Jotting down his thoughts in his diary, Bhutto wrote that General Zia may not be willing – or able to realize it at the present moment, but barring himself and a handful of his advisers and followers, the rest of the world is bound to look upon my hanging as a political murder.
He further reflected:
You cannot stop me if my days are numbered. I am not afraid of death. What I detest is the manner in which I have been treated in the prison cell. And what has pained me is the harsh treatment my friends, my colleagues, my followers and members of my family have received after I was removed and jailed. On May 21, 1978, my wife, Nusrat, had a meeting with me in the Rawalpindi prison. She wept as she gave an account of how my friends, relatives and supporters had been tortured as part of General Zia’s plan to bring about annihilation of the forces loyal to me. All that I could do on the occasion was to educate my wife about the need for utmost caution while functioning as the leader of the Pakistan People’s Party.
Blow to the West
Bhutto's foundation of the PPP was a setback for the reactionary forces in a country long dominated by the Right. The slogan of "Food, Shelter and Clothing" shifted the focus of Pakistan politics from theological to economic issues. This focus has never shifted back. Bhutto nationalised the commanding heights of the economy; another blow to the capitalist West. During his tenure there was a massive transfer of resources towards the dominant rural economy by setting higher prices for agricultural products.
Bhutto's Talents
As a member of Pakistan's delegation to the United Nation in 1957, at the age of 29 years, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto addressed the Sixth Conference of the United Nations on "The Definition of Aggression", a speech which is still regarded as one of the best on the subject. As a participant at the International Conference in Geneva, Switzerland in March, 1958 Zulfikar Ali Bhutto spoke for mankind with the bold declaration: "The High Seas are free to all." He was the youngest Federal Cabinet member in the history of Pakistan, at the age of 30. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto held the key portfolios of Minister of Commerce, Minister of Information, Minister of National Reconstruction, Minister of Fuel, Power and Natural Resources before becoming the Foreign Minister.
