28 Dec 2007 |
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Benazir Bhutto (1953 - 2007)
Indeed, she devoted the better part of her public career, most energetically and courageously to the pursuit and advancement of the cause of democracy in Pakistan. Educated in Harvard, and Oxford, with a cosmopolitan taste, the ravishingly beautiful Benazir Bhutto was twice Prime Minister of her country during which period, she not only kept the Bhutto dynasty, and its place in Pakistani politics alive, but earned her spurs as a strong, outspoken and courageous woman. Her tenure and career were however characterised by too many peaks and valleys, as she suffered glory, persecution, exile, court trials, amnesty and now murder. She became Pakistan's first female Prime Minister in 1988, and thus emerged as one of the major reference points for the increased stature of women in public life. Commentators are wont to classify her among the class of women leaders whose pre-eminence in public life, especially the troubled terrain of politics, helped to advance the cause of women empowerment and gender equity. Others in this class include Golda Meir, Indira Ghandi, Bandranaike, Margaret Thatcher etc. She came to power in 1988 after the death of General Zia ul-Haq in a plane crash and the return to democracy, but her tenure ended in 1990 amidst allegations of corruption. She was back as Prime minister three years later. But by 1996, after her second shot at power, Bhutto was again accused of corruption and money-laundering. Her husband, Asif Ali Zardari was particularly targeted, and he spent eight years in jail, even if he was not tried in court. Both Mrs Bhutto and her husband alleged that they were victims of political persecution, but whereas many were willing to give Mrs Bhutto the benefit of the doubt, her husband, better known as "Mr Ten Per cent" was generally regarded as greedy. In 1999, Mrs. Bhutto went into exile to escape prosecution, and lived in Dubai and London with her three children. In October 2007, President Pervez Musharraf granted her amnesty, prompting her return from exile to the country on October 18. There had been talks about return to democracy in Pakistan and a power sharing deal between the dictator and Mrs Bhutto in which Musharraf will be President and Mrs Bhutto, Prime Minister. Her assassination by a suicide bomber at a political rally, yesterday, in Rawalpindi, a market town outside Islamabad shows how volatile the political situation in Pakistan is, and the continuing threat of violence that has turned that country into a murderous killing field. She was shot in the neck and chest as she got into her car by a suicide bomber who shot her first before detonating the bomb that he had strapped to his body. Twenty others were killed in the attack. This may sound odd, but there was a whiff of death-wish to Mrs. Bhutto's politics since her return to Pakistan on October 18. The Musharraf government had warned her about likely attacks on her by Moslem extremists. But she ignored the advice that she should travel less in the open and chose to test her popularity among the people. At her home-coming rally, a suicide bomb attack left 139 persons dead. In a country where there have been more than 40 suicide attacks this year alone, with more than 700 people dead, Mrs Bhutto defied her tormentors. "I put my life in danger and came here because I feel this country is in danger. People are worried. We will bring the country out of crisis," she had said. But can we, legitimately, blame the dead? This fallen Daughter of the East was a child of passion, fired by enthusiasm and her commitment to making a difference. She provided a useful and necessary contrast in a society dominated by dogma and extremism. In a country where it is a mortal sin to criticise the President, Bhutto never failed to point out that Musharraf's ambition is to rig the proposed parliamentary elections scheduled for January 8. Musharraf's government had become unpopular. Bhutto's centrist Pakistan People's Party was billed to win a substantial part of the vote, alongside Nawaz Sharif's the Pakistan Muslim League. Bhutto's uncommon courage is to be remarked upon. She knew that her life was in danger, she knew that terrorists and extremists had signed a contract on her life, but she refused to yield the ground to them. Her killers have dealt a deadly blow to the cause of democracy and human rights in Pakistan. Bhutto in death, is justifiably, a martyr. The Al- Qaeda, Islamic militants and the Taliban extremists had never hidden their hatred for her. Bhutto was an outspoken critic of terrorists and a major supporter of the war against terrorism. She had close ties to the United States and was unapologetically pro-West. She not only espoused socialist principles, as Prime Minister, she sought to improve the lot of women by promising to dismantle all barriers that hinder their freedom. Her killers may have stilled her voice, her party the PPP may now appear rudderless without a clear successor in sight, but Bhutto example will endure. It is Pakistan that now faces a sad day. Her death will further heighten tension in the country, and should the parliamentary elections proceed as scheduled, there is no guarantee that it will be peaceful. Already, Bhutto's supporters are hurt and angry; yesterday as news of their leaders death spread, they burnt tyres and smashed glasses. This may be the beginning of a costly internal battle. The biggest threat in Pakistan today is the spread of extremism. The future challenge is to ensure a regime of peace and rule of law, made practically impossible by military misrule and the extremists within the national borders. Musharraf had retired as Head of the Army on Nov 6, but he suspended the Constitution and imposed an emergency rule which he lifted on December 15; a culture of dictatorship pervades the land which has provided a fertile ground for extremism. Before the killing of Benazir Bhutto, there had been well-founded fears about the prospects of democracy in Pakistan, yesterday's cowardly act of murder would seem to have confirmed the world's worst fears. Under the circumstances, the least that Islamabad can do is to postpone the parliamentary elections and allow emotions to cool down. The run-up to the elections is in any case, marked by too many irregularities. The electoral register is poorly prepared, with many missing names and ghost names on the list. Voting centres are not properly defined in the parliamentary constituencies. Mayors campaign openly for government-backed candidates. The opposition is suppressed. Musharraf's ambition, it is clear, is to organise elections that can be considered okay by Pakistani standards, not international standards. The international community must not stand by and allow this to happen. The biggest tribute that can be paid in Benazir Bhutto's memory is to ensure that the transition to democracy in Pakistan, is not such that guarantees the continuation of a failed government, but an election that is an expression of the will of the Pakistani people. The US government in mourning Benazir Bhutto has left slip the diplomatic point that its loyalty is not to one individual, but to the people of Pakistan. By standing up for democracy in Pakistan, instead of engaging in diplomatic double - speak, America would also invariably be standing up for one individual and her symbolism. In a piece in the Christian Service Monitor of December 10, 2007 titled "Why the World needs Democracy in Pakistan," Mrs Bhutto had written: "the international community must send a clear message that it will not be an accessory to this coming crime. It must not wait to see if the elections on January 8 are free and fair. It must insist on a minimum set of benchmarks to be met for the election to be recognised as free and fair. If the benchmarks are ignored, the International Community must be prepared to signal its displeasure to the Musharraf regime in specific, possible ways. Flared elections will worsen instability in Pakistan as civil society and political parties protest. Imposing international restrictions after the fact will be fruitless and only deepen anti-American sentiment." However, the biggest crime that has now been committed is the murder of the author of these words. The Musharraf government has been most forthcoming with sweet words, describing Mrs Bhutto's death as a "national tragedy". Three days of national mourning have also been declared. Although nobody has claimed responsibility for her killing, fingers are already pointing in the direction of the religious fundamentalists in Pakistan. Her husband disagrees with this. What needs to be added nonetheless is that the Musharraf government which obviously stands to gain from Bhutto's exit, is not as innocent as it appears to be making out. Mrs Bhutto was killed in the midst of so-called heavy security yesterday. She was addressing a relatively small crowd of between 5, 00 and 10, 000 people. What was the security doing? Besides, since her return, there had been no serious attempt by the government to provide her with adequate security. She was barred from using vehicles with tinted glasses, security at her home was scaled down, her complaints were ignored; in November she was placed under house arrest. Was she being set up for elimination, and deliberately turned into a moving target? Her mother, Begun Nusrat Bhutto; her brothers Murtaza, and Shanawaz, like her father and grandfather, all of whom played key roles in public life all pre-deceased her. Her exit marks the closure, for now, of a major chapter in Pakistani politics, and a terrible moment for Pakistan. She is the author of a book titled Pakistan: The Gathering Storm. Indeed now the storm gathers in Pakistan. Another book, her autobiography is titled "Daughter of Destiny". Indeed, she was.
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THE killing,
yesterday, of Benazir Bhutto, Pakistan's Prime Minister, from 1988 to
1990, and from 1993 to 1996, more or less marks the end of the Bhutto
dynasty: one of the world's better known political dynasties. The
Bhuttos like the Ghandis of India have suffered an endless cycle of
good fortune, pain and hardship in their involvement in the politics of
their country. The Bhutto dynasty had begun with the deceased's
grandfather, Sir Shah Nawaz Bhutto a wealthy landowner who was one of
the major sponsors of the creation of Pakistan in 1947. Her father,
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Prime Minister of Pakistan in the 1970s, was
accused of ordering the murder of a political rival following the coup
that brought General Zia ul-Haq to power in 1977. He was imprisoned,
and was later hanged in 1979. This had a profound effect on the then
26-year old Benazir Bhutto, She later wrote: "At that moment, I pledged
to myself that I would not rest until democracy had returned to
Pakistan."
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