Arte - The Bhutto Saga Politics in the Blood (2011)
For forty years, whether in power or as members of the opposition, the Bhutto family played a pivotal role in Pakistan's violently turbulent politics. As its first democratically-elected leader Zulfikar Bhutto wrote the nation's constitution, but was deposed by coup and executed in 1979. His children endured years of imprisonment and exile until daughter Benazir returned to Pakistan, and at just 35 years of age, became the first woman to run a Muslim country. Her assassination, in 2007, as she was campaigning to win power for the third time, made her an icon throughout the world. Her extraordinary destiny was the result of an agitated and fury-filled history - that of the Bhutto clan. For forty years, whether in power or constituting the opposition, the Bhuttos have always been at the forefront of politics, but have paid the price for it. Benazir Bhutto's father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, was the country's first leader to be elected democratically, and was hanged. He had four children. Only his daughter Sanam, who has always refused to enter politics is still alive. His three other children died violent deaths. The Bhutto dynasty is not well known, but can be compared to the legacy of the Gandhis or Kennedys. Like these families, the Bhutto history is marked by secrecy, curse, and death. Every Bhutto to enter into the world of politics has met a tragic and untimely end, forever scarring the history of the young nation of Pakistan. This program provides a biography of the Bhuttos, focusing on Benazir's rise to power and the challenges of the three terms she spent as prime minister until her assassination in 2007. More than the tormented history of a young nation, this documentary is a Greek tragedy fuelled by political atavism. In Pakistan, assassination is the continuation of politics by other means.
Full Version Available Upon Request
Related Documentary