It was shocking, it was disgusting and it was inhuman to know the assassination of Benazir Bhutto yesterday 27th of this month at 5.30 p.m. in Pakistan. She as killed not by outsiders but by the insiders from her own country and professing the same religion as she professed. The assassins were pushed into this mad act by the very people giving allegiance to the same religion as that of Benazir Bhutto and those who kill innocent or for that matter any human being are ungodly people, they are traitors of the teachings of their own religion. They deserve no mercy from God for committing such heinous crimes and their ultimate destination is not Heaven but HELL. By killing people in the name of religious ideology is the worst sin a man can commit. God has not entrusted any of us to kill others. We as children of God have no right to kill other human beings. Those people who kill others in the name of their religious belief must be cured of the wrong notion of their religion. No religion tells to kill others. The religious fundamentalists and fanatics must be told in the strongest terms that by killing others they are doing disservice to their own religion and for this reason the followers of their religions especially the innocent ones are coming under scanner all over the world.
Benazir Bhutto shot into limelight in India and Pakistan too when she first time visited India along with her Prime Minister father the late Zulfikar Ali Bhutto for Simla Conference soon after the end of Bangladesh liberation war in 1971. She was at that time in her teens around 19-20 year old, a very attractive and charming girl, attracting attention of all the young males. Even Indira Gandhi during that summit was deeply impressed by her looks, presentation and her way of talking. The Simla Conference gained major booster partly because of her presence with her father who of course monitored her each and every move clandestinely. He did not want his daughter to become too common amongst Indians who were devoting much more attention on her than on the Conference. During those few days Indian press was full of stories and photographs of her in the front pages. Simla Conference gained the required result but Benazir Bhutto’s presence won the hearts of Indians for Pakistan and Pakistanis. Some even suggested to her father to appoint her as Pakistani Ambassador to India to foment better relationship with India. Some Indian bachelors even proposed to marry her. But Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was an intellectual giant and a prophetic man too. He already made his prophecy that Benazir Bhutto his daughter is destined for much higher position and that is to rule Pakistan. And his prophecy finally came to reality but unfortunately after his death.
Having been educated in the West, her natural choice will surely go for Democracy and Freedom. Throughout her life she worked and fought for democracy and in Pakistan and anywhere in the Islamic country, democracy is the only solution. People in Islamic countries are suppressed from democracy and one day people will revolt to get it. Freedom and democracy are the inborn qualities in human beings. Benazir fought for democracy till her last breath. She was the first Muslim woman in the modern Islamic history to rule the country as a Prime Minister. Once during our meeting in the "Writers Guild" in Kuwait, while discussing a very hot topic on Islam and democracy, one top Kuwait intellectual lady said “our religion does not permit women to rule the country”. Immediately in the midst of august body of intellectuals and learned dignitaries including diplomats, I in my normal challenging manner asked her “Madam, what sort of Islam you are citing? Muslim Benazir Bhutto in Islamic Pakistan has already created a history by getting elected by the Muslim voters to the post of Prime Minister of Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Was it wrong or was it an anti-Islamic act?”. She had no answer and everyone in the meeting was stunned.
I always admired her graceful posture. Once when as Premier of India, Rajiv Gandhi went to Pakistan to attend one summit there. While Benazir, also as a premier of Pakistan, escorting Rajiv Gandhi, asked him softly and very romantically “Can We Go?”. Nodded Rajiv Gandhi and they both move into the Conference Hall like boyfriend and girlfriend. Both were in their youthful and glamorous looks, fabulously dressed and very attractive. I can still remember that particular scene of both of them walking closely exchanging some lively pleasantries as if they were newly engaged to marry. During her rule the relationship between Pakistan and India was in positive mood and she was the right choice to better the good neighbourly relations between the two neighbours. In Pakistan, only the members of Bhutto family were in position to create a strong bridge of friendship between India and Pakistan. Other leaders are fanatically conscious; they surrender to the religious fanatics who killed Benazir. The religious fanatics blamed Benazir Bhutto for leaning towards West and US. But mind you, without the blessing and support of West Pakistan would have been in extinction since long. US are supporting Pakistan to create a front to contain India’s hegemonistic attitude. Pakistan built its nuclear weapon with the silent nod of US because US wanted to neutralize India’s “dadagiri” in the subcontinent. In order to stop Iran from producing its nuclear weapon, US to protect the interest of its ally Israel is bringing heaven from the sky but for Pakistan US did nothing of that sort of noise.
It is a pity that the entire political structure of Bhutto family is finished. One brother of Benazir was found dead in a mysterious circumstances in France while the other was killed before the nose of Benazir. Some doubted that he was killed by Benazir’s husband and the whole matter was hushed up. Her father was killed by sending him to the gallows by Gen Zia who himself was killed in a mysterious plane crash in his own country. Sword beget sword. This is the system working in Pakistan and many of the Islamic countries.
May God give courage to her three children to bear this colossal loss. They are all alive and growing up. When their tim comes they will surely bethe torch bearer of Bhuttos. Her husband Asif Zardari was very much responsible for tarnishing her image by involving in bribery scandal. Most of the top leaders got their image tarnished not because they are bad but their spouses, children, brothers and other relatives are bad. That she would be assassinated was already hinted when she got a wake up call on the very day she returned from Dubai two months back when her motorcade in Karachi was bombed in which around 80 people were kikked. Those who decide to take drastic action will never stop. When they wanted to kill Mahatmah Gandhi they did not wait but went ahead with their plan and thus liquidated Mahatma Gandhi. When they wanted to finish President John F. Kennedy, they finished their mission inspite of topmost security apparatus available in US to prevent this assassination. The same thing happened to Civil Rightist Martin Luther King, so too Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and so many others. Benazir’s killing was facilitated more easily by the security lax for which the major blame should fall on the shoulders of President Parvez Musharraf and other security agencies in Pakistan. Also on US for giving her green signal to go back to Pakistan from long term exile. In her death, Pakistan is in turmoil. She was not only a strong opposition leader in Pakistan but a Prime Minister in waiting. Her party PPP which was formed by her late father enjoyed more support than any other party in Pakistan. She was synonym with Pakistan and as such she was the darling of Pakistanis. She was the only leader in Pakisan to keep the Pakistanis closely knit. She was the only leader having metropolitan acceptance and not regional and parochial. After her late father, Pakistan has never produced a popular leader as she was and probably in future such a populous leader will never come into existence in Pakistan. In the absence of such a populous leader there is a possibility for Pakistan to come into disintegration because the whole of Pakistan is in chaotic hands where religious extremists are raising their heads high. These extremists and terrorists are not interested in the unity of Pakistan but in their own religious ideology which is never going to be accepted by the entire Pakistan. Parvez Musharraf is in big problem now and he may not be able to control the chaotic situation there. It is time for him to abdicate his seat but will US allow him to do so? I doubt, because he is the only link between the West and Pakistan which is having nuclear weapons in its armoury and it should not fall into the hands of rogues. Only Musharraf can prevent it however much I and you may deslike him for being the murdered of democracy in Pakistan.
I still remember on the eve of Benazir father’s hanging, she was given an access to meet her father waiting in the death row. When the door of the prison cell was opened, she not only ran to her father but sprinted like Ben Johnson and slipped into his arms sobbing and crying loudly like a small child. That was the last embrace father and daughter had. And this is the last sentence of this epitaph of mine on the late Benazir Bhutto whose soul may have eternal rest in Heaven.
A. Veronica Fernandes,
Kuwait.
