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Liked It1 of 1 members found this review helpful “This was an amazing biography. I was never really aware of the injustices and trials over in Pakistan until I read this book. It was very difficult to read at times because of the political jargon but was an excellent view into the politics of Pakistan and the constant battle that has gone on...” see full review » see other reviews » |
Didn’t Like It “I read and re-read ‘Daughter of the East’ the autobiography of Benazir Bhutto. The book should actually be titled Liar of the East. |
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“The book does not make an interesting read because it has too much detail.The narrative is very slow.As far as Benazir is concerned, I don't know if she worked for the good of Pakistan or not, but I can assure you she is no ordinary woman.She is a woman with lot of guts.The torture she has undergone is unimaginable.I give a thumbs up for her and a thumbs down for her book. ”
priya c wrote this review Wednesday, November 25 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“Sometimes I don't like reading autobiographies b/c I feel the author is boastful. But Benazir had a very interesting life and it was also educational to learn about Pakistan's tumultuous political history. I can't say I understand her choices to risk everything and give up so much for a political movement. Had I been in that family I think I would have been more like her sister, the only one who tried to stay out of politics! ”
Jessica F wrote this review Saturday, September 26 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Amazing "book end" to 5000 Year Leap. Makes you really appreciate what freedoms we have here in America”
Kelly C wrote this review Tuesday, August 25 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“I read and re-read ‘Daughter of the East’ the autobiography of Benazir Bhutto. The book should actually be titled Liar of the East.
SowjanyaArun wrote this review Monday, March 23 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
In the Foreword she writes, “I did not choose Life, Life choose me”. Meaning she did not voluntarily opt for this career in politics. As per this book, she has two younger brothers, and a sister: Sanam Bhutto. Sanam choose to marry a rich Pakistani businessman (Nazeer). Sanam soon realizes that life in Pakistan is tough because the Bhutto family has many enemies. Her businessman husband agrees with her and they shift lock stock and barrel to England. Sanam continues to lead the life of an ordinary housewife to this day in the UK. She has kept herself away from Pakistan and politics. Come to think of it Benazir Bhutto could have done exactly the same thing. But She grittily stayed on in Pakistan and voluntarily decided to keep the PPP alive. And like a bollywood heroine who says, “I accidentally became a heroine”, she hypocritically says “This life choose me”.
The first chapter begins with the details of her father’s (Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s) execution. She describes in detail, how she felt her father’s ‘soul’ roaming in her cell after he was hanged. She berates the Pakistani Courts for not upholding Justice. She says lawyers and judges are all completely corrupt and puppets in the hands of Zia-ul-Haq.
Of course she repeatedly claims that she kept the PPP alive to ‘fulfill her father’s dream’ of a ‘modern and powerful Pakistan’. She narrates a story. A British surveyor was surveying the lands and making a map-report. He asked the driver “Whose lands are these??”. The driver replied “Bhutto lands”. Two hours later the Britisher asked “Whose lands are these??”. The driver replied, “Bhutto lands”. The Britisher said, “I am going to take a nap. Wake me up when we are OFF Bhutto lands”. Many hours later he woke-up on his own and asked, “Whose lands are these???”. The driver replied, “Bhutto lands”. So you see, Benazir Bhutto was, by birth, one of the richest woman in Asia. She could have used her wealth to start schools, hospitals, colleges, vocational centers… anything. She could have easily ‘Served the People of Pakistan’ WITHOUT entering politics.
There are a lot of inconsistencies in the book. She clearly states that she knew of the marriages of her two brothers: Shah Nawaz Bhutto and Mir Murtaza Bhutto who were married to two Afghani sisters Rehana and Fouzia. She was under house arrest and hence did not attend their wedding but sent them a message of good wishes and congratulations.
30 pages later she says She NEVER knew where her brothers were and what they were up-to. She claims that it was on the day of the hijack of the Pan-Am aircraft that she came to know of the existence of AL ZULFIKAR. She writes that she came to know that her brothers were behind the hijack only after they gave an interview to a news-channel. She claims that she was completely ignorant of the establishment and recruitment of members into this Militant organization.
She has devoted a whole chapter to the murder of her brother Shah Nawaz Bhutto. (He was murdered / committed suicide when the entire Bhutto family was vacationing in France). She describes in detail all of his domestic quarrels with his wife Rehana, which she claims her brother discussed intimately with her. She also takes credit for having ‘braved the torture of Zia’ to bury Shah Nawaz Bhutto next to his father at the ancestral cemetery in Garhi Khuda Baksh.
However the death of her brother Mir Murtaza Bhutto is mentioned in the passing only in two lines. She simply writes, “Tragedy struck the family once again when Mir Murtaza was killed in a Police Shoot out in Lahore”. No reasons, no details and definitely no mention of any conspiracy. Even in yesterday’s newspaper Mir Murtaza Bhutto’s only daughter Fatima Bhutto has repeated her allegation that Benazir Bhutto had had her father killed. (OF course Fatima is now more famous for dating George Clooney).
She claims that election that were held immediately after the death of Zia-ul-haq were free and fair. (The PPP came to power, she became the first Woman PM of Pakistan). However she claims that, three years later the elections were completely rigged, names of lakhs of voters were taken off the voters list and PPP supporters were stopped from reaching the polling stations. She lost the elections and the PPP had to sit in the opposition benches. In short the elections are fair if she comes to power and elections are rigged if PPP looses.
But by far the best story is that of her conversation with General Pervez Musshraff. He was the chief of Army Staff and Intelligence during her second tenure as PM. She says he invited her to Siachen for a Military Briefing. He went on to tell her the Pakistani Army was ‘fully prepared’ for a war and ‘3000 mujahiddin’ had agreed to help the Paki army. The 3000 Mujahiddin had already ‘given-up’ their lives for the Kashmiri Cause. All that was required was a NOD of ASSENT from Begum Bhutto and ‘inshallah: the flag of Pakistan would flutter on Srinagar’. But rather than moving her head ‘up to down’ she moved her head ‘left to right’ and refused to give permission, there-by averting a major war. And if at all Kashmir is still with India today it’s because Begum Bhutto shook her head in dissent instead of assent. She really wants us to believe that the Pakistani Army obeys a democratically elected woman PM.
The same goes for the 1971 Bangladeshi uprising, during which she was studying Harvard University in USA. She says that East Pakistan was ‘incited and encouraged and supported by India’. Pakistan did its best to keep the union of Pakistan States intact but India was soo cunning and soo scheming that India succeeded in dividing Pakistan. It was not at all a struggle for freedom on the part of the Bangladeshis as the world media was made to believe. However, the Kashmiri people are fighting for ‘Freedom’ and Pakistan is not involved in any way. So if somebody revolts against Pakistan they are being incited by India, if somebody raises against India, they are fighting a genuine ‘Freedom Movement’.
Very very very little is written about what she did to actually improve the country during her two tenures as PM. Of the 450 odd pages, the first 400 pages are devoted to her glorification and suffering under the regime of Zia and later Pervez Mussharraf. She has just scribbled something about her years in Office (both tenures included) in the last 50 pages. Obviously she did not have much to write about herself on this aspect…..
Some of the episodes are taken straight out of a Hindi movie. Like the cake being poisoned. Fortunately Dog eats the cake first and dies immediately.( Namak Halal If I remember correctly… the dog eats the cake and dies instead of Shashi Kapoor), Her brother bends to pick up a pen / hanky and a bullet whizzed above his head. Had he not bent down, the bullet would have caught him… ( Trishul… Amitabh bends down to pick up a hanky and a bullet zooms right above his head)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A bumblebee flew towards her and bit her causing her immense pain and swelling and lo behold! Asif Zardari appeared and soothed away her pain. (Abhijnana Shakuntala….. Shakuntala and Dushyanth met when a bee bit her and Dushyanth chased the bee away and soothed Shakuntala….. have not yet figured out why and where Benazir read Kalidas!!!!!) The list can go on……
She also writes that she ‘Set a very good example for all the Pakistani brides’ by wearing ‘glass bangles along with gold bangles’ at the time of her Nikaah. She regrettably writes that the number of children was restricted to three (A son and two daughters) because Asif Ali Zardari was unjustly arrested and imprisoned for six years. According to her the only crime Asif Zadari (known thru-out Pakistan as Mr. ten Percent) committed was to ‘Love me selflessly’. He was behind bars for six years. His innocence was proved when the Lahore High Court acquitted him for lack of evidence. So you see, the same courts are Terrible + Horrible when her father was sentenced to death. The same Courts ‘Uphold Justice’ when her husband (Mr. 10 percent) is allowed to go Scot free.
On the whole it is not a book worth reading. Moments of honesty are few and far between. She is too much of a Narcissi.
”1 of 1 members found this review helpful“This was an amazing biography. I was never really aware of the injustices and trials over in Pakistan until I read this book. It was very difficult to read at times because of the political jargon but was an excellent view into the politics of Pakistan and the constant battle that has gone on for decades. Benazir is a role model for peace and it is a shame she had such a tragic end.”
Kayla Dixon wrote this review Wednesday, November 12 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
1 of 1 members found this review helpful“This was a great book, pretty easy to read for an autobiography too. It gives you a pretty good overview of the state of Pakistan over the last 50 or so years. She does get a little preachy at the end but it is def worth a read.”
Mariele W wrote this review Wednesday, July 2 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
1 of 1 members found this review helpful“The story of Benazar Bhutto is quite moving. She was raised by her parents to stand tall in her beliefs, wield her intelligence, and remain unbowed in her honor. I wish people could learn from her personal sacrifices and make our world a safer, kinder and more fair place.”
She wrote this review Monday, March 31 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No1 of 1 members found this review helpful“ So far, I can honestly say that this is the best book i have ever read!! It has such heart-breaking, devastating and shocking realities. This book shows the courage, commitment and the spirit of the pakistani people. Unfortunately, this book also reminds us how far people are willing to go for power, greed and position. Iam inspired by people like Benazir Bhutto, that have such strong moral and ethical beliefs and are willing to sacrifice their lives in order to bring democaracy and justice back to the people of Pakistan.”
saman i wrote this review Wednesday, January 30 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
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