It was taken as a light joke when a senior political analyst, a few weeks back, remarked that the former prime minister and PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto could not stand on her statements for more than a week. I was one of those scores of people who did not take the remarks seriously. But if one goes through some past statements of Ms Bhutto and her present stand on them, one would be startled to know that the analyst was true.  Let’s begin with her statement that “General Musharraf is a dictator, and I will never negotiate with a dictator”.
A principled stand which was commended by every democratic person in the country. But what happened after a few weeks? Her meeting with that dictator, whom she didn’t even consider to negotiate with, stunned the nation, particularly the PPP workers who are democratic and anti-dictatorship in nature.  Very briefly, events after events led to a notorious National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) giving immunity to corruption-tainted Ms Bhutto and several other politicians and bureaucrats charged with corruption of billion of rupees.  “I cannot sit with the Mullah Military Alliance (MMA) at any forum because I don’t trust them.” Another rigid and untimely stand taken by Ms Bhutto at a time when former prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was running from pillar to post to unite the scattered opposition on one point agenda i.e. to oust the military regime.  He tried his level best to persuade Ms Bhutto to attend an All Parties Conference convened by him in London in July last but she outrightly refused to sit with the MMA, which according to her was coalition partner of Gen (retd) Musharraf.  However, this time too, the people did not have to wait for long. Ms Bhutto a few days back confirmed that seat adjustment with Maulana Fazlur Rehman is very much possible, and talks in this regard are on.  One should laugh or cry on this joke? Benazir Bhutto, on one hand you were at an extreme that you were not ready to even sit with him, and now you are ready to adjust seats with these “extremists”, “army touts”, and “pro-Taliban”.
 Move forward. The day the embattling Musharraf imposed state of emergency in the country, suspending various civil rights, sacking supreme and high court judges, and arresting thousands of political workers, lawyers, and human right activists, Ms Bhutto announced, “Now, Musharraf is not acceptable to us whether in uniform or without uniform”.  But here too, she could not stand on her statement for more than a week. The day Musharraf announced that he would shed his military uniform before November 15, Ms Bhutto started melting.  Now her stand is, “He has stepped down as army chief which is a good omen. Now, we can negotiate with him because he is moving ahead towards democracy”.  The biggest surprise was that she gave to the nation last week. The people of Pakistan remember that a few days after imposition of emergency, Ms Bhutto led a protest demonstration outside the besieged residence of Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, and announced “My chief justice is still Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry. We do not accept the coup against judiciary. All the sacked judges must be restored otherwise there would be no talks with Musharraf”.  Again she took a week to take another U-turn, but not before she paid a surprise visit to Dubai. Officially, she went to see her children, but insiders know that she went there for more bargaining.  Her bargain visit turned out to be successful, as she, soon after air dashing back to the country, changed her stand on the issue of sacked judges. What she said last week at a press conference at her sprawling residence, Bilawal House, was a hammer blow. 
“I do not support the reinstatement of the judges, but I support the restoration of judiciary. Who says the judiciary was independent before November 3? No not at all. They were the same judges who validated the rigged general and local bodies polls. They were the same judges who did not take any suo motu notice on the exile of the two former prime ministers”.  Ms Bhutto’s face was expressionless when those words were emanating from her mouth. Wearing a pair of costly glasses, and with a “lifted  face” ( which was the outcome of her Dubai visit), Ms Bhutto dodged a question when she was asked by weekly Pulse correspondent that whether she still recognized Justice Chaudhry as chief justice of Pakistan.  “I respect him. I want him to be released. I want his pension to be restored. I don’t want to say anything more,” she said giving a clear message to the detained judges.  “If judges want to do politics then they should form their own party. I can’t boycott the polls on their desire,” Ms Bhutto said, adding that personalities are not important.  PPP sources told weekly Pulse that Ms Bhutto was very much aware of the imposition of state of emergency.
 Her departure for Dubai a day before imposition of emergency was planned.  The sources allege that Ms Bhutto harbours a personal grudge against Justice Chaudhry who took suo motu notice of the NRO. “How can she support the demand of his reinstatement. If he is back, Benazir Bhutto will be in trouble. He doesn’t suit her in any case,” a PPP leader said.  Besides many other similarities, here is another similarity between Musharraf and Benazir i.e. sacked judges will not be reinstated in any case.  Salute! To the PPP workers who are and will blindly support Ms Bhutto, paying the debt of the sacrifice of her father. And Prayers for Ms Bhutto! Who knows the fact very well that she can still exploit the sacrifice of her father at the cost of her poor workers.