZAB not only lost power but also his life. At the age of 52 he was quietly buried in his ancestral graveyard at Ghari Khuda Baksh. The establishment had finally prevailed. Three, out of the four Bhutto siblings, decided to fight back. Benazir led the party on the political front while both Murtaza and Shahnawaz formed a militant outfit called Al-Zulfiqar. General Zia-ul-Haq, the third military dictator came hard on the anti-establishment crusader. Benazir spent eight years in solitary confinement. Shahnawaz was poisoned in Paris at the age of 27years. As both brothers were married to two sisters, Murtaza divorced his wife and took custody of his daughter Fatima to settle in Syria under the protection of Hafiz Al-Asad. Murtaza Bhutto returned to his motherland during the regime of his sister. Nusrat Bhutto created a party faction for him-PPP (Shaheed Bhutto). Still in his forties he was elected MPA to sit in the Sindh assembly. His anti-establishment activities got him into trouble; and finally the Sindh Police Force was used to gun him down a few yards from his Clifton residence. ZAB, the father, was 52 and Benazir the daughter 26 when he was eliminated. Murtaza, the father, was 42 and Fatima, the daughter, 14 when he was gunned down. Benazir, the mother, was 54 and Bilawal, the son, 19 when she was assassinated. The establishment is enemy number one of the Bhuttos and the People's Party. The two cannot co-exist. They have tried but valiantly fallen. Unfortunately lessons have not been learnt. The Bhutto's take on the establishment with people's support but then fall into their trap and suffer. Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif continue to be defiant unlike Asif Zardari who desires dialogue and re-conciliation. The dynasty heirs Bilawal and Fatima are quite on the subject. If Bhuttos have failed, who will contain this evil empire? In 1977, ZAB tried to team up with the establishment for an absolute majority in the parliament and ended up loosing his life. In 1988, Benazir tried to co-exist with the establishment but was dismissed in disgrace twice. Even Nawaz Sharif who was product of the establishment was not spared when he tried to reach out to the people, the real power in democracy. Establishment and democracy cannot co-exist as equals because of the fact that one has to be subservient to the other. In India, Nehru established the rule of ballot by keeping the Baboos out. But in case of Pakistan, this Khaki-Baboo nexus, which we call establishment, has neutralized the democratic order by suppressing the voice of the people. Every country needs an establishment to run its affairs but never ever a country is created for the establishment to rule at. The establishment's score card against democracy calls for a thorough scrutiny not another compromise. The Writer is Ex-Chairman Pakistan Science Foundation