Benazir Bhutto - SZABIST
Benazir Bhutto - SZABIST
Benazir Bhutto - SZABIST
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
Her march into history<br />
Adnan Gill<br />
OPEN a newspaper or tune in a news channel and odds of Pakistan being in the headlines are at least<br />
50-50. But Dec 27, 2007, would sadly be immortalised in the annals of history.<br />
It is the day when the leader of Pakistan’s largest political party, <strong>Benazir</strong> <strong>Bhutto</strong>, was assassinated.<br />
Despite the fact that Ms <strong>Bhutto</strong> was not a sitting prime minister, her assassination would be<br />
remembered as an event that shook the world, just like the assassination of US President John F.<br />
Kennedy did decades ago.<br />
Who is to be blamed for her brutal assassination would be debated for a long time, but there is little<br />
doubt that her untimely death will shake the foundations of Pakistan. The gravity and the magnitude of<br />
the tragedy could be judged from the fact that virtually every single news media outlet was<br />
exclusively focused on her assassination. The news of her death triggered the sell offs on the Wall<br />
Street, dipping the stocks deep into negative territory. In impromptu press conferences world leaders<br />
like the US President Bush and UN General Secretary Ban Ki-Moon did not lose a moment in<br />
condemning her assassination.<br />
It would be hard to imagine how the Musharraf government could have had any role in Ms <strong>Bhutto</strong>’s<br />
assassination; because even a person with marginal intelligence could foresee how even a hint of the<br />
government’s complicity in the crime would spell the end of Musharraf’s rule. And still, at minimum,<br />
Ms <strong>Bhutto</strong>’s assassination will write the final chapter of Musharraf’s rule.<br />
<strong>Benazir</strong> <strong>Bhutto</strong> was the daughter of Pakistan’s first-elected Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali <strong>Bhutto</strong>. Media<br />
savvy Ms <strong>Bhutto</strong> was considered to be a contemporary political genius rivalling the likes of President<br />
Bill Clinton. Outside the political arena, Ms <strong>Bhutto</strong> was widely believed to be a devout mother and a<br />
sincere wife. Regardless of one’s political differences, millions upon millions of Pakistanis revered the<br />
daughter of Pakistan for the distinction of becoming the first ever female prime minister of a maledominated<br />
Muslim country. One can criticise her for the way she ran her governments in her two<br />
terms, but one cannot deny her invaluable services in strengthening the roots of democracy in<br />
Pakistan. She proved her resolve by courageously standing her ground in the face of not one but two<br />
military dictators. There is hardly any doubt that had she lived long enough, she would have swept the<br />
Pakistani elections, but her untimely exit at the verge of political victory over a military dictator will<br />
earn her political immortality. History will see to it that <strong>Benazir</strong> <strong>Bhutto</strong>’s name will be written<br />
alongside the names of political giants like Sir Winston Churchill and John F. Kennedy.<br />
I may add here on a personal note that I have been a hard-hitting critic of <strong>Benazir</strong> <strong>Bhutto</strong>’s party and<br />
her political career. But I believe in defeating or marginalising a politician through votes or<br />
arguments, and not through violence or the cowardly act of suicide bombing. The only time I spoke<br />
directly to her was on CNN’s Larry King Live show in the mid-90s. She was kind and courteous to<br />
address my concerns in detail. She left me impressed by the depth and clarity of her knowledge.<br />
Rest well, rest well daughter of the east. May your ultimate sacrifice bring sanity and peace in the<br />
lives of tired and grieving Pakistanis.<br />
DAWN<br />
December 29, 2007