Women’s World Award named after Benazir

 

VIENNA, Austria: Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Chairman, Pakistan Peoples Party, was the main attraction at the prestigious Women’s World Award when he presented ‘Benazir Bhutto Tolerance Award’ to internationally renowned actress Claudia Cardinale, who has devoted her life for the betterment of women the world over.

 

The Italian actress was one of the 12 famous women social and human rights leaders to receive Women’s World Award. Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto had received Women’s Tolerance Award in 2005. It may be mentioned that Women’s World award was renamed after martyred Pakistani Prime Minister Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto as the most outstanding world leader who had lived and died for global peace, democracy, tolerance and empowerment of the underprivileged including women.

 

The twelve categories included Life Time Achievement award, World Hope Award, World Style Award and World Tolerance Award. When the organisers announced renaming of the award after Benazir Bhutto the 2000‑strong audience welcomed it with thunderous clapping.

 

The award ceremony attended by over 2,000 great names in various walks of life was held at Vienna’s state of the art auditorium Stendhal F. Bilawal was accompanied by his aunt Ms Sanam Bhutto and Pakistan’s High Commissioner to UK, Wajid Shamsul Hasan.

 

In his speech before presenting the World Women’s Tolerance Award, Bilawal thanked the organisers of the award ceremony for the recognition given to his great mother by renaming the Women’s Tolerance Award as Benazir Bhutto Tolerance Award who had lived and struggled all her life for the emancipation of the less privileged and establishment of an egalitarian socio‑economic order.

 

“In the year since her assassination, I have been gratified to hear time and again of the tremendous respect and admiration which she had, not only as a political leader in her own country but in the world. My mother was a political pioneer setting new precedents and making it easier for others to follow her footsteps.”

 

He told the distinguished audience that he was proud to be studying at Oxford since his illustrious mother was the first Asian woman to be elected President of the prestigious debating society of the Oxford University. Her portrait that still hangs in the debating chamber is a manifestation of the recognition of her election in 1988 as the first female prime minister of a Muslim county. “As Prime Minister she was a role model, always encouraging others to reach the top of their profession. Her dream like that of my grandfather, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, was to create a society where people did not live in hunger and humiliation. And she went about her work in a spirit of tolerance, knowing that, however different we might be, we all have talents and abilities.”

 

Referring to Pakistan in the post‑Benazir Bhutto period, Bilawal told the audience that his father President Asif Ali Zardari and the Pakistan Peoples Party government, led by Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani is continuing her political mission for the alleviation of the sufferings of the masses, to give them hope and to surmount the piled up backlog of the problems left as the legacy of the past rulers.

 

“The problems that Pakistan faces at the moment are unprecedented. One news columnist has suggested that my father has “the hardest job in the world.” He reminded that the PPP government has inherited the backlog of years of political instability in the region. “The acts of terrorism in Pakistan are blight on our society and I am deeply shocked at the recent attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore. Underscoring troubled times that people are passing through in Pakistan, Bilawal urged the international community not to lose faith in people of Pakistan.

 

“We are a young nation striving to find our place in the world and

God‑willing we will fulfil my mother’s dream.” Thanking the organisers and galaxy of audience, he concluded:” By honouring my mother you are also honouring Pakistan”.

 

 

March 6, 2009