Benazir Bhutto Assassinated

swatantra Thu Dec 27, 2007 at 02:05:56 PM GMT Print-friendly version Facebook

A sad day for Pakistan. Benazir was the last hope for Pakistan to get back on the road to democracy.





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Benazir Bhutto Assassinated | 12 comments (12 topical)

Re: Benazir Bhutto Assasinated (#1)

by Jag Singh on Thu Dec 27, 2007 at 05:03:15 PM GMT

It's a shame that her assassination may spur protests and violence, but to say that she was the only hope for Pakistan is ridiculous and absurd.


Re: Benazir Bhutto Assasinated (#2)

by swatantra on Thu Dec 27, 2007 at 05:58:46 PM GMT

Well, just look around and tell us who else is available? Shariff? Imran Khan? Even more unacceptable than Bhutto was. The alternative is that Musharaff declares a 'state of emergency' and cancels elections for the forseeable future. So once again, democracy is 'on hold' in Pakistan. I guess military rule might be the only hope and solution in holding the warring, tribal factions of Pakistan together.


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Re: Benazir Bhutto Assasinated (#3)

by Curlew on Fri Dec 28, 2007 at 12:36:58 PM GMT

I could never understand why she went back there, democracy and a women leader - a bitter pill for the extremists to swallow. As she was to be a representative of the West, I think it was as much the responsibility of the CIA/MI6 to protect her as it was Musharraff's.  I have always thought that he was caught between a rock and a hard place.  And that he wore military garb to give the impression that he controlled the military rather than the other way round.

Why does capitalism always have to go hand in hand with democracy - no wonder it's so difficult to implement in such places.


Re: Benazir Bhutto Assasinated (#4)

by jkitleft on Fri Dec 28, 2007 at 12:48:49 PM GMT

Bhutto was immensly popular there, she was part of a dynasty, behind the Gandhis the most important in the subcontinent, a dynasty sadly ended. While some may want to criticise her leadership, and supposed corruption, and while she did not necessarily epitomise the Liberalism and Secularism that many in the west hope for, she was the most likely candidate to espouse these values for Pakistan. She was the best hope of calming Pakistan, her revered status allowed her to be a woman, westernised and liberal, and secular and still lead the most populus Islamic state. Words cannot describe my shock at this cold-blooded murder of Benazir Bhutto


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Re: Benazir Bhutto Assasinated (#5)

by swatantra on Fri Dec 28, 2007 at 01:03:20 PM GMT

Good point. I think she thought it was her destiny to follow in her father's footsteps, a common delusion  in the East where political power is very much kept in the family. Its the same with Ang Sui Chi in Burma. Familiy aristocratic dynasties proliferate the Orient. Its a great pity, because new people and new ideas don't come along that easily. We had a break from the Gandhi dynasty in India after the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi and when the Congress Party lost power to the BJP; India opened up its markets, for good or bad, under Narasima Rao, to the outside world and the economic boom took off. The fact that she is a woman makes no difference; more important was that many believed quite rightly, that she was a puppet of the West. Unfortunately Pakistan, unlike India, has absolutely no culture of democracy in its being; that is why it has been prone to military rule virtuallty from its very inception; its been autocratic rule all the way; the people cannot be trusted. The tragedy is that neither can the corrupt Army generals. 


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Re: Benazir Bhutto Assasinated (#8)

by swatantra on Sat Dec 29, 2007 at 11:58:54 AM GMT

What surprised me was that Brown, aside from adding his condolences, called for elections to go ahead, in two weeks time on 8 Jan. What? after the assassination of one of the most highly profiled leaders? With Shariff's party calling for a boycott of the elections, and with the inevitable rigging by Musharaff, how could they be fair elections? What purpose would they solve? None. I suspect that Brown really doesn't understand the situation in Pakistan at all. In fact, one worries about his grasp on Foreign Affairs altogether.


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Re: Benazir Bhutto Assasinated (#9)

by swatantra on Sun Dec 30, 2007 at 03:41:37 PM GMT

Only 3 days after the tragic events the PPP have come up with a new leader. And no surprises; its to be the son Bilawal, supported by the husband as Regent who's also decided to change the familly name to Bhutto, assisted by an aged political acolyte. Poor boy, just 19, you'd think his mother would have had more sense than put him in the limelight, a target for more assasination attempts, and a husband who has all the attributes of a demagogue. Some democratic party! You'd have thought they might have followed India's example with the dynastic family stepping aside and letting someone else have a go; Mohan Singh may be pretty uncharismatic but he's done well as PM. As you may have guessed I frown on dynasties, or the divine right to rule, as happens a lot in the Islamic world, or in Israel, and even here, with the first Ld Stansgate followed by Tony Benn, followed by Hilary Benn, followed by Emily Benn. 


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Re: Benazir Bhutto Assasinated (#10)

by jkitleft on Sun Dec 30, 2007 at 05:53:34 PM GMT

But LD Stansgate was a Liberal
Tony Benn narrowly missed being elected deputy leader, and Hillary by an even bigger margin
Emily Benn isn't even an MP yet!


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Re: Benazir Bhutto Assasinated (#11)

by swatantra on Sun Dec 30, 2007 at 06:20:27 PM GMT

Good points jk. Thank heavens for small mercies that Tony just missed out! But good luck to Emily if she can make it on her own bat! and Hilary has a lot going for him at Defra, more than the other two previous incumbents.


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Re: Benazir Bhutto Assasinated (#12)

by jkitleft on Sun Dec 30, 2007 at 07:13:27 PM GMT

I didn't mean to be pedantic, but I see what you mean with dynasties. There are always going to be feudal connotations applied to the Kennedys, the Gandhis, the Bushes, of course the Bhuttos, and perhaps even the Benns


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Re: Benazir Bhutto Assassinated (#6)

by Radford Mann on Fri Dec 28, 2007 at 04:02:08 PM GMT

I know that here in Nottingham there will be many comrades who have family back in Pakistan. The violence that has followed this appalling act must be a cause of concern to them. I'm sure that everyone in the Labour Party will want to show solidarity with affected comrades at this very difficult time.


Re: Benazir Bhutto Assassinated (#7)

by JoeRoberts on Fri Dec 28, 2007 at 04:38:27 PM GMT

A great shame and a shock, though not a surprise. I am sure that we all join in passing on our condolences to the Pakistan Peoples' Party, who are a fellow member of the Socialist International.


Benazir Bhutto Assassinated | 12 comments (12 topical)