Op/Ed: The Martyrdom of Benazir Bhutto - by Parvez Sharma

From the Huffington Post

by Parvez Sharma

The Martyrdom of Benazir Bhutto

January 3, 2007

So it is the number nine after all." I look at the cryptic text message from my friend Shazia, in Lahore and I know that she has spent the whole evening adding them up. Benazir Bhutto, the Dukhtar-e-Mashriq (Daughter of the East) who so many had condemned for so long is dead, gunned down or fatally knocked down by a metallic lever in her gas guzzling SUV, depending on who you believe.

We have been texting all night and here in Lincoln, Nebraska where I have been for the "holidays," that most ubiquitous symbol of American life-I find this new knowledge surreal. Most of what we get here is Fox and CNN - both now compete for mindless info-tainment, peppered with strong doses of all of the pharmaceuticals Americans now need to get through Christmas, the "holidays" and indeed life. As the TV cuts abruptly from new relief for those plagued with Restless Leg Syndrome to a grave looking Wolf Blitzer re-playing Ms. Bhutto's oddly prophetic sound-bite, when wearing her signature bright lipstick she talks of her own fears of "death", I feel a sense of restlessness myself. The "surreality" of network television is a part of our daily lives.

Continued...

Indian Newspapers Reflect the Shock of Bhutto's Assassination

Indian newspapers reflected the shock that spread across the globe.

Photo: Harish Tyagi/European Pressphoto Agency

Bhutto's Women's Rights Legacy

Bhutto's women's rights legacy 2:50

Bhutto was the first woman to be a prime minister of the Muslim world

Born on June 21, 1953 in Karachi, Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto was the
first woman to be a Prime Minister of the Muslim world.

She was twice elected Prime Minister of Pakistan. The charismatic
Bhutto was first elected Prime Minister of Pakistan in 1988 at the age
35. Benazir Bhutto was one of the youngest chiefs of state in the
world. She was re-elected in 1993 but was dismissed three years later
by then President Farooq Leghari. Benazir Bhutto was the eldest child
of former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Begum Nusrat Bhutto,
who was of Kurdish-Iranian origin. Her paternal grandfather was Sir
Shah Nawaz Bhutto, a Sindhi and a key figure in Pakistan's
independence movement. After completing her early education in
Pakistan, Ms Bhutto pursued her higher education in the United States.
From 1969 to 1973, she attended Radcliff College, and then Harvard
University, where she obtained a B.A. Degree in comparative
government. Between 1973 and 1977, Ms Bhutto studied philosophy,
politics, and economics at Lady Margaret hall, oxford. Benazir had
returned to Pakistan on October 18 this year after ending her self
imposed exile since in 1998.

Countries Condemn Bhutto Killing

By ANDREW O. SELSKY
Associated Press Writer

From Moscow to Washington to New Delhi and points in between, dismay
and condemnation poured forth Thursday over the assassination of
Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, along with concern for the
stability of the volatile region. World leaders lauded her bravery and
commitment to democratic reform.

The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously to condemn the killing.

In India, which has fought three wars against Pakistan, Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh said Bhutto is irreplaceable, and noted she had striven
to improve relations between the two nuclear-armed countries.

"I was deeply shocked and horrified to hear of the heinous
assassination," Singh said. "In her death, the subcontinent has lost
an outstanding leader who worked for democracy and reconciliation in
her country."

In Texas, a tense-looking President Bush demanded that those
responsible be tracked down and brought to justice.

"The United States strongly condemns this cowardly act by murderous
extremists who are trying to undermine Pakistan's democracy," Bush
told reporters at his ranch in Crawford. "We stand with the people of
Pakistan in their struggle against the forces of terror and
extremism."

He later spoke briefly by phone with Pakistan President Pervez
Musharraf but White House spokesman Scott Stanzel said he had no
details.

Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai, who met Bhutto earlier on
Thursday in Islamabad, said he was "deeply pained" by the
assassination of "this brave sister of ours, a brave daughter of the
Muslim world."

"She sacrificed her life, for the sake of Pakistan and for the sake of
this region," he said. "I found in her this morning a lot of love and
desire for peace in Afghanistan, for prosperity in Afghanistan and ...
Pakistan."

Iraqi President Jalal Talabani condemned Bhutto's killing and said
Pakistan had lost a courageous politician who stood firm against "the
forces of darkness and terror."

"We in Iraq know (the impact) of the blind terror that has become a
global plague, killing innocents and shaking the foundations of
stability" in nations, Talabani said in a statement released by his
office.

In a letter to Musharraf, French President Nicolas Sarkozy called the
attack an "odious act" and said "terrorism and violence have no place
in the democratic debate and the combat of ideas and programs."

Sarkozy said Bhutto had paid "with her life her commitment to the
service of her fellow citizens and to Pakistan's political life" and
urged Pakistan's elections be held as scheduled on Jan. 8.

Bhutto, a former two-time prime minister of Pakistan, was killed in a
suicide attack in Rawalpindi just 10 weeks after she returned to her
homeland from eight years in exile. A suicide attack on her homecoming
parade killed more than 140 people. The articulate, poised 54-year-old
had lashed out at the spread of Islamic extremism as she campaigned
for next month's parliamentary elections.

The United States had been at the forefront of foreign powers trying
to arrange reconciliation between Bhutto and Musharraf, who under
heavy U.S. pressure resigned as army chief and earlier this month
lifted a state of emergency, in the hope it would put Pakistan back on
the road to democracy.

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called for "all Pakistanis to work
together for peace and national unity."

The Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, said Pope Benedict
XVI was immediately informed of the "terrible news."

"One cannot see signs of peace in this tormented region," Lombardi said.

In Britain, where Bhutto had attended Oxford University, Prime
Minister Gordon Brown said she "risked everything in her attempt to
win democracy in Pakistan and she has been assassinated by cowards who
are afraid of democracy."

"The terrorists must not be allowed to kill democracy in Pakistan, and
this atrocity strengthens our resolve that the terrorists will not win
there, here, or anywhere in the world," Brown said.

EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said the attack "is clearly
aimed at destabilizing the country." He beseeched Pakistanis to
refrain from violence.

Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I., was in Pakistan and on his way to dinner
with Bhutto when he heard about the attack. Kennedy told The
Associated Press in a telephone interview that Pakistanis are setting
fires in the countryside "that are lighting up the sky tonight."

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez told reporters in Caracas: "We
received the news with great pain, and I hope this is never repeated
ever again, anywhere."

Calling for peace, he said, "Whoever loses respect for the life of a
human being loses respect for the life of humanity."

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the "cowardly terrorist attack
... also targets the stability and democratic process of Pakistan."

The Chinese the Foreign Ministry's spokesman, Qin Gang, said in a
statement posted on the ministry's Web site: "We strongly condemn this
terrorist act. We are shocked by Benazir Bhutto's assassination and
extend our condolences to families of Bhutto and other victims."

In Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a telegram to
Musharraf saying Bhutto's murder is "a challenge thrown down by forces
of terrorism not only to Pakistan but also to the entire international
community," Russian news reports said.

Israeli President Shimon Peres said Bhutto "feared nothing and served
her country with valor."

Visiting U.S. lawmakers were to meet with Bhutto

By LAURIE KELLMAN
Associated Press
Published on: 12/27/07

WASHINGTON — Two U.S. lawmakers scheduled to meet Thursday with former
Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and President Pervez Musharraf
were advised to leave the country after Bhutto's assassination.

Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., said in a telephone interview from his
Islamabad hotel room that he and Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I., were to
dine with Musharraf and meet later in the night with Bhutto.

He said he heard about the attack on Bhutto as he was dressing for the
dinner with Musharraf.

"Our foreign policy had relied on her presence as a stabilizing
force," Specter said, emotionally describing her death as "a real,
real, real shock."

"I knew her personally .... She was, as you know, glamorous, beautiful
smart," he said. "Her loss is a setback. But you have to face what is.
And now, without her, we have to regroup."

Kennedy said he was just leaving his hotel room for the dinner when
someone advised him to check the television for news about Bhutto.

"I couldn't believe it," Kennedy said in a telephone interview from
Pakistan. "You could really feel the tragedy of this loss because
Bhutto really represented hope here for so many people."

Bhutto was shot to death Thursday in a suicide attack that also killed
at least 20 others during a campaign rally in Rawalpindi. She served
twice as Pakistan's prime minister between 1988 and 1996 and had
returned to Pakistan from an eight-year exile Oct. 18 to seek the
office again.

After learning that she was dead, Specter, Kennedy and Anne Patterson,
the U.S. ambassador to Pakistan, laid flowers under Bhutto's
photograph at her campaign headquarters in what they described as an
unsettling atmosphere. Specter said he felt apprehensive about being
an American there out at night.

"They were crying and they were sobbing," Specter said, describing the
people there. "It's a night reminiscent of Kennedy, Robert Kennedy's
assassination."

Patrick Kennedy, son of Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., and Robert
Kennedy's nephew, said they laid the flowers at Bhutto's headquarters
because it was unsafe to do so at her residence.

Both lawmakers said turmoil was engulfing the country.

"Her death really dashed the hope of many here in Pakistan and that's
why there's so much disillusionment and anger being vented through
these protests that are lighting up the sky tonight as people set
fires all over the countryside," Kennedy said.

The lawmakers said they were cutting short their trip by a day on the
advice of the State Department.

News teams mobilize to cover Bhutto killing

News teams mobilize to cover Bhutto killing

By Paul J. Gough

Dec 28, 2007

NEW YORK -- When word came of the assassination of Benazir Bhutto on Thursday, the news had special meaning for "Today" co-host Ann Curry.

It was just two months ago that Curry interviewed the former Pakistani prime minister about her return from self-imposed exile and her drive toward the Jan. 8 parliamentary elections to help bring the country back to democracy. Looking back Thursday afternoon while preparing parts of the interview to air on "NBC Nightly News," Curry couldn't help but be struck by how matter-of-fact Bhutto was about the possibility that she could be killed.

"She knew there were many threats to her life," Curry said.

After speaking at a campaign rally in Rawalpindi, those fears became reality Thursday when Bhutto, 54, was shot and killed by a suicide attacker who then blew himself up. The assassination shattered the postholiday calm that had settled on the New York-based TV news divisions that quietly are gearing up for next week's Iowa caucus.

Suddenly, Pakistan -- where there are only a handful of employees for the U.S.-based networks -- pushed U.S. campaign news off the cable news channels as the networks struggled to bring the developing story to American viewers. CNN was the first network to confirm the story, working off legwork from producer Mohsin Naqvi, who broke the story at 7:21 a.m. EST after attending the rally and hearing an explosion.

"He was right on it from the start to the end," said Parisa Khosravi, CNN International senior vp newsgathering.

Naqvi isn't alone. ABC News' Gretchen Peters is stationed in Pakistan for the network, which also is sending other correspondents, including "World News Sunday" anchor Dan Harris. NBC is sending correspondents Michelle Kosinski from New York and Ned Colt from London. Both hold current Pakistani visas, which NBC News newsgathering vp David Verdi said is a traditional precaution for hot-button regions.

NBC News constantly obtains visas "for people in our organization in the anticipation there would be breaking news in a country that would take months to get one otherwise," he said.

Fox News Channel moved into action immediately, bringing back many of its A-team who were on Christmas vacation. "The Fox Report" correspondent Shepard Smith anchored coverage from Memphis because he couldn't return to New York fast enough. Greta van Susteren hosted "On the Record" from Florida, where she is vacationing. Bill O'Reilly was scheduled to call into "The O'Reilly Factor" for a few minutes at the beginning of the hour from out of the country.

MSNBC had "Countdown" host Keith Olbermann return early from vacation to cover the story.

CBS will have Richard Roth covering the assassination and its aftermath, with Sheila MacVicar en route to Pakistan to be on the ground for "The Early Show." ABC has Nick Watt covering for "Good Morning America," which also will produce a nontraditional obituary, executive producer Tom Cibrowski said.

"It's the story of Benazir Bhutto, controversial and incredibly brave," he said. "Our viewers know she was standing up for something she believed in, and that makes a difference in the way we're covering it."

Looking back on her interview, Curry wonders whether she had been too tough on Bhutto while questioning her about why she was doing what she was doing after already having done so much for her country.

"With her eyes wide open, she expressed a deep love for her country and a wish for some day that it would become a democracy again," Curry said. "I cannot say she did not expect this. I think she did expect to be attacked again. She said she put her faith in God."

Curry said the interview took place after Bhutto had a wrenching meeting with the widows and family members who had lost loved ones in the previous attempt on her life. The former prime minister realized that she didn't have any lipstick and was reluctant to go on camera without it. Curry instinctively offered her lipstick tube. Bhutto accepted and readied herself for the camera.

The situation in Iraq and elsewhere has taught the networks to be careful of their own security. Although the journalists will not travel in Pakistan with the same level of protection required working in Iraq, being careful is at the top of the priority list.

Verdi said that Pakistan has modern cities and none of the threatening look of Iraq and that it's easy to let one's guard down.

"It's a very volatile situation, and we're very worried about the potential for violence on the ground," he said. "We're going to be very conscious of security."

Khosravi agreed and said that Naqvi told her Thursday night that he'd never seen his homeland so volatile and in such a state of shock as it is after the assassination.

"Safety is a big concern on the ground," Khosravi said.

That extends not only to rioting but also to Bhutto's funeral, which is scheduled for Friday in her hometown of Larkana, where her father and two brothers also are buried.

Benazir Bhutto's Funeral Arrangements

Benazir's body to be shifted to Larkana today

Zardari, kids back home to attend funeral | Govt tightens security in city

The Post Report

LARKANA: Benazir Bhutto's body would be brought today (Friday) to Larkana for burial besides her father Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's grave in Garrhi Khuda Bukhsh. The graves of Shahnawaz Bhutto and Mir Mutraza Bhutto, brothers of Benazir, are also there. Many of Benazir's close relatives might not attend her funeral. Her body would be brought here by a special flight to Moenjodaro Airport, Larkana, and from there it would be carried to Garrhi Khuda Bukhsh. Many of Benazir's close relatives including Nusrat Bhutto (her mother), Ganwa Bhutto (sister-in-law), Fatima (niece), Zulfiqar Junior (nephew) and Sassi Bhutto (the daughter of Shahnawaz, Benazir's brother) might not attend her funeral. Begum Nusrat Bhutto, her mother, has been bed-ridden since a long time. Mumtaz Bhutto, her uncle, had long been having hostility with Benazir and therefore, he too might not attend the ceremony considering the emotional condition of Benazir's supporters. The chances of Shahnawaz's daughter attending the funeral are also bleak. Sanam Bhutto (Benazir's sister) and her daughter Marvi Bhutto have already left London and they would try their best to attend Benazir's funeral. Hakam Ali Zardari, father-in-law of Benazir, fell unconscious upon hearing the news of Benazir's death and was admitted to Nawabshaw Hospital. He, according to the sources, would attend the funeral. Her Husband Sardar Asif Ali Zardari and kids Bilawal, Bakhtawar and Assefa arrived in Islamabad and proceeded to the Chaklala airbase from where the body of Benazir Bhutto would be flown to her ancestral village. The federal government, after the death of Benazir Bhutto, has issued directives for foolproof security arrangements in the city. According to reports, the police and Rangers are already on duty in the city to avoid any untoward incident. The government is expecting the arrival of world leaders who will be attending the burial of the late prime minister. The federal government is trying to arrange meeting of foreign leaders with Ms Butto's spouse in Karachi as the local population can react against the killing of the former prime minister. The PPP leadership received a large number of condolence calls from the world leaders. The janitors have started cleaning the residence of Ms Bhutto at Nodero.

Bhutto Mourned Around the World

Bhutto mourned at home-in-exile in Dubai

4 hours ago

DUBAI (AFP) — Supporters of slain Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto in Dubai, where she made her base through eight years of exile, were left in shock Thursday following her assassination two months after she returned home.

"I'm so sad. I feel that my own sister is dead," said Zubeir Bashir, Middle East spokesman for Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party.

"This is a big tragedy for Pakistan. This is a very big shock for us," he told AFP by telephone as he headed to the Bhutto family home in Dubai.

Bashir said that members of Bhutto's family who had remained in the Gulf emirate after her return to her homeland in October were already on their way to Pakistan.

Her husband Asif Zardari was urgently awaiting a flight back to help make the funeral arrangements, Bhutto's spokesman Farhatullah Babar told Pakistani state television.

Dozens of cars were seen outside Bhutto's home in an upmarket neighbourhood of the city on Thursday evening while police deployed to try to prevent press photographers from taking pictures.

The leader of Bhutto's party in the United Arab Emirates, Mohammed Akran Farooqi, choked with emotion as he tried to express his grief over her killing in a suicide attack in the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi.

"I can't say anything... I'm totally upset," he said between sobs.

Bhutto had received threats that suicide bombers would be sent to kill her before she returned home, but on the eve of her departure from Dubai in October she insisted she was undeterred.

"I don't believe that a true Muslim will make an attack on me... Islam forbids suicide bombings," she told reporters.

The UAE, which hosted her during her years of exile, condemned the assassination, along with governments across the Middle East.

"The UAE has been tormented by this huge loss, which did not hit Pakistan only, but also affected the UAE," Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahayan said in a statement carried by the official WAM news agency.

"Words fail to express our condemnation of this criminal act and our pain for the loss of Benazir Bhutto," he said.

The 22-nation Arab League condemned what it called a "heinous terrorist crime."

The 57-nation Organisation of the Islamic Conference condemned the "outrageous and brutal murder."

The bloc's secretary general Ekmeleddin Ihsanogulu said the killing was "an attack on stability and peace in Pakistan and an open provovation aiming at derailing the efforts of unity, reconciliation and democratic process."

Pakistan's western neighbour Iran condemned "the criminal action today in Rawalpindi."

"The Pakistan government should use all efforts to identify the terrorist group which caused this incident and punish them to prevent terrorist groups from finding opportunities to undertake such actions again," foreign ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini told state television.

Iran's regional archfoe Israel, which has no diplomatic relations with Muslim-majority Pakistan, also spoke out against the killing.

"Benazir Bhutto was a courageous woman who did not hide her ideas, did not know fear and served her country with courage," President Shimon Peres said said in a statement.

"I had the opportunity to meet her on several occasions and she expressed great interest in what was happening in Israel during those encounters and said she hoped to visit once she returned to power."

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit urged Pakistani politicians "to overcome their differences in this critical period to guarantee the security and stability" of Pakistan.

He called on them to fight "the forces of extremism and terrorism which want to disturb stability in a way that would have an impact not only on the future of Pakistan but on that of the entire region."