In case you haven’t been hearing the news already, Bakhtawar Bhutto Zardari, the daughter of former PM Benazir Bhutto and former President Zardari, is set to be engaged. The engagement is set to take place at Bilawal House in Karachi on the 27th of November. As you can see, the Bhutto-Zardari’s have sent opulent invitations for the engagement to their guests.
Addressing the Engagement
One would think it is an attempt to resurrect the late Benazir Bhutto to marry Zardari once more. Since the first time around wasn’t bad enough. Moreover, if you look closely, ‘president‘ Asif Ali Zardari is inviting you; reminding you subtly of his humility. This invitation comes with instructions for guests to obtain negative COVID-19 tests before attending the event. Sounds to me like the Bhutto-Zardari’s were quite taken with Kim Kardashian’s COVID-19 protocols for her private island party.
Putting aside the obnoxious invite, let’s focus on the channel of wealth here. For a party championed by their connection to the common man, their habits certainly don’t match. Given there is no comparison between the common man and the Bhutto-Zardari family. However, Benazir led by example with her stable safaid dupatta in every jalsa (political rally). She was a beacon of hope for the working class and continues to live on in the hearts of our people.
Changing morals of PPP
Long gone are the calls for ‘roti, kapra aur makan‘ and replaced by lavish displays of wealth to the common man. PPP’s main strength is voting power. But even they cannot say they vote out of choice, rather out of majburi (compulsion). Corroborating this story with a resident from interior Sindh, I learnt of how PPP deals with dissent. A farming district was deprived of their water supply after denying PPP their vote.
Nonconformists are punished or in higher-profile cases, bumped off. Even more ironic to me, is Bilawal’s address to the people in Skardu, whom he vowed to empower. I can only see the opposite of that promise happening. To illustrate my thoughts, let me share a recent incident. The ARY production team was attacked by PPP workers while doing a live-show from Gilgit. Apparently they were unhappy with the extent of ARY’s coverage. When will we learn to deal with dissent and opposing views with civility and decency? Instead of fixing problems in its centre of power (Sindh) PPP hopes to set up camp in an untouched district and siphon off its riches.
I may have digressed from the issue at hand, so let’s get back to it; is a high profile engagement really what we need right now? As the world goes into a second lock-down, our priorities are shifting once again. Where money previously went into consumerism and production, we should be concentrating it into healthcare and treatment. Unsurprisingly, our political elite have chosen to continue their lifestyle. With leaders like Jacinda Ardern setting the benchmark for COVID-19 protocols, it is hard to see the Bhutto-Zardari’s & co-living it up at Bilawal house.
