Bhutto Quotes

It's hard to deny that an alarming number of those who stood for peace, not war, were either killed by deranged lone gunmen or else died in suspicious circumstances. We refer of course to the likes of JFK, Martin Luther King, Benazir Bhutto, Bobby Kennedy and John Lennon, to name but a few. ~ James Morcan

Above all you must study hard. Very few in Pakistan have the
opportunity you now have and you must take advantage of it. Never forget that
the money it is costing to send you comes from the land, from the people who
sweat and toil on those lands. You will owe a debt to them, a debt you can repay
with God's blessing by using your education to better their lives. ~ Benazir Bhutto

I have led an unusual life. I have buried a father killed at age 50 and two brothers killed in the prime of their lives. I raised my children as a single mother when my husband was arrested and held for eight years without a conviction - a hostage to my political career. ~ Benazir Bhutto

Recourse to thick narrative detail reveals that the principal hurdle in the way of a united Pakistan was not disagreement on constitutional matters but the transfer of power from military to civilian hands. More concerned with perpetuating himself in office, Yahya Khan was strikingly nonchalant about the six points. He left that to the West Pakistani politicians, in particular Bhutto, who, contrary to the impression in some quarters, was more of a fall guy for the military junta than a partner in crime. ~ Ayesha Jalal

I dream ... of a world where we can commit our social resources to the development of human life and not to its destruction ~ Benazir Bhutto

Freedom and liberty, the essays we wrote on them, papers for our tutors, for grades, but did we know the value of those words which we bandied about, of how precious they are, as precious as the air we breathe, the water we drink. ~ Benazir Bhutto

Given the right to a free ballot, the people would support my return. ~ Benazir Bhutto

It would be so nice to have the luxury just to laze. So nice not to have to always get up and get dressed for some occasion. Always having to move from here to there, where everything is scheduled and even having lunch with my kids on their Easter break has to be slotted in. Maybe one day ... ~ Benazir Bhutto

I find that whenever I am in power, or my father was in power, somehow good things happen. The economy picks up, we have good rains, water comes, people have crops. I think the reason this happens is that we want to give love and we receive love. ~ Benazir Bhutto

There are two things. There was the moral responsibility, and that, first, is creating an atmosphere where the security forces can kill with impunity, where they can turn up at a place, shoot seven people - really at point-blank fashions - and then get away with it and be, in fact, promoted. And then there is the actual responsibility, the governmental responsibility. My aunt's government forbade us, initially, from filing a police report - which is every Pakistani citizen's right under the law. ~ Fatima Bhutto

Military dictatorship is born from the power of the gun, and so it undermines the concept of the rule of law and gives birth to a culture of might, a culture of weapons, violence and intolerance. ~ Benazir Bhutto

Lets build a monument for the veto. Lets build a monument for impotence and incapacity. ~ Zulfikar Ali Bhutto

And also I was brought up to believe that human beings are good, which is why it shocks me to the core when I see human beings behaving badly. ~ Benazir Bhutto

Bhutto's case was not a trial of murder, rather it was the overt murder of a trial - ~ Fatima Bhutto

Pakistan is heir to an intellectual tradition of which the illustrious exponent was the poet and philosopher Mohammad Iqbal. He saw the future course for Islamic societies in a synthesis between adherence to the faith and adjustment to the modern age. ~ Benazir Bhutto

I am constitutionally competent to contest the elections. ~ Benazir Bhutto

If the people wanted my head I would bow without demur. If I had lost the confidence or respect of the people I would not want to live. The tragedy of the drama is that the very opposite is true. ~ Zulfikar Ali Bhutto

I think that our reliance on dynasty is part of the problem here, because dynasty is inherently undemocratic. It's a very entitled thing to suggest that only one member of one family can save a country of 180 million people. It has to be about people who live in constituencies coming forward to represent them, not the sort of parachuted, elite class that comes in, wins elections and then leaves. ~ Fatima Bhutto

Clearly it's not easy for women in modern society, no matter where they live. We still have to go the extra mile to prove that we are equal to men. we have to work longer hours and make more sacrifices. And we must emotionally protect ourselves from unfair, often vicious attacks made on us via the male members of our family. ~ Benazir Bhutto

Extremism can flourish only in an environment where basic governmental social responsibility for the welfare of the people is neglected. Political dictatorship and social hopelessness create the desperation that fuels religious extremism. ~ Benazir Bhutto

What is not recorded is not remembered. ~ Benazir Bhutto

Pakistan was once called the most allied ally of the United States. We are now the most non-allied. ~ Zulfikar Ali Bhutto

Bhutto acknowledged the difficulties faced by women who were breaking with tradition and taking leading roles in public life. She deftly managed to refer both to the challenges I had encountered during my White House tenure and to her own situation. "Women who take on tough issues and stake out new territory are often on the receiving end of ignorance," she concluded. In a private meeting with the Prime Minister, we talked about her upcoming visit to Washington in April, and I spent time with her husband and their children. Because I had heard that their marriage was arranged, I found their interaction particularly interesting. ~ Hillary Rodham Clinton

You see, they think they're saving you, and you think you're saving them. That's where the trouble starts. Someone says, 'I saved you, now here's what I want.' And its the same with big countries and little ones, religious leaders and their followers, even husbands and wives. When things really work, though, it's because people realize that this is a lie, that, really, we all save one another. It's the way of the world. Things work out for the best when everyone makes it, together, when we manage to save each other. (from The Way of the World) ~ Benazir Bhutto

No, I am not pregnant. I am fat. And, as the Prime Minister, its my right to be fat if I want to. ~ Benazir Bhutto

I am planning to return and contest the October elections in Pakistan. ~ Benazir Bhutto

Oppression does not know the meaning of provincial boundaries. Aren't our energies better spent fighting the common enemy instead of each other? ~ Benazir Bhutto

All through the years of the Soviet empire, its Politburo held 'elections.' Of course, calling something an election and actually having it be an election are different things. ~ Benazir Bhutto

The United Nations charter gives every nation the right to self defence, therefore when the American embassies were bombed it was a matter of time before the Americans responded by going for what they suspected were the causes of the attack. ~ Benazir Bhutto

I know death comes. I've seen too much death, young death. ~ Benazir Bhutto

I was a very shy girl who led an insulated life; it was only when I came to Oxford, and to Harvard before that, that suddenly I saw the power of people. I didn't know such a power existed, I saw people criticising their own president; you couldn't do that in Pakistan - you'd be thrown in prison. ~ Benazir Bhutto

The next few months are critical to Pakistan's future direction as a democratic state committed to promoting peace, fighting terrorism and working for social justice. ~ Benazir Bhutto

It's true that General Musharraf opposes my return, seeing me as a symbol of democracy in the country. He is comfortable with dictatorship. I hope better sense prevails. ~ Benazir Bhutto

Pakistan's future viability, stability and security lie in empowering its people and building political institutions. My goal is to prove that the fundamental battle for the hearts and minds of a generation can be accomplished only under democracy. ~ Benazir Bhutto

Don't cry," Samarra whispered, "Nothing ever happens to the brave. ~ Fatima Bhutto

Pakistan is, I always feel, hopeful. You know, our system of government is not, and the system of foreign policy whereby we do whatever is asked of us as long as the price is right only proves to fundamentalist outfits and to militant groups that when we talk of things like democracy, when we talk of things like foreign policy, what we're really talking about is being pro-American. ~ Fatima Bhutto

But show me just this one thing, my darling, i seek a heart stained like a poppy flower. ~ Fatima Bhutto

If things do not change, there will be nothing left to change. Either power must pass to the people or everything will perish. ~ Zulfikar Ali Bhutto

We didn't have an indigenous Taliban before 2008. We didn't have a war in Swat before 2008, we didn't have a war in Waziristan. We never, in our 63-year history, we have never allowed unmanned Predator drones from ANY country to fly over our skies and kill our citizens. ~ Fatima Bhutto

My father was the Prime Minister of Pakistan. My grandfather had been in politics, too; however, my own inclination was for a job other than politics. I wanted to be a diplomat, perhaps do some journalism - certainly not politics. ~ Benazir Bhutto

I've never had a bank account in Switzerland since 1984. Why would the Swiss do this to me? Maybe the Swiss are trying to divert attention from the Holocaust gold scandal. ~ Benazir Bhutto

I am guiding you to seek truth from the facts of the historical conditions of our society and to identify the problems. The correct solutions will come with the correct identification of the problems. ~ Zulfikar Ali Bhutto

Democracy is necessary to peace and to undermining the forces of terrorism. ~ Benazir Bhutto

America's greatest contribution to the world is its concept of democracy, its concept of freedom, freedom of action, freedom of speech, and freedom of thought. ~ Benazir Bhutto

In 1988, when democracy was restored, the military establishment was still very powerful. The extremist groups were still there. And when the aid and assistance to Pakistan was cut, we had to adopt harsh economic policies. So in a way, it showed that democracy doesn't pay, and the military was able to reassert itself. ~ Benazir Bhutto

I'm not into smoke-filled rooms. I don't have the time for byzantine political intrigues. ~ Benazir Bhutto

Calling an animal and
having it come, planting something and having it grow, become essential. It is
proof that I exist. ~ Benazir Bhutto

Ultimately, leadership is about the strength of one's convictions, the ability to endure the punches, and the energy to promote an idea. And I have found that those who do achieve peace never acquiesce to obstacles, especially those constructed of bigotry, intolerance, and inflexible tradition. ~ Benazir Bhutto

While living in America when I attended Harvard in the early 1970s, I saw for myself the awesome, almost miraculous, power of a people to change policy through democratic means. ~ Benazir Bhutto

You will have to pay for your choices much more than you realize. ~ Fatima Bhutto

We learned at an early age that it was men's interpretation of our religion that restricted women's opportunities, not our religion itself. Islam in fact had been quite progressive toward women from its inception ... ~ Benazir Bhutto

Bhutto brought up the coup in Afghanistan, which has resulted in deposing the country's monarchy and replacing it with a republic under a nationalist cousin of the king. Kissinger said he had discussed the matter with the Soviet Ambassador. "I told him if the recent coup in Afghanistan remained an internal Afghan affair, that would be one matter" he said, "but if it resurrected the Pashtunistan dispute, the U.S. would be engaged. This is the basic policy of the president. ~ Husain Haqqani

My father always would say, "My daughter will go into politics? My daughter will become prime minister", but it's not what I wanted to do. I would say, "No, Papa, I will never go into politics." As I've said before, this is not the life I chose; it chose me ... But I accepted the responsibility and I've never wavered in my commitment. ~ Benazir Bhutto

I passed from childhood into the world of the adult. But what
a disappointing world it turned out to be. The colors of the sky, the grass, the
flowers were gone, muted and grayish. Everything was blurred by the pattern
over my eyes. ~ Benazir Bhutto

I don't fear death. I remember my last meeting with my father when he told me, You know, tonight when I will be killed, my mother and my father will be waiting for me. It makes me weepy ... but I don't think it can happen unless God wants it to happen because so many people have tried to kill me. ~ Benazir Bhutto

The people who resent me do so because I'm a woman, I'm young, and I'm a Bhutto. Well, the simple answer is, it doesn't matter that I'm a woman, it doesn't matter that I'm young, and it's a matter of pride that I'm a Bhutto. ~ Benazir Bhutto

The sanction of force stands behind the medley of personal orders and regulations of Martial Law. The sanction of the people's consent stands behind the hierarchy of laws. In one situation, the population is regimented into acquiescence. In the other, the population voluntarily establishes a contract with Parliament. For this reason, one is called a regime and the other, a government. Martial law rests on the sanction of force and not on the sanction of law. ~ Zulfikar Ali Bhutto

...the fight for the truth is important. There will come a day when you will see the result of your struggles. ~Benazir Bhutto ~ Benazir Bhutto

The military destabilised my government on politically motivated charges. ~ Benazir Bhutto

Military hardliners called me a 'security threat' for promoting peace in South Asia and for supporting a broad-based government in Afghanistan. ~ Benazir Bhutto

In any conflict area, it is always the women who are the first point of attack. But I think the more they have seen of oppression and violence, they have gotten more brave, more strong, more fearless than they were. You see this refusal to just keep quiet and do as you are told. ~ Fatima Bhutto

Shahidullah Shahid said there is nothing Islamic in Pakistan's constitution. He clearly can't read. The truth is there is nothing Islamic in the TTP. ~ Bilawal Bhutto Zardari

[On Richard M. Nixon:] Americans began with a president who couldn't tell a lie and now they have one who can't tell the truth. ~ Benazir Bhutto

In distinguishing between Islamic teachings and social taboos, we must remember that Islam forbids injustice; Injustice against people, against nations, against women. It shuns race, color, and gender as a basis of distinction amongst fellowmen. It enshrines piety as the sole criteria for judging humankind. ~ Benazir Bhutto

I think it's perfectly possible for us to stay outside of power politics, or parliamentary politics, and speak about things like the American hegemony in the region or speak about the unjust war on terror that's been brought to our borders. ~ Fatima Bhutto

My mother always said democracy is the best revenge. ~ Bilawal Bhutto Zardari

I will take back Kashmir, all of it, and I will not leave behind a single inch of it because, like the other provinces, it belongs to Pakistan, ~ Bilawal Bhutto Zardari

I am trying to stop being mystified. Important to concentrate on good hard facts. But which facts? One week before mu eighteenth birthday, on August 8th, did Pakistani troops in civilian clothing cross the cease-fire line in Kashmir and infiltrate the Indian sector, or did they not? In Delhi, Prime Minister Shastri announced "massive infiltration ... to subvert the state:; but here is Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Pakistan's Foreign Minister, with his riposte: "We categorically deny any involvement in the rising against tyranny by the indigenous people of Kashmir". ~ Salman Rushdie

All our problems, all our disputes, all our disagreements can be resolved quickly to mutual satisfaction if we address the question. ~ Benazir Bhutto

The contradictions within Pakistan became still more apparent at my next event, a luncheon hosted in my honor by Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and attended by several dozen accomplished women in Pakistan. It was like being rocketed forward several centuries in time. Among these women were academics and activists, as well as a pilot, a singer, a banker and a police deputy superintendent. They had their own ambitions and careers, and, of course, we were all guests of Pakistan's elected female leader. Benazir ~ Hillary Rodham Clinton

Well, I do write on political and social issues and the idea that one shouldn't - or the idea that we should censor ourselves - doesn't really work for me because it would be doing the government's job for them. And I'm not interested in doing that. I think what we need very much in Pakistan is to be able to discuss the corruption and the violence that really colours most of our life here. ~ Fatima Bhutto

Bhutto was the only celebrity I had ever stood behind a rope line to see. Chelsea and I were strolling around London during a holiday trip in the summer of 1989. ~ Hillary Rodham Clinton

Benazir Bhutto was an inspirational leader and an inspirational woman. ~ Malala Yousafzai

Whatever my aims and agendas were, I never asked for power. ~ Benazir Bhutto

In fact, if you look at people within our government, they seem to be quite enthusiastically fighting the war against their own people at the behest of the United States. So it doesn't seem to me that the strong way to oppose this is by joining politics at all, but just to keep speaking and to keep talking about it. ~ Fatima Bhutto

I had been born into a sort of democracy in which for ten years Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif kept replacing each other, none of their governments ever completing a term and always accusing each other of corruption. ~ Malala Yousafzai

The political parties have unanimously rejected the one-man constitutional changes. ~ Benazir Bhutto

What is a constitution? It is a booklet with twelve or ten pages. I can tear them away and say that tomorrow we shall live under a different system. Today, the people will follow wherever I lead. All the politicians including the once mighty Mr. Bhutto will follow me with tails wagging. ~ Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq

Right now, they feel they have lost their voice, and their miseries have increased since my departure. ~ Benazir Bhutto

What is important is that a political party articulates the mood of a generation. ~ Benazir Bhutto

It is one thing being able to contest an election and to give the people hope that I can be the next prime minister. It is a totally different situation where the people of Pakistan are told that the results are already taken and the leader of your choice is banned. ~ Benazir Bhutto

I thought i could wake up this sleeping country with my cries, but still they sleep as if in a dream. ~ Fatima Bhutto

To make peace, one must be an uncompromising leader. To make peace, one must also embody compromise. ~ Benazir Bhutto

I am confident Pakistani government will provide me with adequate security, unlike the government at the time that sabotaged my mother's security in Pakistan. ~ Bilawal Bhutto Zardari

I try to reach my father through the bars. He is so thin, almost wasted away from malaria, dysentery, starvation. But he pulls himself erect, and touches my hand. "Tonight I will be free," he says, a glow suffusing his face. "I will be joining my mother, my father. I am going back to the land of my ancestors in Larkana to become part of its soil, its scent, its air. There will be songs about me. I will become part of its legend." He smiles. "But it is very hot in Larkana." "I'll build a shade," I manage to say. ~ Benazir Bhutto

The government I led gave ordinary people peace, security, dignity, and opportunity to progress. ~ Benazir Bhutto

Greece is internationally famous for three reasons. First it has more islands than people. Second, it used to be a part of Turkey. Third, its national hero, Alexander the Great, was a Yugoslavian. ~ Fatima Bhutto

I note that [Benazir] Bhutto demonstrates her own deep commitment to democracy by giving herself the title chairperson for life of the Pakistan Peoples Party. ~ Ann Coulter

The forces of moderation and democracy must, and will, prevail against extremism and dictatorship. I will not be intimidated ... Despite threats of death, I will not acquiesce to tyranny, but rather lead the fight against it. ~ Benazir Bhutto

Like all children I had taken my father for granted. Now that I had lost him, I felt an emptiness that could never be filled. But I did not let myself cry, believing as a Muslim that tears pull a spirit earthward and won't let it be free. ~ Benazir Bhutto