Bhutto Remembered
16yr old Sadaf, from Pakistan, currently on an exchange program in California has decided to share some facts, thoughts and feelings with us about the assassination of Benazir Bhutto.
“Are you awake?” Said a faint voice in my head. “Sadaf, are you up?” I opened my eyes. “Benazir Bhutto has been assassinated. Get up and watch the news.” What!! Was I dreaming? Benazir Bhutto? The first Muslim PM? Assassinated? Already so much has happened in Pakistan. Now another devastation, another act of ruthlessness and another day of mourning. I jumped out of bed, grabbed my dupatta and ran for the computer. As I franticly typed in the search field the page filled with Headlines: ‘Benazir Bhutto assassinated after rally’ ‘Photographer heard gunshots, then bomb’ ‘Officials: Gunshot to neck killed Bhutto’ My mind was scrambled, another dark day in the history of Pakistan. We had lost a Harvard and Oxford graduate at the hands of extremists. Our icon of gender equality wiped out in the battle of power sharing. Her children left without a mother.
Bhutto termed a ‘political giant’ by the popular CNN news, was sworn in the Prime Minister of Pakistan for the first time in 1988 but removed from office 20 months later under orders of then-president Ghulam Ishaq Khanon on grounds of alleged corruption. In 1993 Bhutto was re-elected but was again removed three years later on similar charges, this time by President Farooq Leghari.
To destroy your own country in response to a person’s death is ridiculous
They say history repeats itself. Benazir’s father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, was executed in 1979 following a controversial trial for authorizing the murder of a political opponent. Her brother, Murtaza Bhutto, was shot dead under mysterious circumstances in 1996. Benazir's second brother, Shahnawaz, was found dead in his French Riviera apartment in 1985. And now Benazir Bhutto herself has fallen victim to an apparent suicide bomb attack. Bhutto’s death brought violence and destruction to the country of Pakistan, the people’s reaction was strange and absurd.
To destroy your own country in response to a person’s death is ridiculous. After 9/11 or the Virginia Tech massacre, how many Americans took to the streets to burn down their own infrastructure? I think Bhutto’s death further ruined Pakistan’s image in the eyes of the world. Images and videos from Pakistan are published and played constantly on foreign media. My heart aches every time I watch CNN.
It’s quite common that when I bump into someone they ask me about the condition of Pakistan and how I feel about Pakistan’s situation. Goodness only knows how many people approached me after Bhutto’s death. I am tired of hearing how sorry people feel for my country. Yes “It-is-so-sad” but these days it’s all anyone wants to talk to me about. The frustration Pakistanis feel is something only we can discern. Many feel they are losing their identity. The other day I met an American-Pakistani lady whose reaction to Bhutto’s death spoke volumes about her aggravation. She even went as far as to say that she often feels like hiding her identity from her American acquaintances since Bhutto’s tragic death.
