Benazir Bhutto - SZABIST

turbulent and in the end violent political career that destiny had planned. Murdered three decades later,
and only a few yards from where her own father was imprisoned at Rawalpindi’s central prison in
1976, her end adds to the doomed Bhutto legend. Which allows comparison to the Kennedy’s, for
their contribution to Pakistani politics and the price they continue to pay for it.
No one will ever know who killed Benazir. The range of suspects vast, yet the most obvious ones
remain militants with links to al-Qaeda. On October 18, Ms Bhutto’s homecoming rally was highly
charged with supporters but the end result that night: a horrific suicide attack with blood, gore and
mayhem killing more than 130 Pakistan People’s Party loyalists. It will take a long time to forget the
heart-wrenching footage showing injured and dead children that violent October night. I sat through
the early hours of the morning talking to reporters who barely saved their lives returning with blood
stains on their clothing, as I stifled emotions to bring forth an unbiased broadcast to our viewers.
No stranger to violence it seemed, BB sounded even more determined to fight terrorism and not give
in to the extremists by staying away from the thousands of supporters who thronged at rallies to hear
her speak (her last speech was emotive, highly stirring and reminiscent of her fathers’ manner of
gripping the crowds), to catch a glimpse of her smiling, waving and acknowledging their presence
often through the sunroof of her bullet-proof vehicle. One could say Benazir was the people’s
politician: she loved to touch hearts, to make her supporters feel they were not alone in their struggle
for a better life. That was Ms Bhutto’s triumph. She kept the PPP alive all these years with her
charisma, her resolve and leadership that eventually earned her the status of an international icon. One
must admit despite her government’s dismissal on corruption charges in the past and the accusations
that were not buried through the decades of her self-exile, BB strove to win the hearts of her western
friends and ensured her own people knew she was committed in her resolve: to bring democracy back.
Her popularity was worthy of accolade and it threatened many who witnessed it escalate despite her
previous years spent out of the country. She was western educated, and a glamorous woman with
brains in a male-dominated society. One wonders if she had changed for the better; whether her
politics had changed this time around. Even if she had decided to negotiate with the ruling government
for the tentative sake of restoring democracy to have a third go, one might have given her the benefit
of the doubt. With her detractors claiming she had done nothing in her past tenures but wreck the
economy and make more enemies within the military, one questions why then did Ms Bhutto not live
the life of Riley abroad, than risk her life at home. She said somewhere around the time of her return
that her country was not created for militants but for those who aspired towards peace and tolerance.
In the wiser Benazir, Pakistan has lost a woman politician who drew people into her fold with her
courage to stand up to those forces that persist in wrecking the stability and sanity of this country,
openly challenging the writ of the state through unprecedented acts of violence. For future
generations, I wonder whether Pakistan will work to reveal a semblance of stability, normality or even
modernity and progression.
Razeshta Sethna is a journalist/writer
The News
January 1, 2008