“The challenge of statesmanship is to have the vision to dream of a better, safer world and the courage, persistence, and patience to turn that dream into reality.”

This prophetic anecdotal reality quintessentially draw a parallel between two types of leaders: the leaders who govern, and the leaders who shape history and national destiny in the Shakespearean crucible of “slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” to turn dreams into reality. Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto belonged to the latter category. Shaheed Bhutto challenged the Orwellian socio-political claustrophobia of his times and sowed the seeds of a new political consciousness tied to the ‘Odysseus mast’ of human rights, dignity of man, equality and justice. He did all this and more to shun the white noise and siren calls of stifling absolutism. Therefore, as we commemorate his death anniversary, I find myself reflecting not just on the people’s leader and a statesman extraordinaire I had the privilege of knowing, but on the enduring imprint he left on Pakistan’s soul. His life was a testament to the belief that politics, at its highest calling, is a hallowed vocation and an art of serving the people.

Long after his passing, his light refuses to dim, his voice refuses to fade, and his vision of an inclusive, just, united, prosperous, strong and dignified Pakistan continues to guide our great nation. I take pride that my own political journey was shaped and inspired by the ideology and ideas of Quaid-e-Awam, who gave voice to the voiceless, and who taught the people of this country that they were not born to be ruled, but born to rule themselves. His conviction and belief that power belonged to the people has been a guiding light for me through every office I have held, from Speaker of the National Assembly to Prime Minister and now Chairman Senate. Today, as I preside over the Senate, I see his vision embodied in the Constitution he gave us and in the institution he conceived to protect our federation.

Shaheed Bhutto’s journey to leadership was shaped early by the towering figure of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. At just seventeen, he wrote to the Quaid, declaring that he would one day sacrifice his life for Pakistan. And true to his word, he sacrificed his life for Pakistan exactly thirty-four years later in April 1979. Jinnah wrote back, advising him to study........

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