ASSOCIATED PRESS SERVICELONDON, Mar 27 :The enduring legacy of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, her contributions and sacrifice for the cause of democracy and her endeavours to bring about social and economic change in Pakistan were both remembered and praised by speakers at a meeting here on Wednesday night.
The occasion was the launching of her book “Reconciliation, Democracy, Islam and the West” organised at Portcullis House, House of Commons, by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Third World Solidarity.
The speakers included veteran TV presenter and journalist David Frost, MP Muhammad Sarwar, journalist and author Victoria Schofield,MP Dave Anderson, Councillor Mushtaq Lasharie, Chairman, Third World Solidarity, and former Sindh Chief Minister and PML-N leader Syed Ghous Ali Shah.
Sarwar, who is Labour MP for Glasgow, recalled his long association with the assassinated PPP Chairperson beginning 1984 when she visited Scotland. He described Benazir as a brave woman who went to Pakistan to campaign in the national elections as she genuinely believed that her country’s salvation lay in democracy.
“She continued canvassing despite surviving bomb attack on October 18 only to lose her life in a bomb and gun attack two months later in Rawalpindi,” he said.
Sarwar recalled how stunned he was to hear the tragic news of her death on that fateful December 27 afternoon when he was in Lahore as part of the team to monitor the national polls which were originally to take place on January 8 but were then subsequently postponed owing to Benazir’s death.
The MP said Benazir in her book had explained the deep misunderstanding between Islam and West. He said certain elements within Islam were driving a wedge between the Muslims and the West through acts of terror and extremism.
He called upon USA, UK and the European Union to change their policy on the Middle East as it continues to fuel anger in the Muslim world and provides platform for the extremist to exploit the situation.
At the same time, he urged the West to shore up and strengthen democracy in Pakistan by supporting the democratic institutions.
Dave Anderson paid rich tributes to the late PPP leader and said Pakistan has lost an outstanding leader in her. He said Benazir was an highly articulate leader and the first Muslim woman Prime Minister who dreamed of transforming her country into a modern democratic and a tolerant nation.
Mushtaq Lasharie said Benazir Bhutto while laying down her life paved the way for the establishment of a genuine democracy as the recent national elections have shown.
He said the Third World Forum stood for peace, justice, tolerance and democracy and these four words are the main essence of how a society or a country could manage its own affairs without resorting to extra-constitutional measures.
Lasharie said the West has thrived and prospered by adhering to these four principles and he saw no reason why Pakistan could not do the same given mandate which has emerged from the February 18 polls.
He said Benazir in her book has eloquently explained the various aspects of Islam and has clearly stated that it is a religion of peace and harmony.
David Frost said he first met Benazir 24 years ago at a low point of her life when her father Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto had been hanged and she herself had been under detention.
Portraying her as a doughty but highly educated and intelligent woman, Frost said Benazir went knowingly into a danger area in her endeavour to improve social and economic conditions of poor masses of Pakistan.
“She was in essence a profile in courage,” he remarked.
Benazir’s Oxford University classmate Victoria Schofield said the late Pakistani leader in her posthumous book has spoken about Islam and Democracy being mutually rooted and explained that Islam was committed to tolerance and open mindedness.
In her book, Benazir has attempted to remove the misgiving and apprehension about the great religion of Islam, said Schofield who accompanied the late PPP leader on her return to Pakistan in October last year.
“Her book is now all we are left with. It is our duty to spread her message,” she reminded the gathering.
Showering rich tributes, Ghous Ali Shah recalled the period when Benazir was the leader of the Opposition and how she upheld democratic principles. He said people of Pakistan loved democracy and the recent elections had been ample proof of their political wisdom.
He said nation do not grow under the barrel of gun but prosper and flourish under democracy. Ghous said both Nawaz Sharif and Benazir believe in genuine democracy and this was reason why they signed the Charter of Democracy in London.
A one-minute silence was also observed as a mark of respect in Benazir’s memory.
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