News Desk
First Lady of Pakistan and MNA, Bibi Aseefa Bhutto Zardari has paid tribute to her grandmother, Begum Nusrat Bhutto, on her 15th death anniversary, remembering her as “Madar-e-Jamhooriat” (Mother of Democracy) whose courage, compassion and strength continue to inspire. In a message on the occasion, she said she remembered her grandmother with a heart full of love, pride and longing. She said Begum Nusrat Bhutto endured more pain than any mother should have to bear, losing her husband, Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, her sons, Shaheed Mir Murtaza Bhutto and Shaheed Shahnawaz Bhutto, and her daughter, Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto. Despite these immense losses, she remained steadfast in her principles and her belief in the people of Pakistan. “Her life taught us that courage is not the absence of pain, but the determination to stand firm despite it,” she said. The First Lady noted that Begum Nusrat Bhutto played a leading role in the struggle for the restoration of democracy during one of the most difficult periods in the country’s history. She faced repeated arrests, detention and physical violence under military rule, and was injured in a police baton charge at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium on December 16, 1977. She said these experiences did not silence her, and that she stood with the people even at heavy personal cost. Asifa Bhutto Zardari said her grandmother’s courage was also reflected in the way she supported and guided Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, who went on to lead Pakistan. Together, she said, they showed that women could shape the course of history, challenge injustice and take on the highest responsibilities of public life. Remembering her grandmother, she said, was both a personal act of love and a reminder of the responsibility that came with her legacy. Her example, she said, speaks directly to the young women and girls of Pakistan. “I want every girl, whether she lives in a village, a small town or a large city, to know that her aspirations matter,” she said. She added that every girl deserved the opportunity to receive an education, develop her abilities, speak with confidence and help shape her own future, and that no girl should be made to believe her ambitions were beyond her reach simply because of her gender. Fifteen years on, she said, the passage of time had not diminished what Begum Nusrat Bhutto meant to the family or what her life represented to the country. “I miss her, just as I miss my mother,” she said, adding that she found strength in the values they lived by. She said the legacy of Begum Nusrat Bhutto lived on in the courage of women who stand up for their beliefs, in girls who pursue education against the odds, and in everyone working for a Pakistan where people could live with freedom, opportunity and respect. She prayed that Almighty Allah grant the late Begum Nusrat Bhutto the highest place in Jannah, and that her life continue to guide and inspire the nation.