October 2011′s B-side
October 2011′s B-side is in memoriam to Begum Nusrat Bhutto who passed away in October. This special B-side includes three articles of tribute to the iron lady of Pakistan with contributions from the respected analyst Nasim Zehra followed by an article by Pakistan’s High Commissioner to the UK, Wajid Shamsul Hasan. The respected columnist Kamran Shafi is the author of the final article, October 2011′s B-side contents include the following:
- Ten Feet Tall by NASIM ZEHRA
- Begum Bhutto Lived Fighting, Died Fighting by WAJID SHAMSUL HASAN
- Begum Bhutto Remembered by KAMRAN SHAFI
It is a coincidence that all articles were published in The Express Tribune and thus my comments will cover all three together. The first article was written by the respected analyst and journalist, Nasim Zehra. The second was written by Wajid Shamsul Hasan and the final article by Kamran Shafi.
B-Side Articles
The Nasim Zehra article is published in The Express Tribune and can be read here.
The Wajid Shamsul Hasan article is published in The Express Tribune and can be read here.
The Kamran Shafi article is published in The Express Tribune and can be read here.
WASIM VIEW- As I read the three articles of tribute by Nasim Zehra, Wajid Shamsul Hasan and Kamran Shafi I was reminded of the words of the great Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, who said of himself ‘I’m not made of a wood which burns easily’. I feel the same words can be said for Begum Nusrat Bhutto who stood tall as a giant to the midget of a man that was Zia in facing his evil rule. Like millions of Pakistanis, I too mourn the passing of Begum Nusrat Bhutto and pray that she is granted paradise.
The trio of articles have rekindled my respect and reverence for her person with the articles proving that she was an iron lady and a true Bhutto who valiantly fought against Zia’s vicious dictatorship and single-handedly kept alive the Pakistan’s People Party. Wajid Shamsul Hasan is right when he writes that ‘the graceful Begum Bhutto took all that was thrown at her with great stoicism and courage, Unlike many of her male counterparts who showed instant preference to surrender at the first crack of the military dictator’s whip, it was Begum Bhutto who dared to challenge when they hounded her husband Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’.
As expected, Wajid Shamsul Hasan’s article was full of tribute, however the most insightful article was that of Nasim Zehra which provided a glimpse of the passion of Begum Bhutto on the Kashmir issue. Kashmir remains the life vein of Pakistan and as a Pakistani with Kashmiri heritage, Nasim Zehra’s informative article proved that the Kashmir cause was a Bhutto cause for all time from Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto to Begum Nusrat Bhutto and beyond.
Otherwise both Kamran Shafi and Nasim Zehra are right to laud Begum Nusrat Bhutto’s contribution to Pakistan and democracy, for it is praise well-deserved. At a personal level, I am sad that in her final years, the iron lady was a broken women owing to illness and no doubt a broken heart after the murder of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and her children. All three articles have done a sterling job in reminding me about Begum Nusrat Bhutto’s the service to Pakistan, it is sad that another Bhutto has departed but I know that the Bhutto legacy will live on and flourish in the masses for Neruda said it right and it is most apt for the Bhuttos that “you can cut all the flowers but you cannot keep spring from coming.”
She is definalty a great leader and a very good mother indeed.
↓ Quote | Posted November 11, 2011, 2:46 pm