Mir Murtaza Bhutto : 1954 - 1996
Like his elder sister, Benazir, Murtaza Bhutto was a novice to active
politics until 1978 when his father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, was
sentenced to death by the Lahore High Court. In the span of 15 years,
however, Murtaza has managed to gain considerable notoriety for a
brand of politics that has moved in diametrically opposing direction
to Benazir Bhutto's.
Born in Karachi on September 18, 1954, Mir Murtaza received his early
education at St. Mary's School, Rawalpindi. He later passed his `O'
levels from the Karachi Grammar School in 1971.
In 1972, Murtaza went off to Harvard University where he studied
Government, specialising in strategic studies. He graduated with
honours in 1976, and his thesis was entitled ``Modicum of Harmony''
which dealt with the spread of nuclear weapons in general, and the
implications of India's nuclear capability for Pakistan in particular.
Murtaza went on to Christ Church College Oxford, his father's alma
mater, for a three-year course to read for an M.Lit. degree. But the
death penalty awarded to his father in 1978 seriously disrupted his
studies. Murtaza was on the verge of rushing home when he received a
message from his father asking him to remain abroad where he could
mobilise an international campaign for his release.
Murtaza had been present in Pakistan when Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's
government was overthrown on July 5, 1977. Along with other family
members, Murtaza had returned to Al-Murtaza, Larkana, and at the time
was busy helping in the preparations for the elections schedule for
October 1977. But on September 16, 1977 when Bhutto was arrested from
Al-Murtaza, he ordered his son to leave the country.
After Bhutto was sentenced, Murtaza joined hands with his brother the
late Shahnawaz Bhutto, to initiate a campaign to muster international
support to revoke the death penalty looming over his father's
head. Leaders from Syria, Libya, and the PLO were particularly
supportive. Mercy appeals were sent by several heads of state to
General Ziaul Haq which failed, however, to sway his decision.
Murtaza and Shahnawaz both cut short their respective educations and
decided to devote themselves to avenge their father's
death. Eventually they resorted to taking up arms, their main target
being General Ziaul Haq. This marked the beginning of a new and more
controversial era in Murtaza's life.
The Al-Zulfikar Organization (AZO) was born at this point, and
disgruntled elements among the younger members of the PPP,
disappointed in the party's leadership, flocked to Murtaza's side. The
AZO, however, went on to earn the terrorist charge, a label which has
dogged Murtaza ever since.
For his part, he has always denied the charge that he espouses the
politics of terrorism. "Why is the AZO called a terrorist
organisation? Why are we blamed for treason or sedition? What General
Zia did to the constitution and to the elected prime minister of the
country was real treason. What we did was something that every
patriotic Pakistan should do in order to safeguard the interest of the
country," Murtaza maintains.
The most controversial episode of Murtaza's career was the hijacking
of PIA airliner by AZO activists, which resulted in the death of a
passenger. Murtaza still faces a murder charge on this count.
From 1981, Mir Murtaza has spent most of his time in
Damascus. Earlier, in the early '80s, he was based in Kabul and then
in Libya.
With the mysterious death of Shahnawaz Bhutto in Paris in 1985,
Murtaza Bhutto was left alone to carry on the struggle. During his
period, his sister's politics had drifted further away from
Murtaza's. The PPP, meanwhile, remained forever under the shadow of
being labelled a terrorist party, and many of its activists were
arrested and hounded for their alleged links with the AZO. Over the
years, the PPP has moved steadily towards the center, coming to power
once again, being unceremoniously ousted and making yet another bid
for government again, but this time with a less hostile establishment
breathing down its neck than ever before.
Murtaza has stayed away from Pakistan for the last 16 years dring
which time his name has been closely associated with the AZO.
Murtaza now claims that the AZO has been disbanded and it remains to
be seen what new role he will take in the machiavellian politics of
the '90s.
In this exclusive interview with the Herald, conducted long distance
over the telephone, Murtaza Bhutto finally breaks his silence about
his plans to return to Pakistan, criticises the line the PPP
leadership has taken in recent years, reveals his decision to focus
his attention on Sindh and vehemently denies charges of being a pawn
in the hands of the intelligence agencies.
On the night of Thursday 19th September 1996, the estranged brother of Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, and the only surviving son of the Martyred Lion of Sindh Mr Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Mir Murtaza
Bhutto was shot dead along with 6 other party activists in a
police encounter near his residence.
Among the dead was Aashiq Jatoi, the acting provincial chief of the
Pakistan Peoples' Party (Shaheed Bhutto Group). He was a brother in-law of Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan.
The injured list included six Party activists of Murtaza Bhutto's party and three policemen, including additional Superintendent of Police
of Saddar area of Karachi and two other station house officers.
Just before his death Mir Murtaza Bhutto, 42, had slammad the
government, warning it not to arrest him without warrant. "There
would be trouble if the Police tries to arrest me without a
warrant," he had declared.
Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto rushed to the city when told
about the encouner. Begum Nusrat, mother of Murtaza, was in London.
As expected the version of the encounter given by the injured party
activists and the polce widely differed. The police earlier claimed that they
reached the residence of Murtaza Bhutto, 70 Clifton, at 8:30pm, to arrest him.
The policemen alleged that the security guards belonging to Murtaza, stationed at his
house, opened fire, injuring several policemen. The fire was returned by the
police party , which caused fatal injuries to the Prime Minister's brother and his supporters.
Sources said that after the incident the Rangers again cordoned off the area
and searched the house number 70 Clifton. Murtaza was sought by the police on the
charge of inciting attacks on two CIA Centres on Tuesday where
it was thought that his party activist Ali Sunara was detained.
A Sindh government handout issued late in the night said that
Murtaza Bhutto s vehicle was allowed to proceed to his residence
by the SHO Clifton after it was stopped. The gunmen of
Mir Murtaza Bhutto sitting on the land cruiser vehicle
resorted to indiscriminate firing injuring the ASP Saddar,
SHO Clifton and a person in a taxi on the spot.
Mir Murtaza Bhutto's gunmen sitting in his vehicle also started
firing straight at the police. The police under the command of ASP Drakshan
and ASP Saddar retaliated in self-defence and after an encounter
of 20 to 25 minutes, took control of the situation.
On the other hand Dr. Mazhar Memon Senior Vice President
of the party's Hyderabad Divison blamed the police for opening
fire on Mir Murtaza Bhutto without any provocation.
"We were returning from a public meeting at Surjani Town,
District West of Karachi, when the police and Rangers stopped near
the 70 Clifton," Dr. Memon told at the JPMC casualty Department.
He said that Mir Murtaza Bhutto came out of the car to talk with
the official. The policemen suddenly opened fire on Murtaza,
seriously injuring him. Dr Memon said, "I also came out of the vehicle
to help my injured leader who was on the ground and I received a
bullet on my leg." Dr Memon added that when Murtaza's guards saw him on
the ground in a pool of blood, they rushed out and opened fire
on the police. Mir Murtaza Bhutto raised his hand in the air,
urging the police to hold the fire. The policemen
ignored Murtaza and continued firing.
Memon added that when the firing died down, the Rangers who
were on the spot jumped out from their vehicles. Some eyewitnesses
said that Murtaza after getting out of his car challenged the
policemen to shoot him. A man was seen struggling for his life
after being hit by police fire in front of DIG police residence.
The firing continued for half-an-hour.
The firing caused great panic in the area. Soon after the incident when
newsmen rushed to the Hospital they were beaten up by highly
charged policemen. The personnel of the law-enforcement agencies
snatched the cameras of photographers and cocked their guns.
One of the police officers ordered his force to open fire
at journalists should they ignore his orders and advance.
Later some of policemen who had stopped Murtaza Bhutto's vehicle
claimed that they did not know whose car they had stopped.
They said that they could not have opened fire on the motorcade if they
had known that it was Murtaza's. Other said that they had fired in
panic and in self-defence. Senior police officials were tight-lipped
about the tragedy.
When Murtaza was rushed to the Mideast hospital in an official
car, sources said, that blood was oozing out from Murtaza's mouth.
He tried to throw away the oxygen mask but the doctors kept putting
it back. He then collapsed and lost consciousness. At this time
Murtaza s wife Ghinva and daughter Fatimah reached
the hospital. Both of them were crying. They were ordered out of the
ICU, where the only official present was the Deputy Commissioner South Arif Elahi.
Soon the specialist doctors from Jinnah Hospital reached the Mideast Hospital, where the bullet-ridden body of Murtaza was taken.
But no anesthetist was available at the hospital, which normally does not
treat medico-legal cases. Mir Murtaza received bullets on his collarbone, chest, leg
and in abdomen. His body refused to accept blood transfusion while he was
being operated upon. Doctors revived Murtaza's heart once when it stopped but
failed to do so the second time.
The only surviving son of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto died at 11:45pm but his
death was announced at 12:25am by the hospital authorities.
Police said Murtaza's followers who were in three cars returning from
a party fired first when asked to stop. Police returned fire, killing
six people all members of Murtaza's faction. This was confirmed by the Deputy Inspector General of
police Shoaib Suddle. He further said that the police had insisted on checking
the vehicles because of tightened security after two bomb blasts in
Karachi on Wednesday the 18th September 1996 in which one person was killed and at least four others were
wounded.
Meanwhile, the body of the Murtaza Bhutto will be taken for burial on Saturday
by air to Larkano. He will be laid to rest at the family graveyard in
Garhi Khuda Buksh near Larkano, Sindh.
The party activists who were wounded identified as Dr Mazhar Memon,
Siraj Hyder, Ismail , Ayaz, Asghar and Bachhal. The policemen who received
bullet injuries were ASP Saddar Shahid Hayat SHO Clifton Haq Nawaz Sayyal
and SHO Napier Junaid. Two injured remained unidentified. The injured were
shifted to the Aga Khan Hospital and Civil Hospital.
Those who were killed with Murtaza were identified as Ashiq Jatoi, Rehman
Brohi, Sajjad Hyder, Abdul Sattar Rajpur, Yar Mohammed Baloch and Wajahat
Jokhio. The bodies had reached JPMC Hospitalat about 3:30am.
The police arrested 12 supporters of Mir Murtaza Bhutto and seized about dozen AK-47 Rifles from their
possession.
The Turbulent Life Of Murtaza Bhutto
The Tragic Death of Murtaza Bhutto
Sindh - My Motherland My Fatherland
Makhdoom's Quest For The Truth
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