in committing grave acts of violence against India. She also unequivocally condemns the Pakistan's Tortuous Political History presence of terror outfics inside Pakistan and censures frequent holding of bra.zen militant S Samuel C Raj iv rallies under the watch of the Pakistani state (p. 212). BORN TO BE HANGED: POLITICAL BIOGRAPHY OF What could be considered unconven ZULFIKAR ALI BHUTTO By Syeda Hameed cional but rather pleasing turn in the India Rupa Publications, New Delhi, 2017, pp. 337, "500.00 section is that apart from quintessentially mentioning the Kashmir issue, the section SPECIAL STAR: BENAZIR BHUTTO'S STORY on India extensively alludes to Tarar's innate By Syeda Abida Hussain Oxford University Press, Ka rachi, 2017, pp. 140, "999.00 fondness of Indian Bollywood megastar, Amitabh Bachchan. The auchor passionately he blood-strewn saga of the Bhuno The only describes herself as a diehard Bachchan fan clan exemplifies the tortuous politi son (apart and her obsession and praise for his work in Tcal history of Pakistan. The books from three movies during his decades-spanning career. under review are political biographies of sisters) of an · Besides an unabashed admiration for Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and his equally illustri aristocratic Bachchan, Tarar also warmly reminisces ous daughter, Benazir Bhutto, by an Indian zamindar about her travel to New Delhi. and a Pakistani author respectively. Benazir from Sindh There is little doubt that contemporary became Pakistan's as well as the Muslim and his sec literature on Pakistan is overwhelmed by ex world's first female Prime Minister at the dra ond wife Lakhi Bai (a Hindu who was a cour cessive focus on geopolitics. With the matically young age of 35 in 1988, within a resan prior ro marriage), Hameed notes tl1at country's key geographical location as the decade after the brutal hanging of her father Bhutto had a 'virulent hatred of Hindus', bedrock and resultant crucial ties with pow in 1979. In both cases, buoyant political calling them 'the deadliest enemies of our erful countries like the United States and journeys were cut shore by tragic deaths dur Koran and our Prophet', in a letter to China, contemporary narratives, inrention i·ng the time whc;n military dictatorships Mohammad Ali Jinnah in 1943 from ally or unintentionally, have ensconced im held sway over Pakistan. Mussourie, as a I 5 year old. portant aspects and challenges that beset Pa The authors bring attention co the var Hameed notes that Bhutto's political kistan as a nation. At times when Pakistan is ied hues of the complex subjects and the com journey began when he came to che atten being incrementally perceived as a country plica.tcd times they lived in. Syeda Hameed tion of then President lskander Mirza (who that provides sanctuary to terrorist gro11ps, though could be guilty of being uncritical was of Bengali origin) while on a hunting be it co serve its strategic objectives vis-a-vis in her reading especially of the foreign policy crip near his hometown of Larkana in the India or its wider geopolitical ambitions, it ofZulfikar Ali Bhutto (ZAB), the first demo mid- l 950s. While Hameed brings to atten is quite essential that narratives such as this cratically elected President of Pakistan. tion the friendly relations between President arc written and disseminated more often. Hameed bases most of her work, which took Mirza and ZAB's father Sir Shahnawaz Such non-security centric works have the close to two decades to finish, on the insights Bhutto as the common glue that brought ability to refresh popular perceptions on Pa and research material provided to her by them together, the Pakistani aurhor Syeda kistan-a country doomed as failed and un ZAB's long-time political associate and co Abida Hussain in her book Special Star on stable. founder of che Pal
12 The Book Review I June 2018 orientation and Islamic foundations. She '' The poignant political history OXFORD brings to attention Bhutto's strong condem nation of the statement of the Pakistani For of the most dominant political SYEDA ABIOA HUSSAIN eign Ministry on December 15, 1967 to the family of Sindh is a cautionary effect that Pakistan had no claim on Indian territory, when its attention was drawn to a tale of the long road to Special Star declaration by Bhutto at a party forum that genuine democracy that Benazir Bhuttds Story Assam must have a special status with Paki stan. Bhutto later in a letter to the Foreign Pakistan has to essential ly still Ministry clarifies that he was not talking of traverse for the benefit and any territorial claims but 'a relationship with Assam of the kind that France has with Que uplift of its teeming millions. '' bec in Canada'. Hameed oddly cites the same letter as reflective of Bhutto's 'statesmanship' when he calls attention to the 'struggle of Benazir, initially as someone who opposed the Nagas and the Mizos against Indian ag her politically to someone who became a close gression' and says that Bhutto was the first confidante in later years. As such, the book South Asian leader who 'spoke for the Mizos does contain nuggets of information relat and Nagas .. .' ing to private conversations among others that Hameed describes the Shim la Agreement is not published elsewhere. Hussain states as a 'victory for Pakistan' and a 'miracle', given that the 1965 war was part of the effort by that Pakistan got back its more than 90,000 Ayub Khan to 're-establish his standing' with prisoners of war and India withdrew its the Pakistani people, having won the 1964 Interior Minister allegedly sharing a list of troops 'without any vital concessions' from presidential· elections contesting against Khaliscani insurgencs wirh his Indian coun Pakistan. She further cites Field Marshal Sam Fatima Jinnah, sister of Mohammad Ali terpart in che aftermath of Rajiv Gandhi's Manekshaw as stating that the Pakistan Army Jinnah, very narrowly. The role of other ac visit. She also flags Bhutto's 'reluctant' trip 'held back' though it was 'fully capable of tors who helped Ayub make his decision, to Pyongyang at the behest of the Army co fighting the Indians ... ' and adds that the Zulfikar Ali Bhutto among others, is not deliver American equipment in exchange for Pakistani general Niazi had not 'received or flagged. missile technology co irs North Korean bene ders to confront the Indian Army com The author's narrative highlights the factors. pletely', without bringing to the attention interplay of the foreign with the domestic in Pakistan's tumultuous political system of the readers the sources of her astonishing Pakistan's political history, as highlighted by continues to be buffeted by weak leadership statements. Further, what's not touched long.periods of exile of leaders like Benazir and corrupt governments. There is che ever upon is India's stupendous success in ensur Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif in places as varied presenc rhreac of itchy generals with substan ing that Bangladesh emerged as a sovereign as Saudi Arabia, Dubai and London. The role tial stakes in Pakistan's political economy ex nation state recognized as such by the inter and influence of key American interlocutors tending their baton co muddy the poli tical national community, even by Pakistan itself. is equally reflective of this confluence, rang waters while consolidating their interests. Bangladesh was an important participant ing from US Senators like Claiborne Pell, The poignant political history of the most along with 35 other countries at the second Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations dominant political family of Sindh is a cau Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) Committee, who on che request of Peter tionary talc of the long road co genuine de Summit in Lahore in 1974. Galbraith (son of John K Galbraith, a friend mocracy that Pakistan has to essentially still Hameed goes on to describe some of the of her father) prevailed upon Gen. Zia-ul traverse for the benefit and uplift of its teem key figures who were pare of Bhutto's politi Haq co allow Benazir co travel overseas when ing millions. cal journey, categorizing them as 'compan she was in detention following her father's ions, contenders and saboteurs'. One of the hanging. The author notes that the US even S Samuel C Rajiv is Associate Fellow, Institute for contenders profiled is Wali Khan, who was brokered the terms of government formation Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA), New Delhi. described ~s an 'agent of India and Afghani in 1988 when Benazir's parry did not gee a stan' by Bhutto, while one of the saboteurs clear cut majority. Booll News Book News profiled is Maulala Kauser Niazi (aka Hussain notes the mismanagement of 'Maulana Whiskey' who enjoyed his drink) the economy and widespread corruption The Islamic Connection: South Asia and the and whom Bhutto appointed as Minister for charges char heavily dented Benazir's gov Gulf edited by Christophe Jaffrelot and Religious Affairs! The chapter that details ernment, which lost power twice. As against Laurence Louer explores the ideological, edu aspects of the degrading detention and the her father's virulent anti-Hindu/India hatred cational and spiritual networks, which have painful trial and hanging of 'Hilal-e-Paki though, the book does not record similar gained momentum due to political strate stan' on April 4, 1979 is titled 'judicial statements or outlook held by Benazir even gies, migration flows and increased comml! nications. At stake are both the resilience of murder' and is mostly based on the 1988 in private, who hosted Prime Minister Rajiv the civilization that imbued South Asia with book of Sri Lankan author TW Rajarathnam, Gandhi twice in December 1988 and July a specific identity and the relations between A judiciary in Crisis: The Trial ofZulfikar Ali 1989. Large-scale improvement in bilateral Bhutto. ties though was not forrhcoming, with the Sunnis and Shias in a region where Saudi Syeda Abida Hussain's account mean Pakistan Army controlling Bhurro's rerms of Arabia and Iran are fighting a cultural proxy while is of a first-hand witness to the tumul engagement. The author notes that the Army war. tuous political career of the charismatic was nor particularly impressed with Bhutto's Penguin/Viking, 2017, pp. 303, ~699.00
The Book Review I June 2018 13