San Francisco Frontiers - Bhutto heir forging third way in polarised Pakistan politics

The emblem of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) he inherited from his mother Benazir Bhutto -- assassinated in 2007 -- symbolises "the self-respecting", "the trustworthy" and "victory", he told followers crammed in a rain-slick park.

"We are promising to end the traditional politics of hatred and division, and appealing to the people of Pakistan to choose a new way of thinking," he told AFP, presiding from a wooden throne over a campaign slated to finish third when ballots are cast on February 8.

"We accept that people have different points of view. But that doesn't mean that you have to develop a personal animosity," he said in northwestern Bat Khela city -- 130 kilometres (80 miles) from Pakistan's capital, Islamabad.

- 'Vendetta' election -

Around 127 million are eligible to vote in a fractious poll many analysts describe as heavily influenced by the military, who directly ruled Pakistan for decades and continue to act as political kingmakers.

Popular former prime minister Imran Khan is in jail, barred from standing, and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party has been hamstrung by a crackdown since he mounted a campaign of confrontation against the top brass.

Three-time former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, meanwhile, returned from self-imposed exile and saw a myriad convictions evaporate -- a sign his party has been anointed by the generals to lead the next government.

With each side decrying the other as traitors, Bhutto Zardari is trying to position himself as a moderate outside the melee -- pledging truth and reconciliation, release of political prisoners and an end to "the politics of vendetta".

"Until we develop fundamental rules of the game, or a code of conduct for how politics should be done in this country, then we'll keep facing problems," he said.

Pakistan is enjoying one of its longest period without direct army rule, but analysts say the military has been again intervening in civilian affairs at unprecedented levels in recent years.

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto -- Bilawal's grandfather and Pakistan's ninth prime minister -- was deposed by an army coup and hanged in 1979.

"The influence of the military establishment is something that is a reality in Pakistan", the 35-year-old grandson said.

But, "if the politicians get their house in order", he believes the generals will retire to their barracks.

- A reformist scion -

The dynastic PPP and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) parties have historically held a duopoly on power since Pakistan's 1947 founding.

While cricket star Khan benefited from military backing when his PTI party surged to power in 2018, his rise was also seen as a sea change by the youth bucking a tradition of dynastic politics.

Holding forth to followers, the millennial Bhutto Zardari stood at a podium plastered with the image of his mother Benazir -- the first woman prime minister of a Muslim nation, who was killed by a bomb blast as she campaigned for elections.

Bhutto Zardari was groomed for leadership after her death, but he sees no contradiction in being a privileged scion while also casting himself as a reformist.

"The people of Pakistan don't see me as part of a dynastic movement, they see me as part of a tradition of a democratic movement," he insists.

Polling suggests the democratic movement is unlikely to carry him to office, with a December Gallup Pakistan survey putting him about 20 points behind both rivals in approval ratings.

Limited support outside their powerbase southern Sindh province also suggests they are in danger of being relegated to a regional party.

PPP's last leadership stint started in 2008 -- considered a sympathy vote after Benazir's assassination.

More recently Bilawal Bhutto acted as foreign minister, with PPP the junior partner in a PML-N headed coalition which ousted Khan.

"It's very difficult to say that I would enter a coalition with Mr. Sharif's party again," Bhutto Zardari said, describing his dynastic rival as a willing combatant with Khan in zero-sum politics decaying the discourse.

"While I'm sure that there will be questions about how free and fair the elections are, I'm hoping to take an approach that is not as divisive, that is not 'It's my way or the highway.'"

N.Flores--SFF