Bhutto’s Son Bilawal: “Democracy Is Best Revenge”

The Guardian has an interesting write-up on “Pakistan may not make it: The country’s future now depends on a power struggle between the army and Bhutto’s son”. The article is written by Peter W Galbraith, a former US ambassador to Croatia, who is the author of “The End of Iraq: How American Incompetence Created a War Without End”.

“Pakistan’s army has long defined itself as the guardian of the nation, and successive generals have used this role as their excuse to seize and hold power. But the army is not a national institution. Historically, the Punjab has produced 90% of the officer corps while the Sindh, with 25% of Pakistan’s population, is essentially unrepresented. Sindhis tend to see army rule as equivalent to Punjabi rule. The Bhutto killing sparked widespread attacks on federal property in Sindh and could galvanise separatist sentiment in the province.

“For all its flaws, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) is Pakistan’s only true national institution. As well as overwhelming support in the Bhutto family’s home province of Sindh, it has substantial support in Punjab and North-West Frontier Province. Like many south Asian political parties, it is a family affair, but it has an enduring platform: opposition to military rule.” More here…

In another stoty, The Guardian says: “Benazir Bhutto’s 19-year-old son Bilawal was catapulted into the maelstrom of Pakistani politics yesterday…But his leadership will be initially symbolic because the party will be stewarded by his father, Asif Zardari, until his studies at Oxford are over.”

Benazir Bhutto’s son has reportedly said that “my mother said democracy is best revenge”. More here…

(photo of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari…courtesy Aamir Qureshi/AFP)