Ali Aitzaz spoke about undemocratic attitude of BB in an interview with Washington Post…
Ali rightly pointed out how can these undemocratic parties bring democracy in Pakistan…
http://thenews.jang.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=12511
**PPP must become more inclusive, says Ali Aitzaz **
By Umar Cheema
ISLAMABAD: Ali Aitzaz Ahsan, the son of detained top lawyer and PPP leader, is critical of late Benazir Bhutto’s style of politics.
In a recent interview to a US newspaper, he said late Bhutto was letting no one to challenge her position. In post-Benazir Bhutto assassination scenario, he however hoped that it could open the way to democratize the party.
**Under the circumstances, when you have an undemocratic party where the leader is trying to let no one challenge her, the PPP leadership had little choice but to recognize ethnic and regional realities in selecting its new leaders, said Ali Ahsan in an interview with Washington Post. **
The PPP leadership “wanted blood lines, and it was important to anoint a Bhutto at the top,” Ali Ahsan told the Post. Particularly in Sindh province, he added, PPP supporters “will vote for a lamppost if the Bhuttos tell them to.”
Nonetheless, Bhutto’s death “potentially opens the way to greater party democracy,” he said. “The control of Benazir Bhutto was absolute. The control by others will have to be more inclusive.”
Interestingly his remarks have appeared at a time when the new PPP leadership wants to revive the role of his father, Aitzaz Ahsan, in the party. “I need Aitzaz Ahsan,” Bushra, Ali’s mother, quoted Zardari saying when she went to Naudero (ancestral place of Benazir Bhutto) to offer condolence.
Bushra said her husband might have been running the election campaign for the party had he been not put under detention. Asked if that could have been possible for Aitzaz when the lawyers’ top body had announced boycotting polls, she said as far as his position as lawyers’ leader is concerned Aitzaz had already withdrawn his nomination papers to honor the lawyers’ body decision.
Ali was also accompanying his mother during their visit to Naudero but he said he was not privy to this conversation where Zardari could have said that he needed Aitzaz Ahsan.
“I might not have been present there when this conversation took place,” Ali who has flown back to New York, told The News on telephone. About his interview with the Washington Post, he said his words were taken out of context. “The journalist had had two hour long interview but chose the words of his choice (for printing), “ Ali said but did not deny if he had not spoken on this issue. “I won’t send any clarification,” he said. The people close to Aitzaz family said it was naive on part of Ali to give his frank opinion on all issues, not knowing the domestic political realities and its ramifications. A PPP leader said his words must be reflection of what he had learnt from his father. Aitzaz who is member of the PPP’s central executive committee, was not enjoying good relations with late Bhutto especially since the time he volunteered himself as lawyer to deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry in post-March 9 scenario, and shot to unprecedented fame. Later when he was elected as President of Supreme Court Bar Association, his party leader did not congratulate him.
Earlier Aitzaz had earned the ire of Benazir Bhutto by attending a wedding ceremony of Chaudhrys of Gujrat in clear defiance to the leadership directives in this regard. These happenings must also have left impact on the mind of Ali Ahsan, his 31-year old son.
Musharraf’s decision to suspend Justice Chaudhry led towards the emergence of Aitzaz Ahsan as heroic figure that must not have gone well with the party leadership especially when there was no concept of propping up a leader that could alternate the slot of chairperson. He started emerging as threat in this regard especially when the media painted him in this context during to his uncompromising stand, in stark contrast to the leadership’s decision to broker a deal with Musharraf. However one fact remains there that disqualifies Aitzaz for top party position i.e. his political clout.
“There is a hell of difference between the hero and the leader. Aitzaz is hero, not the leader,” one of his party colleague said. He may not win the seat of a councilor in open competition, his colleague further added. According to that party leader, Aitzaz undoubtedly could be a precious asset for the PPP but might never emerge as a leader who could fill the gap of Benazir Bhutto. She was intellectual and popular in literate and illiterate masses both. “And Aitzaz is intellectual who could inspire the literate class, not the rural people,” a PPP leader said.
One major thing missing in his profile is that he does not belong to Bhutto family that knows how to offer its own blood when required. Contrary to other parties, the basic qualification for the PPP’s top slot is blood and the bloodline originate from Bhutto family.