Fatima Bhutto, granddaughter of former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto criticized Hina Rabbani Khar for toeing the line in her new role as Pakistan's foreign minister.
Bhutto told Deutsche Welle in an interview that she was not concerned with Khar’s age or gender -- what mattered for her was Khar’s work.
“What is sad about the political culture of Pakistan is that we don’t talk about ideas, we just talk about people. Gender is never a substitute for ethics or justice... I don’t care whether she is young or old, or a woman. I want to know what she is saying. And what she is saying seems to be exactly the same thing that people have been saying before for the last 30 years,” Deutsche Welle quoted Bhutto.
Answering a question about Khar being a part of the small elite that rules Pakistan, Bhutto said that if democratic institutions are not strengthened, dynasties that have ruled Pakistan in the past will supersede the democratic process.
Deutsche Welle quoted Bhutto saying “making someone like Khar foreign minister sends a message especially to young people that the only way into politics in Pakistan is through families - and for a country of 180 million people that’s a really rotten thing to tell them.”
Talking about the problems faced by Pakistan, Bhutto said that corruption has become a part of the political culture and violence has become an acceptable thing. However, she called Pakistan a survivors’ country.
“I think it’s a place that survives against the odds: the ordinary people that make it run,” Bhutto said.
Correction: Due to a typographical error, the word 'toeing' was misspelled as 'towing' in the earlier version of the article. The error has been rectified.
COMMENTS (59)
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@Makhdoom SherShah: Well said. We have Bush family that has created similar havoc in US. Need to look for better leadership.
Many Pakistanis are better qualified than miss Bhutto and are unheard off ,we are listening to her because she is Bhutto grand daughter yet she condemns family politics in Pakistan, while her aunt got elected as PM for being Bhutto .she also wants share in that legacy her mother became part of Pakistani politics as a wife of late Mir Murtaza Bhutto then how can point out somebody's family influence.
helo fatima bhutto,,,u r abslutly right.....she dont deserve to b aforiegn minister because for a foriegn minister diplomatic traits are base which she lack
How stupid PPP workers can be when they know only true Bhutto out there is Fatima Bhutto but they think it is Zardari and his generation.
MeeOOooowwnnnN. Hush Hush (Impressions)
Another opportunist from Bhutto family; she wishes she could be FM.
Fatima bhutto has no right to critisize her. Hina just stepped in and she needs to be given a chance. She is better off crictizing her own family. They are the reason for Pakistans condition today, The Bhutto family should be extremely ashamed of the type of contribution they made to Pakistan. Its always easy to sit and talk. If you cant do anything at least let the other person try.
Whoaa!! Isn't the pot calling the kettle black1! :P Beauty with bitterness ;-)
"Bhutto said that if democratic institutions are not strengthened, dynasties that have ruled Pakistan in the past will supersede the democratic process."
Yes Ms. Bhutto, you managed to get your poetry books published, you give interviews all over the world (only to foreign media) etc all because of what you are saying ?? No - it is only because you are a Bhutto. And please, never forget that you are a Bhutto because you and your entire family have never let Pakistan forget.
OMG! Fatima is so full of herself... .ms.hina z being appreciated world over 4 her hard work and confidence and the way she carries her responsibility at such a young age irrespective of her political background( in west , hardly anyone knows abt her father). well done, hina. someone seems jealous of u....
ironic, the agenda for foreign minister is decided and the liens are rhetoric, fatima should know better than that, what does she expect from khar, pakistan's foreign relationships have eluded uncircumtancial changes since its creation except russia, how does a minister put forward an agenda which is beyond understanding
I sometime reading comments think over youth is just depressed.. but they can rite great comments.. Our ppl like HRK bcz of her "looks" and charisma.. they think it improves pakistan outside the world. lol
Hina is more attractive than Fatima Bhutto (George Clooney rumour not withstanding). No marks for guessing whose side I am on (performance not withstanding).
@Raza and @Malik
Ditto.
Women dont let other women in the country grow. This is such a sad example of that. Expected Fatima Bhutto to be bigger than that. Really! Take the higher road already!!
Fatima: in case you read this. People think you to be beyond this. Please do not let them down, and maintain your dignity.
i would have highly appreciated you saying all that only if you weren't a bhutto in the first place
but you are so i would suggest you to throw away all your glamour and luxuries and enter the real world of the common man and then make your way up again
@ prof hafeez exactly !!!! You couldnt have put it more aptly!!
On the contrary, I actually heard HRK's interview on Fareed Zakaria this past weekend. She was very eloquent and had firm rebuttals for all of Fareed's probing questions. I don't see her altering the landscape of Pakistan's foreign policy with the U.S on her own, because that's the result of a number of complex factors. But I do think she's a good person for the job, a good person to tackle the barrage of criticisms thrown in Pakistan's way.
Not only families Miss, but RICH families and especially those how don't pay tax.
....and all this coming from a Bhutto - now that's rich !!
What she said is not wrong but I wonder what according to 'her' makes her popular enough to be given the kind of media coverage she gets if not her surname/dynasty?
If it had been anyone else saying these words, I would have agreed. However, take away Fatima Bhutto's surname and she would not get a single interview. She is from the same boat as Hina Khar.
She is known as "Fatima Bhutto" more than as a "Bhutto" only. She's the last "Bhutto" among us who can be a substitute of her aunt and GrandPa. Agreed with her words but after all she has something same as Ms.Khar... Not much different background they both have. At end thankful to Tribune for such nice topici making,I just read it due to "slam". Colorful journalism is at all in operation in Pakistan now.
@Acorn Guts: I was thinking the exaxt same thing,.the politicians make promises they can't keep and the ones not in power "slam"them,I mean it's been happening for the past 30 years,it's going to continue forever.Ugh. I just wasted 15 minutes of my life on this article,not the first time that I've done so.
Aside from being granddaughter of Zulfiqar Bhutto, what else is claim to fame for Fatima Bhutto ?
Ms Fatima Bhutto should be applauded for taking a stand against dynasties - She is correct in saying that only the elite of this country make it to high offices & that Pakistan is surviving because of its struggling masses.
Dear Zain, What makes you think that Fatima Bhutto is a highly learned person?
Hey Ms. Bhutto! Say everything you said all over again. And internalize it a hundred times more if it doesn't apply to you as well. Talking and criticizing will not make anything better. And if what she is saying had been said for the last 30 years.. Well, there was no improvement, was there?.. So, if you are in her place, what would you say? Or do? Work on?
Funny. Only reason people bother reading what she says is her family name.
Trivial, irrelevant and superfluous. Surprised at Tribune, actually.
What Fatima Bhutto should have slammed is the fact the democratic government is a farce and just a stooge of the Deep State (Armed Forces and ISI) and has no real say on foreign policy.
Khar is just a mouthpiece. She has no real say in policy.
As a response I would like to ask a few questions to Ms. Bhutto herself :
Q1/- "If gender is not a substitute for ethics and justice" does she honestly think "Songs of blood and sword " was worth 1/8th of what it made ? (yes I have read it and I want my money back)
Q2/- If u are so against "Families running Pakistan" why do you have "Bhutto" as your second name ? do you honestly believe this makes no difference?
Q3/- If Ms Khar "Says exactly the same thing that people have been saying before for the last 30 years". What new you bring to the table ? (Criticism isn't new)
I really cannot differentiate between the Two Ladies, they seem to have more in common then not. Same background, same privilaged family, both from ruling elite families. etc. Do these ladies have in them what it takes to lead and share the pains of the majority. But if I had to make a choice it would be Fatima. You Fatima can go far on your own but can you go far enough carrying 176 mil with you.
If there is a Bhutto I would vote for it is her. She is true game changer because she belongs to a dynasty and she is shunning it.
No need to slam. Hina is a doing a great job!
Is this an Article, or even News for that matter?
Fatima Bhutto is a highly learned person, and whatever she says, is of heavy weightage. I am with her!
mango people are running Pakistan, and not some elite Chaudhries or Sayyen or Khans!This ain't slamming. Its resistance.
Does she ever has anything good to do than to criticize Pakistanis on International media/forums. Shes really pessimistic in my opinion, and to be honest I haven't heard anything good coming out from her mouth about Pakistan! :/
Why is Ms. Bhutto bringing this up at this point? We are all painfully aware that Pakistan excludes the average Joe from almost all facets of social uplift, and had Ms. Bhutto been in a position of power (and more privilige than she is now), she too would have perpetuated this system. Where does her political and financial support come from?
There is no doubt that Ms. Khar is clearly representative of the ruling classes and has been fortunate to have an enabling hand direct her into various influential roles. And yes, she has yet to prove her leadership qualities (as do so many other bozos that control Pakistan). However, kudos to her for her handling of the press during her visit to the USA. Many expected the likes of Fareed Zakaria to maul her, and wished Sherry Rehman or Maleeha Lodhi were here instead, but Ms. Khar's came prepared and did a great job. Certainly a much better performance than some of our other representatives.
Ms. Bhutto speaks of ideas, but hasn't given us any of hers either. When will she present a comprehensive, workable solution instead of complaining like the rest of us.
“Making someone like Khar foreign minister sends a message especially to young people that the only way into politics in Pakistan is through families – and for a country of 180 million people that’s a really rotten thing to tell them.”
Fatima Bhutto: You are also the grand daughter of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and belongs to one of the political families and you are also in politics.
What do you want you to say about yourself?
Don’t you think that it the right time now to handover the government to middle class people to serve the country?
Tribune really needs to work on its headlines. I mean seriously, this is slamming? This is a point of view that a lot of people share & Ms Bhutto didn't indulge in any personal attacks. Everyone's entitled to their opinion and Tribune needs to stop trying to provoke friction just for the heck of it.
Cat fight - ouch!
It's not exactly "slamming", but thanks for adding the masala. It will surely attract more readers.
And I couldn't agree more with Fatima. She's absolutely right.
Pot calling the kettle black....
dear F ok we heard you now what? give the woman a chance to show her true colors let her get warm in the chair. Nobody really cares if HRK is a man woman or a robot. Just let her get the work done take Pakistan out of the darkness.
fatima, your feudal credentials/ancestry aside, you are a beacon of fresh ideas and a great hope for a future democratic Pakistan. i understand you will never accept political ascendancy just because you are one of bhuttos. i remember your critique of your phoophi, benazir. and that makes me believe in you as a visionary leader.
This holds some promise for a wonderful cat fight.
By the way, there's a minor mistake. It should be toeing the line.
She`s right. Absolutely Right.
Hina is repeating what all the former FM`s have been saying. Nothing new.
& the Dynasty part. Once again she
s right. But this dynasty thing happens very commonly in Asia & Middle East. The slave culture does exist. In India, you have the Gandhi Family, in Bangladesh, its the same. In Middle East, the Monarchys rule.Our slave culture continues.
is this what we call slamming? thank you tribune for teaching us how to slam each other.
Hell hath no Fury like a woman scorned !
Dont be a hater Fatima ! Your last name is also the reason you are being interviewed !
HRK the niece of Ghulam Mustapha Khar did not campaign to win her NA seat instead her father fought her campaign and ensured that she was bequeathed her seat.This is what passes for democracy in Pakistan today.But then again she comes from a party where its two co-chairman (Zardari & Bilawal) achieved office because it was written in the "will" of BB.
A once proud,progressive & democartic party is handed down as if it is a family heirloom.
Fatima Bhutto is absolutely correct in her analysis!!
And I can hear what you are saying Fatima, exactly the same that ordinary people like us have been saying before the last several years. I am not trying to criticise, I am only saying that influential people, like yourself, who do realise what the actual problem is are not really doing anything about it!
Is this just sour grapes then?