Tale of the other Bilawal

Martyr’s family laments false claims and unfulfilled promises

ISLAMABAD: Born two weeks after his father’s death in the Liaquat Bagh bomb blast in 2007, this Bilawal is nothing like his namesake, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

Muhammad Bashir, a PPP Jiyala, was among the two dozen people who died in the bomb blast at Liaquat Bagh in Rawalpindi on December 27, 2007 that also took the life of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.



Named after the then new PPP chairman, Bilawal Bashir turns 10 next month. He lives in the Gharibabad area of Rawalpindi with his mother, Shirin Bibi, and sister Iqra.

Despite the towering claims of the party time and again of supporting the family of the martyr, the Bashirs are struggling to make ends meet. Bibi is working hard to provide her children good education. “The PPP was quick to make commitments but these are yet to be materialised,” Bibi shared with The Express Tribune.



Bibi said all she was given by the party was a piece of paper that promised ‘Allotment of Awami Villa’ in a renowned housing society. The ‘allotment’ turned to be a hoax, as there is no villa nor even a quarter on the ground in her name.

Muhammad Bashir was a retired army man. He eked out his pension by working as property agent in Rawalpindi. But now, the only source of income for the family is the pension while the PPP is yet to do anything for the family.



Speaking about Bashir’s affiliation with the PPP, Bibi said he was a staunch supporter and worker of the party. He used to hoist the PPP flag at his house despite the fact that most of the neighbourhood supported other parties.

“It’s 10 years since Bashir was last seen by the family leaving their home. “Bashir didn’t return home on December 27 and on the next day I learnt that he was also killed in the bomb blast,” Bibi said, recalling her traumatic memories, which still haunt the family. “I was sick and could not see him. His body was taken straightaway to his native village near Muzaffarabad for burial,” she said.

“I have learnt that some women were given houses by the party who lost their husbands in the incident but my children and I have spent 10 years on false hopes and failed promises,” Bibi added.

On multiple occasions, Bibi continued, she applied for support from the Benazir Income Support programme. I need financial security,” she said, adding that she only wants the ‘Roti, Kapra and Makan’ -- the PPP’s promise.