Sad time to recall Bhutto

Saturday's 30th anniversary of the death of former Pakistani prime minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was marred by an incident that provided evidence of the negative effect of Taliban dominance in the northern part of the country.

Tragically, there could not have been a more poignant moment to consider the link between the time of Bhutto's rule in the 1970s and the divisions seen across Pakistan today.

Bhutto was sent to the gallows under the tyrannical rule of General Zia ul Haq, Pakistan's former military ruler and the founding father of its present-day culture of extremism.

Thirty years later, Bhutto has emerged as a folk hero in parts of Pakistan, while his prosecutor, the late Zia, is only remembered as a usurper of political power who laid the foundation of an enduring legacy which threatens Pakistan's very existence.

It is worth recalling that Pakistan was a far more liberal country under Bhutto and a more tolerant society. Thirty years after his death, the country is greatly changed.

Zia's decision to raise a US backed mujahideen resistance in Afghanistan in the 1980s, principally to resist the occupation by the former Soviet Union, continues to have an enduring effect.

The backing of the Pakistani state for the mujahideen has given birth to a culture of militancy that continues to this day.

On Friday, just a day before the anniversary of Bhutto's death, came the chilling images of a 17-year-old woman being publicly flogged in a northern valley known as Swat, on charges of adultery.

The Taliban-style justice administered in this incident involved two men holding the woman down while a third man whipped her as hundreds of spectators looked on.

In looking at the roots of where such barbarism comes from, it is important to note Pakistan's transition into a military-dominated state in the years following Bhutto's tragic demise. In addition to embracing militancy, Zia systematically destroyed political institutions and trampled upon civil liberties.

Many of those who directly suffered in the torture chambers created under his rule to this day live haunted lives overshadowed by the fears from their past.

It is truly tragic that while Pakistan indeed returned to civilian rule after Zia's death, under the leadership of Bhutto's daughter, the late Benazir Bhutto, political stability has remained a distant prospect.

Instead, following 11 years of civilian rule, Pakistan again fell back into the hands of the military with General Pervez Musharraf leading a successful coup in 1999.

While appearing to be more liberal, Musharraf has indeed left behind a sorry legacy, built upon a consistent weakening of the political order. He was once asked about Zia's legacy in retarding Pakistan's progress.

Back came the reply, albeit unconvincing: "I cannot be held responsible for the actions of another man."

Musharraf's response, however, can simply not be taken on face value. The systematic destruction of political institutions, the nurturing of militant groups and disregard for strong civilian rule continued unhindered under Musharraf's rule, and have ultimately taken their toll on Pakistan.

The gory images of the teenaged girl being whipped in Swat follow acceptance by the Pakistani government of a controversial peace agreement in the area with the Taliban in February this year.

The deal finally confirmed the option to press ahead with a military venture had been effectively abandoned.

Under that deal, the government accepted the imposition of Sharia law, a key demand of the Taliban, in return for the militants agreeing to finally lay down their arms. There is still no conclusive evidence that the militants will do so.

But in the process, there was not even a whiff of a symbolic effort by the Pakistani government to seek a return to an environment of greater tolerance, in an area where Taliban militants had destroyed hundreds of schools for girls.

It is clear that the fight to resist hard-line values and seek a return to a more liberal environment will be far from easy.

Thirty years after Bhutto's tragic departure, it is clear that the pursuit of power and controversial policies by military rulers has done little to promote Pakistan's best interests.

Farhan Bokhari is a Pakistan-based commentator who writes on political and economic matters.