Today, the world is experiencing the heinous and inexplicable assassination of another strong leader, Benazir Bhutto, who is the opposition leader in Pakistan. After her return into Pakistan from exile, Mrs. Bhutto has been on the frontline of advocating for a free and democratic Pakistan in which tyranny and extremism will no longer prevail. After being elected as the prime minister of Pakistan twice, and being forced into exile because of a corrupt government that she led, Benazir Bhutto returned to her homeland to make another attempt at restoring democracy in Pakistan after 8 years of a dictatorial rule under the military government of General Pervez Musharraf.
Her tragic death certainly comes as a shock to all those who continue to envision and work towards a free Pakistani society and a more stable Middle East. Pakistan matters on the global stage; it is one of the major allies on the global fight on terrorism. Even though Gen. Musharraf’s government has failed to produce any significant result, the United States continues to supply billions of dollars in military aid to Pakistan to eradicate Al-qaeda and the Taliban from the tribal regions of Pakistan. Rather than focusing on dissolving the numerous terror cells that are emerging in the tribal areas of Pakistan, Gen. Musharraf has chosen to focus on legitimizing his own power by taking a grip on power and terrorizing the people of Pakistan by declaring an unnecessary emergency rule.
The state of Pakistan is currently in a lose/lose situation. There is the ever growing threat from Osama and his people (Taliban) and there is also the threat from Gen. Musharraf’s government, who recently fired majority of the supreme court justices, suspended the rule of law and declared a state of emergency. Musharraf recently took off his military uniform and assumed the position of a caretaker government that will lead Pakistan into a its first democratic election in about a decade.
Who killed Benazir Bhutto? Al-Qaeda should definitely be the no. 1 suspect. The terrorist organization has sought to destabilize Pakistan as part of its on going campaign to wage war against the United States and its allies. Al-Qaeda has always been after Mrs. Bhutto. She was the first female prime minister of a Muslim country and she was very well on her way to leading her party into the upcoming parliamentary election in January. She has also been very vocal against extremism. There is no doubt that Al-Qaeda is intimidated by her emerging popularity amongst the Pakistani people, and she is the last person that they want in power. There was an assassination attempt on her life when she returned to Pakistan in October, which most people believe was largely orchestrated by Al-Qaeda.
Gen. Musharraf could also be responsible for Bhutto’s assassination, or at least, know of the plot to assassinate her. Why would he want her killed? She has mounted a very strong opposition to Musharraf’s party and he is not happy with that, because of his deep thirst for power. Musharraf has to hold on to power, because he will be forced out of his country if he ever leaves power. Another reason why he would want her killed, is to over-play the danger that Pakistan faces from Islamic extremist, and to further legitimize why the US should continue to show Pakistan with billions of dollars to combat these enemies. There are two main reasons to believe that Musharraf’s government played a role in this. 1. His government provided poor security to Ms. Bhutto when she returned home to an assassination attempt in October and there was no concrete investigation set in place to find those responsible for that attack. 2. Ms. Bhutto never received the specific security measures that she requested from the Pakistani government. The Pakistani government, knowing that she is campaigning, should have provided her with extra security detail given the current security landscape of Pakistan.
Whatever the case maybe, this is truly a challenging day for all those who have a great respect for democracy. Her death is a reminder that the fight for democracy in our world is not going to take place without a heavy price. She was a woman who believed in a principle and stood by it until her death. Her death should send a strong message to the government of Pakistan, that a responsible transition to a free and democratic society with a leader that has an enormous respect for the rule of law, is the ultimate answer to a better Pakistan.
Filed under: politics
