Bilawal tells media to repect his privacy at Oxford

LONDON: Young Bilawal Bhutto, thrust into the political spotlight by the recent assassination of his mother, handled a nosy world media with aplomb on Tuesday as he appealed for "privacy" when he resumes his studies as an undergraduate at Oxford University later this month.
     
In his first full press conference here since taking over as head of the Pakistan People's Party(PPP) last week, the 19-year-old son of former premier Benazir Bhutto criticised the lengths some journalists had gone to in tracking down his personal details, particularly on the social networking site 'Facebook.'
    
"When I am at Oxford I hope I can be left alone," the bespectacled teenager said looking relaxed after a tense start before the cameras.
     
Bilawal firmly rejected questions about the "undemocratic nature" of his PPP succession like a seasoned politician when he said "I do not claim to have any aspiration. I was called and I stepped up to do what I was asked to do."
    
"It wasn't handed on like some piece of family furniture. They asked me to do it and I did," said Bilawal showing traces of aggression.
    
The third generation scion of the Bhutto family also said the threat of violence did not stop him from taking over as party chief.
    
"How many Bhuttos can you kill? From every house a Bhutto will come," he said.
     
Bilawal said he had agreed to take over from his mother because "politics is in my blood." But he added "My experience is limited... I intend to learn."
     
"On behalf of my sisters in Dubai, I should also like to request you to respect their privacy," he said. Bhutto's two daughters--Aseefa and Bakhtawar--are residing in the Gulf Emirate.      

Acknowledging his "limited" political experience, he said his immediate priority was to continue his studies at Oxford where he has been for barely eight weeks.
     
"Unless I can finish my education and develop enough maturity, I recognise that I will never be in a position to have sufficient wisdom to enter the political arena.
      
"As you know one of my mother's greatest strengths was her education. She completed four years at Harvard and four in Oxford and there is no doubt that one of her many characteristics which people admired was her broad education and experience of the world," he said.
      
"At present my role as chairman is one into which I shall step gradually and carefully," he added.
      
Elaborating on his plea for privacy, Bilawal said "My mother was always very open with the press and I am only too willing to give time to talk to journalists and I should like to continue a good relationship but in moderation, not only for my own sake, but also for the sake of my fellow students at the college. I am perfectly prepared to schedule press conferences such as this but when I am at Oxford, I hope that I can be left alone.
     
He said it was not possible to accept numerous requests for exclusive interviews and thanked the press for coverage of his mother, whom he described as a "world figure".
    
In his opening statement he himself raised the question "Why have I become chairman of the Pakistan People's Party founded by my grandfather 40 years ago?
    
Giving an anwser, he said this is because it was recognised at this moment of crisis the party needed a close association with my mother through the bloodline.
    
Also,he said, it was important to give hope to the new generation of Pakistanis who were not looking just at these elections but beyond.      

"To those of you who consider it odd that 19-year-old should assume such a position as the chairmanship of a political party, my response is as follows: my position was based on the collective will of the party," he said.
       
He also urged the media to accept that for the greater good of the party, the continuity of his family's involvement was considered best.
       
On the privacy issue, Bilawal said "I have been distressed by the length journalists have gone to access comments about me on the social networking site Facebook. As you will know by now, several duplicate profiles exist in my name and so I am sure your investigative skills would have determined which are true and which are false."