Daughter of the East: An Autobiography (Benazir Bhutto)

Her captivating face holds your attention—she looks dynamic and beautiful in the traditional veil and the trademark red lipstick. She has always had that assertive no nonsense look about her. Lauded as a suave politician and the epitome of the modern Muslim woman, she is progressive while being rooted in her traditions.

The gruesome scenes of the fateful day were flashed intermittently on all TV channels and the assassination was widely written about. The media did an effective job of bringing the assassination of Benazir Bhutto to everyone’s living rooms on December 22, 2007 and one couldn’t help but cringe on seeing the blurry pictures of the well-planned and foolproof assassination. I found myself wondering if it would have been wiser if the exiled Bhutto had chosen the easy path of just staying away. She, however, chose to come back despite the hostility of General Musharraf.

As it usually happens, praises were now being showered on Benazir Bhutto and that too, from the most unlikely sources. Of course, there is vociferous support for her ideology, as is customary after an untimely death. But what was Pakistan’s former prime minister like and what was her struggle about? Were her beliefs so radical and was she really the promising politician and brilliant orator she is now made out to be?

I picked up The Daughter of the East after getting overdosed with trivia from the Internet. Yes, everyone was googling 'Benazir Bhutto' to find out more about this Oxford alumnus—some out of curiosity and even others, out of voyeurism.

The autobiography, that was first released in 1989, chronicles quite well Bhutto’s eventful life, her father’s assassination, her five-year imprisonment and her term as the Prime Minister of Pakistan quite well. It was updated in 2007 and a new preface was added. A new picture of her, in the traditional veil, was included on the cover, to go with the new title. Was this a well-planned strategy, timed just right—before her return?

Hailing from a wealthy, aristocratic family, Bhutto’s childhood was spent amongst the elite. This first-born enjoyed privileges typical of rich, aristocratic families. She studied at Radcliffe and later went to Oxford.

The autobiography is definitely good in parts and the narrative is particularly excellent. Bhutto was only 23 when her father was killed, after which she was imprisoned for five years. The book dwells on this tragic loss and most readers will empathize with her on reading about her harrowing experience in jail. She is eloquent and writes stirringly of the PPP. Bhutto first came to power after Zia ul Haq, her father’s murderer, died in a plane crash. It is till here that the book is excellent in its overall readability.

Quite predictably, from here on, it fails to explore her challenges as a prime minister nor does it comment on the failures and disappointments. Her political challenges, her being sacked for misrule and corruption, her work with the PPP etc. are not elaborated on. She was also sacked twice as prime minister. Bhutto does very little justice to this significant part of her life. Almost the entire book is devoted to the first 35 years of her life. Bhutto, who was a mother of three, was once considered among the most powerful women. She was Pakistan’s ray of hope. But her tale, which actually comprises political disappointments, is watered down in the book.

However, her role as an icon for Islamic women is unchallenged. She performed this function with determination and finesse. She states in the book, that Muslim women have made great strides after she became prime minister. She also considered it commendable that a Muslim woman could be elected as prime minister and could even receive support from a male-dominated culture.

Maybe it would be unjust to say that the book was released as a part of a bigger strategy, but one could say that it does not present a balanced view of the political state of the country. Much of the book glorifies her father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, and she describes his term as a glorious time. The exiled leader of the PPP is not entirely neutral and tends to portray her family as the victims. She glorifies her family with such child-like innocence that several times, the book seems beyond the realm of credibility. Her account of personal tragedies is sympathy-evoking, but by no means is her description of the political scene completely accurate. Also reduced to just a brief mention, is her husband’s corruption charge.

Bhutto chose to focus more on her introspective journey as a Muslim woman. She is able to translate her sense of personal loss on to paper very effectively. Despite the lack of balance, the book is not only readable but also engaging. Although it is not completely informative of Pakistan’s political chaos and the dynamics of the political parties, it can certainly be treated as a personal account of Pakistan’s first woman prime minister.

Read it as a personal and slightly colored tale of Benazir Bhutto's youth and career. The book is recommended for those who wish to acquaint themselves better with the tragedies she had to suffer.

Author: Benazir Bhutto
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 1-8473-7075-4
Format: Paperback
First Published in 1989 and updated in 2007