The Death of Benazir Bhutto

AA WR WB

Inna lillahi wa inna ilahi rajioon.
Verily we belong to Allah, and to Allah we return.

This morning I woke up to text messages from my friends, Zareen and Farooq, about the assassination of former Paksitani PM Benazir Bhutto. It was a relatively dramatic way to wake up on a lazy vacation morning. After getting ready, I headed downstairs where I not surprisingly found my nani ammi engaged in watching GeoTV. Geo confirmed the horrific news my friends had texted me; Bhutto was killed with a gunshot to the neck. Images of grieving and shocked Pakistanis filled the airwaves. From CNN coverage of the presidential candidates and their thoughts on Bhutto's death to GeoTV showing Pakistanis' reactions in both the homeland and the US.

It seems as though the entire world, at least the political world, is absolutely shocked with each participant pondering the effects of Bhutto's death. More than ever, Bhutto is being hailed as a martyr of democratic principles and a woman of strength and tremendous character. She died for what she believed in, though she knew full well what returning to Pakistan could mean to her after being exiled for so many years.

If you're even slightly interested in politics or Pakistan, you can't help but to think about her death and the numerous implications of it. First, it is my hope that Allah grants her peace, forgiveness, and salvation. May Allah make it easy for her family and give them strength. Ameen. The death of any Muslim, or human for that matter, should never sit well with anyone regardless of personal opinion. The cowardice act of the man who killed a woman should bring our hearts and souls distress. We ask that Allah show anyone who has passed away compassion as we would wish it for ourselves. Let's not forget that despite the ease of which we can alienate or detach ourselves from political figure heads, she was in fact a person with a family. And aside from any political ramifications, her death and the impact on her family and friends is the most serious and grave one. Benazir Bhutto leaves three children and a husband behind and died at a very young age (54).

When looking at a public figure and what they represent, you must of course look at their political career - especially in this case - as that becomes the definition of the person in the mass' eyes. When Benazir Bhutto returned to Pakistan and was put back on the forefront of Pakistani politics and potentially its future, I wasn't exactly ecstatic. Quite the contrary, I would find myself getting frustrated as I heard her try to appeal to Western agencies by calling for democratic reform. Benazir was a well-educated person and more importantly a well-educated woman in a male-dominated society. She attended both Oxford and Harvard universities and was excellent, like so many politicians, at talking the talk. Based on her mix of Pakistani roots and Western education, plus being a symbol of reform for being a woman and a herald for democracy in a Muslim country, it is understandable why so many people worldwide would view Benazir Bhutto as a strong candidate for reforming an extremely instable and volatile country. But, from the little I remember of Bhutto and her family's history, extortion doesn't sit well for me or many other Pakistanis. In part, I can't help but to feel pessimistic about her agenda; about her wanting to get back into the Pakistani system to perhaps take advantage of it as she had done before.

I love Pakistan, let's be clear about that. But let's also be clear about the state of Pakistan: it is a politically corrupt cesspool. It almost seems that when we take a look at our "leaders" these days, we have to evaluate which one is the least corrupt. Upon identifying such an individual, we can tout him/her as our best representative. And so while Benazir Bhutto is being exonerated as a leader with a vision, I do in all honesty remain unsure and pessimistic about that. She may have been able to come to power and create positive, reinforced relations with the West and encourage development elsewhere, but who knows if the power would have weakened her again. One Newsweek writer put it like this:

"In the end, Benazir Bhutto could become in death the kind of hero for democracy in Pakistan that she never quite became in life. Dogged by allegations of corruption against her husband and her family, she never achieved the popularity that Sharif did in some quarters. But in recent months, as she readied her political comeback, she had shown consummate courage and presence of mind in stating the issues clearly." (http://www.newsweek.com/id/82139)

Out of any conflict, change can likely be achieved by learning and analyzing the differences in opinion; or at least a reasonable comprimise that can still effect reasonable change. If Benazir Bhutto is now going to serve as an image of democracy in Pakistan, then I would in fact support her despite it being after her death. If this tragic event serves as an impetus for change - and a democratic change - and awakens our people, I'm for it. Sure, as a Muslim, I would like to say that it would be great to have an Islamic state like the ones in our phenomenal history; but before reaching such lofty goals, the people themselves need to change. And perhaps with that thought, I can only reasonably conclude that there was in fact some sort of change in Bhutto – even if she was being used as a symbol – to bring about reformation. At least this is what we’re being told to conclude as many leaders are now speaking of her courage and commitment to democracy (http://www.guardian.co.uk/pakistan/Story/0,,2232714,00.html.), which is to essentially say her commitment to bring about stabilization to my native, ethnic country.

So, how are we to view Benazir Bhutto, the politician? As a shaheed (a martyr)? A renaissance woman? Conniving? A leader that has been reformed after her exile? Or someone who tasted what absolute power is in Pakistan (i.e. Musharraf) during her tenure and simply wants to get that back, much like Nawaz Sharif?

I guess I can't be an authoritative judge on the matter of Bhutto's stances and intentions as 1) I most certainly am not claiming to know all there is to know about Pakistani politics and her entire history and 2) who am I to critically evaluate a person's intentions? I do know this: The death of Bhutto leaves many questions and creates more problems for Pakistan, that is also something we should be clear about. Pakistan's reputation, already perceived as an instable country with a weak infrastructure, will now be under the magnifying glass along with all its political actors: Musharraf and the question of whether or not he was behind the killing (whether directly or indirectly due to poor security coverage) and Nawaz Sharif are perhaps the most notable actors. Nawaz Sharif, one of Bhutto's rivals, commented about her death: "This is the darkest, gloomiest day in the history of Pakistan."

Living in the here and now, I have to say that I agree (perhaps the only thing I could ever agree on with Sharif). The impact of a senseless death upon Pakistanis and Muslims should be strongly considered and discussed. Pakistan’s image is crumbling even faster than before. Questions on security and safety will outpour. Connections to terrorism will be reinforced and debated. The jihad (struggle) for hope will either be intensified or slowly man slaughtered. The western media will undoubtedly take any angle it can and provide any sort of leverage on misconceptions about Pakistanis. As always, I am fully expecting to hear dismal thing about my homeland. Some may be true; some may be taken out of context.

Regardless, my heart bleeds for the conditions that are in Pakistan. I love both my American and Pakistani roots and above that I hold to my Muslim identity. So if we chose to honor Benazir Bhutto, as either a politician, a woman, or a Muslim, then let's do so through discourse in an educated and an effective manner, not by riots. With that, I ask Allah to forgive our sins and to grant us ease and success. Allah huma sali Allah Muhammad. Ameen.

Pakistan Zindabad.