Bilawal is 19 years old, only a decade my junior, yet I cannot help but think of him as a child. I have always known him as one of Benazir’s three children, for whom she and I drove around London buying Buffy the Vampire Slayer comic books.

It was hard to know Benazir as a friend without being closely involved with her children and, given that I was nearer their age than hers, I often slipped into conversations with them about the latest films and books. I enjoyed those “family” days when I could play adult with Benazir, or Bibi as I grew to call her, but also enjoy hanging out with the children in the park.

Having recovered from the shock of hearing that Bibi was no more, my first thoughts were with the children on whom she doted. She often discussed Bilawal, Bakhtawar and Asifa with me, hoping that my proximity to their ages would enable her to understand them better. She was well aware that, despite being the leader of millions, there were times when her children just did not think her “cool” enough to understand their teenage predilections. But these times were rare: it was clear that they all adored her, particularly Bilawal.

I find it ironic that I became friends with Bibi when I was Bilawal’s age, though she was 25 years my senior. Nevertheless, when I heard that Bilawal would be her successor as chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), my first reaction was that he is too young to be plunged into party politics.

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BACKGROUND

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Earlier this year, when I met Bibi, I realised that Bilawal was growing up fast. She proudly announced that he was going up to Oxford, following in the family tradition. It was then she mentioned that Bilawal had shown a keen interest in politics.

I remember him as a shy, bespectacled teenager, often looking after his sisters. He was a film buff and I would struggle to choose a film that he had not seen when we all went to the cinema. Bibi was keen on reading and bought books by the boxful. But she was broadminded enough to realise that teenage tastes can vary. I remember one summer, we spent the entire afternoon at a comic book shop near Russell Square as Bilawal, with his sisters, completed their collection of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel comic books. Bibi patiently accompanied them.

Even with their highly unusual family circumstances, with mother as political leader and father in jail, the children were always polite to the crowds of visitors in their house. Bibi was particular about discipline and kept a watchful eye on the children’s manners. Despite her busy schedule, she tried to spend as much time as she could with them.

Bibi learnt a huge amount by her father’s side and wanted to do the same for her children. When I was an undergraduate, she made me sit with her during meetings and, as I grew up, my role changed from spectator to speaker. I saw her doing the same with Bilawal. There was no doubt that Bibi’s grooming of Bilawal had started, but there was still a long way to go.

After I graduated, Bibi and I would discuss the right age to enter in politics. She was well aware of the importance of a good education and a professional qualification. However, Bibi was pragmatic. She had been thrown into the world of Pakistani politics at a young age and believed in reacting to opportunities, which she said did not often knock twice.

In a way, Bibi saw herself in Bilawal, but without the disadvantage of her female gender in Pakistan. Bilawal resembles her and has spent more time with his mother than his father. The strong female influence hopefully will leave Bilawal with a progessive attitude towards his countrywomen. I can almost hear her saying that he will mature into a politician with time. Her father’s death pushed Bibi prematurely into a political career, and she rose to the occasion. However, it took her 30 years to come into her prime, with two terms as Prime Minister.

Bilawal has started his journey even earlier than his mother, who was a Harvard and Oxford graduate when she took the party’s rein. Even co-chairmanship of the PPP is a tall order for young Bilawal.

A fresher at Christ Church, he not only faces the pain of the loss of his mother but also the daunting task of surviving the dangerous world of Pakistani politics at a time when his contemporaries only have their first-year exams to worry about.

I hope he can be the superhero saviour like those in the comics he so loved, because nothing short of that will do in Pakistan’s present circumstances. But, for now, I hope Bilawal can seek refuge behind the walls of his Oxford college before he returns to fulfil his mother’s mission.

The author is a lawyer who was a friend of Benazir Bhutto

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