StormWarning’s Counterterrorism

Bilawal Bhutto Stepping Forward (or Pushed)?

This is a very early post. But you may be interested in reviewing my previous posts regarding Benazir Bhutto. Thank you.

After Benazir, who? If emotions can rise higher than they already are, watch Pakistan as Bilawal Bhutto stands, possibly ready to replace his assassinated mother as the leader of the PPP. Only 19 years old, this scion of arguably Pakistan’s most influential family, a student at Oxford, could rally the support of the Party. What happens next, only history will tell.

A Pakistani television news channel also carried reports that Bilawal will be made the new leader, which the channel said accorded with Benazir Bhutto’s wishes. If confirmed, the teenager will become the third leader of the 40-year-old center-left party, one of Pakistan’s most powerful. Bilawal will follow his grandfather, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who founded the PPP in 1967, led Pakistan as Prime Minister for four years in the mid 1970s and was hanged in 1979 by a military government, and Benazir, who took over from her father and was killed in a shooting and suicide bomb attack two days ago.

Quick background on Bilawal here. According to All Things Pakistan, this is likely to happen.

The news is that Benazir Bhutto’s son, 19-year old Bilawal Zardari (now a student at Oxford Univeristy), has been named the new PPP Chairperson to succeed his mother - and before that his grandmother and grandfather.

While there were other possibilities, including his father, a sister and an aunt and who knows how many other Bhutto’s there may be, this may still become an emerging and another changing story.

Let’s look at all the other contenders one-by-one:

Makhdoom Fahim: Led the party in Benazir’s absence from the country from 1999 to October 2007. A Benazir loyalist, Fahim is the quintessential party man, who never wavered in his loyalties towards his leader in all these years. Has a good shot at the leadership. Was in the same vehicle as Benazir at the time she was assassinated.

Aitazaz Ahsan: Possibly the most popular PPP leader in the country, he is one of Pakistan’s leading lawyers. Currently in detention. Ahsan is from the Punjab and won the hearts and minds of ordinary Pakistanis during the time he represented “suspended” Chief Justice Ifthekar Muhammad Chaudhry. Ahsan is a good speaker and was leader of the opposition in the Pakistani parliament. Was not allowed to attend Benazir’s funeral in Garhi Khuda Baksh by the military regime despite asking for permission. His Punjabi lineage can only help the PPP garner votes in the most important province of Punjab.

Sanam Bhutto: The only surviving sibling of Benazir, Sanam has shown extreme reluctance to take to the path of politics. There have been previous occasions when her name was mentioned as possible leader of the party, especially when Benazir chose to go into self-exile in 1999 after being pushed to the corner in corruption cases.

Asif Ali Zardari: Benazir’s husband has been a minister in the previous PPP government and is regarded by many analysts as a possible successor. However, it’s possible that he might not like to take on the leadership mantle directly, but rule through a weak proxy.

I suspect that the chances of this happening are pretty good…more background here.