A suicide bomber killed dozens at a Bhutto rally, but she apparently died from gunshot wounds to the neck and chest.
Her accomplishments are remarkable—the first elected female prime minister of Pakistan at 35 and widely popular. Her death wasn't entirely unexpected. A similar attack occurred when she returned from exile earlier this year, and she was very courageous to continue pushing for democracy in Pakistan.
I heard Bhutto speak at Trinity University in 2002 on “The Role of the U.S. as the Only Remaining Superpower and Choices To Be Made in the Muslim World." She called for democratic reform and gender equality in Pakistan, but I couldn't shake the impression that she also had her eye on a return to power.
Now the question of the day is: What happens next? How much will Bhutto's death destabilize the region? Will Musharraf use the incident as an excuse to postpone elections? An unstable Pakistan is much more worrisome than an unstable Iraq, and at this point it seems like our only options are "bad" and "the shit has hit the fan."
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Comments (2)
Re: what happens next, you said it: "Her death wasn't entirely unexpected." Rationally speaking, both Musharraf or the US State Dept would've had contingency plans for Bhutto's assassination in place--separately drawn, I presume.
My mother said that Bhutto probably expected to be martyred and, that makes sense. She's a smart woman who knew her country, its history and was extremely conscious of her role within it... she must've had the conversation with loved ones that returning to Pakistan would mean her death. I am sad for Pakistanis today. Even those who did not support her can appreciate the desire to not disrespect/shame the country in this bloody way.
Now, those contingency plans....
Posted by Carla Murphy | December 27, 2007 11:31 PM
You're right, she must have been prepared. This wasn't the first attempt on her life, and every member of her family has been assassinated or mysteriously killed.
As far as contingency plans, neither Musharraf nor the US government seem to have a clue what they're doing in that region in the past few months. I'm not even sure what Musharraf can do. He benefits from her death in a way, and even if he wasn't involved, many in Pakistan believe he is responsible and are very unhappy with his rule.
The US has chosen stability over all else, including democracy, in that region for decades, and it seems they are content to keep Musharraf in power.
The way I see it, the only possible outcomes are bad, worse, and catastrophic.
Posted by Elyas | December 28, 2007 9:35 AM