I shed a tear this morning upon learning of the assassination of Benazir Bhutto in Pakistan today – half a world away. She was assassinated either by a shooter or by the bomb that the assassin blew himself and 20 others up with, at the end of a campaign rally in Rawalpindi. Her supporters have taken to the streets in protests from the Himalayas to the coast. Many of her supporters see Musharraf as complicit in her death. Bhutto had been prime minister twice as she led the largest political party in the country and the first woman leader of a Muslim nation. The status of the January 8th elections are now up in the air. (For more of the reaction of her supporters, see here.)
The World Is a Sadder Place Today – Benazir Bhutto Assassinated in Pakistan
Older Article: “Police State” Poll Results
Newer Article: More On the Future Direction of the Peace Movement
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
It is unbelievable what’s happening in Pakistan. Benazir Bhutto certainly showed courage in returning; someone tried to kill her only a couple months ago in October.
Two of the top militant “warlords” (I hate that term), Baitullah Mehsud and Haji Omar, vowed they would kill her just prior to that attempt, after naming her a heretic.
And only a few days ago, a suicide bomber tried to kill Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao, who is/was the interior minister for President Musharraf before he dissolved the government. Sherpao, you will remember, was pretty active in pursuing Islamic extremists. The suicide bomber detonated himself among hundreds of worshipers inside a mosque, killing 50 people.
Musharraf himself survived two assassination attempts back in December of ’03, and three other attempts were thwarted a year earlier.
But besides the extremists, I have grave doubts about the Inter-Services Intelligence agency and where their loyalties lie. I wouldn’t put it past them to stage an assassination and blame it on the extremists. The ISI wasn’t exactly thrilled with Ms Bhutto, either.
At any rate, I don’t know what the answer is going to be in Pakistan. It is a terrible situation that I think will become worse before it becomes better.
I heard some unsual information on Mike Malloy tonight. He played part of a November 2nd interview David Frost had with Benazir Bhutto. He asks her to name some people she thinks were responsible for the first attempt on her life. She lists a couple or three, but one she claimed was the guy who murdered Osama Bin Laden. Frost never blinked or no major media has said a word about this. You can find the interview on U-TUBE. Amazing that this happened in November yet no major news outlet has mentioned it.
Good catch on that, Dave. I watched it, and that interview should be required viewing for anybody wishing to hear directly from Ms Bhutto. It’s fascinating.
I wish American media paid more attention to world events; and not just from a United States centered viewpoint, either.
The link is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIO8B6fpFSQ
Never thought I’d see the day: the OB Rag and George W both agree — they’ll miss Bhutto.
PiePipper – that’s unfair! Despite the fact that Bush backed Bhutto’s bid for power, she did lead the largest political party in the country, and did represent a genuine – widely supported and nationalist, “liberal” force, and importantly an opposition to the present president and to the extremists.
Dave Sparling – do you have a link to that Utube interview you mentioned?
Sorry, I dont have no link. I can’t store those on the computer in the asylum where I have to stay.