Assassination of Benazir Bhutto:

Adieu! Glamour of Modern canon

Benazir Bhutto and her political legacy

by Ranga Chandrarathne

In an interview I read as a school boy Pakistani Premier Benazir Bhutto said "I don't see myself either as an Eastern or Western person. I see myself as a Universal person".

Though she was born into a conservative Islamic society, she was, by and large, a truly democratic and modern political personality with a vision not only for embattled Pakistan but also for South Asia.

Her charm and charisma left an indelible mark in the arena of diplomacy as an able orator and a strong advocate of democracy and as a person who condemned all forms of extremism which would have earned her the wrath of the extremist elements in the Pakistani political arena.

Liberal thinker

She belonged to the category of liberal political leaders who were fortunate to be educated at European universities at a time when radical changes of ideas swept the dogmas of the day.

Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Lalith Athulathmudali, Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunge, Rajive Ghandhi, Sonia Ghandhi and Aung Sang Suu ki represent the generation of political leaders who stand for a modern society where meritocracy reign and people would condemn any form of extremism.

It is indeed, rare that Benazir envisioned a democratic and multi-ethnic Pakistan which had enjoyed little of them since its independence.

A liberal democratic Pakistan

Her vision was to forge ahead towards a liberal democratic Pakistan. It is a Pakistan that tolerates diverse religious factions and abhors Islamic extremism including Thalebanism which misinterpreted Islam erroneously equating Islam with extremism.

It should be mentioned here that Benazir unreservedly condemned the atrocities committed in Afghanistan by the Thaliban regime and the work of the international terror network of Al Qeada.

Rise of Islamic extremism in Pakistan has been observed at an alarming rate during the couple of months which saw a spate of violence including several suicide attacks despite the State of Emergency declared by General Musharaff.

Although Musharaff intensified military crack down on extremists especially in the lawless mountain regions, it has been reported that thanks to the 2006 ceasefire, the extremist groups not only regrouped but had also infiltrated into more moderate parts of the country.

According to U.S National Intelligence Estimate in July found that over the last two years, al-Qeada had a made a come back in Pakistan.

Cherished political ambitions

One of her cherished political ambitions which can be observed throughout her political career was to build a strong and stable modern society; a civil society based on secular institutions with vibrant democratic principals.

De-Talebanism of education and bringing women to the mainstream public life including in the area of politics allowing them to make a substantial lasting contribution to the nation as fully-fledged citizens. Empowering women and providing a better education for them had been observed as one of the top priorities on Benazir's political agenda.

The last thing that the extremists wanted to see in Pakistan is a liberal leader coming to power and the gradual transition of power from a military regime to a democratically elected Government. Being a woman of fortitude and vision, Benazir Bhutto would have been perceived as the greatest threat to furthering extremist ideas in a fractured society and marred by religious sectarianism.

As the Pakistani political landscape shattered by the assassination of the main opposition leader and former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto at a campaign rally in the city of Rawalpindi, political instability and uncertainty which, perhaps, are common features of Pakistani politics, will further increase against the backdrop of rising Islamic extremism.

While the political leaders including the United Nations Secretary General Banki Moon condemned the attack as a 'heinous crime', Benazir Bhutto's political rival Nawaz Sharif announced that he would boycott the forthcoming election leaving it to the Pakistani Muslim League supportive of General Pervez Musharaff.

Career

At the time of her death, Benazir (54) was in the lead of campaign and will go down in the history as the first woman to lead a Muslim state. Benazir Bhutto was born in Karachi as member of a political dynasty.

She was marked for her brilliant academic record both in school at the Rawalpindi Presentation Convent and Jesus and Mary Convent at Murree and her higher education at the University of Harvard and Oxford University.

As a member of a political dynasty, she witnessed political violence and conspiracy when her father Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was sentenced to death. Another blow to the Bhutto family was the killing of her brother Shahnawarz under mysterious circumstance in France in 1980 and another brother Murtaza in 1996.

Perhaps, the greatest tribute that the people of Pakistan and the international community could pay to the name and the ideals Benazir Bhutto stood for, is to strengthen the forces against extremism and terrorism and to restore democracy in Pakistan.

It is the fervent hope that Pakistan would emerge from the present political turmoil as vibrant democracy in Asia.

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'Asian countries must work together'

In a speech delivered in Colombo, in 1999, Benazir Bhutto emphasized the need for Asian countries to unite against common malice of social evils which have been embedded in Asian ethos and acted always detrimental to the progress of man kind.

For instance, religious extremism, unhealthy social norms such as dowry, banishing women from public life in the name of religion and culture has hampered the social progress and development, keeping the nations in perpetual poverty and deprivations.

If the Asian nations failed to confront those inherent social prejudices and move towards a modern society which recognizes citizens by their talents not by their cast and race, the present as well as future for them will be bleak.

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