Adil Najam
News is just breaking that former Prime Minister and head of the Pakistan People’s Party, Benazir Bhutto was killed in Rawalpindi in a terrorist attack.
She was gunned down by an assasin who then blew himself up in a suicide attack. This happened at teh end of her rally in Liaquat Bagh, Rawalpindi; the same place where Liaqat Ali Khan, Pakistan’s first Prime Minister was assassinated. Major news networks are now reporting that following bomb blasts at Benazir Bhutto’s rally in Rawalpindi, shots were fired directly targeting her. Her husband, Asif Ali Zardari says that one of these shots hit her in the neck and killed her.
According to early BBC reports:
Pakistani former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto has been killed in a presumed suicide attack, a military spokesman has announced on TV. Earlier reports said Ms Bhutto had only been injured and taken to hospital.
Ms Bhutto had just addressed a pre-election rally in the town of Rawalpindi when the bomb went off. At least 15 other people are reported killed in the attack and several more were injured. Ms Bhutto had twice been the country’s prime minister. She was campaigning ahead of elections due in January.
‘She expired’
The explosion occurred close to an entrance gate of the park in Rawalpindi where Ms Bhutto had been speaking. Benazir Bhutto had been addressing rallies in many parts of Pakistan
PPP spokesman Farhatullah Babar initially said that Ms Bhutto was safe. But later he told the BBC that Ms Bhutto had died. Another member of the PPP, Wasif Ali Khan, told the Associated Press news agency from the Rawalpindi General Hospital: “At 6:16 pm (1316 GMT) she expired.”
I, like most Pakistanis, am still too numb with shock and grief to think coherently about what has happened or what the implications of this are for teh country and for the world. But this I know, whether you agreed with her political positions or not you cannot but be in shock. Even as I type these lines I am literally shaking. Hers was a tragic life story. So tragic that had it not been real no one would have believed it.
At this point all sorts of thoughts float through the politics of this. Why did this happen? Why was it not stopped? What could have been done to stop this senseless murder? Maybe she should not have come back? Who did this? What will this mean for the elections? What will this mean for the PPP? What will this mean for Gen. Musharraf? What will this mean for Pakistan? But all of these are paled by thoughts about Benazir as a person. The woman. The wife. The mother. The human being. What about her?
I have not always agreed with her politically but there was always a respect for her political courage. I had met her many times, first as a journalist covering her when she had just returned to Pakistan in the Zia era and before she became Prime Minister. Later a number of times in her two stints as Prime Minister and thena few times during her exile. In that last period she toll to referring to me as “Professor sahib” and some of our exchanges were more candid (at least on my part) than they had been earlier.
At a human level this is a tragedy like no other. Only a few days ago I was mentioning to someone that the single most tragic person in all of Pakistan - maybe all the world - is Nusrat Bhutto. Benazir’s mother. Think about it. Her husband, killed. One son alledgedly poisoned. Another son assasinated. Daughter rises to be Prime Minister twice, but jailed, exiled, and finally gunned down.
Today, in shock, I can think only of Benazir Bhutto the human being. Tomorrow, maybe, I will think of politics.
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Just to let you know that a second video has now been added to the post.
sometimes words cease to express one’s grief..thats my condition.. i have many questions afloat my mind but biggest of them thats eating me is, when it will stop?
they say we reap what we sow, benazir wasnt definitely a favourite with me BUT, i feel for her what a ‘human” will feel for another..i mean it is that she was corrupt but nobody is definitely a monk here, and its no way that they be killed..really its too much for words..i feel beyond grief
Now that she is dead …. We should pray for her that Allah forgive her soul … but can we?
I do not want to say that, but ss claimed that she looted and plundered Pakistan while in power, it means that many must have died of poverty because of her and it is only they that could forgive her, but in such crime by rulers, there is no forgiveness.
Anyhow, I am thinking that now how can we Pakistanis get the wealth, couple of billion dollars, she looted from Pakistan or is it that we should leave Zardari and her kids to digest that?
I hope that NS seeing the end of BB get ashamed, realize the truth of life that one day he would die too (hopefully a peaceful death), come to public, ask for forgiveness and return all looted and plundered wealth he took from Pakistan, than say good bye to politics.
So, we should also pray that Allah give NS some ‘Aqal’ and he realizes the limits of lives, and thus start thinking about life after death by handing over all the looted and plundered wealth to Pakistan treasury. He should know that growing hair on ganja head and eating briyani is not only life, real life starts after death when all what they did in this world comes to haunt them.
Go back and see all my posts and I have been crying about these sucide bombers but 99% of Pakistan ware only busy in bashing Mushraf. Yes BB’s death is very painful for all Pakistanis.She was fellow Pakistani. We share this pain together.No matter if we are belong to ppp or not.
But not to forget about 1000 army solders are dead along with many innocent civilians. I have been over and over asking that we need to go after extremists. This and more can come if we do not do anything about these evil extremists.
Allah Bless Pakistan
Atlast we saw Benazir Bhutto died today in a suicidal attack..
What are we doing?? did we ever think abt it?? how long will we be Quiet?? someone has said
that “A nation of sheeps is alwayz lead by a wolf”
things will remain like this until we(normal people) come on streets including students, shopkeepers, job holders, lawyers and everyone… by not thinking abt the outcomes. Lets Try practically rather than writing here or just talking in a gathering wid friends.. otherwise it’ll b a shame on all of us that we couldnt get rid of a dictator and get rid of these situations..
Lets not wait for Nawaz’s death now..
God Bless Pakistan++
Please write emails to media asking them to use language to keep people calm.
here are email address:
israr@ptv.com.pk,
bakhabarsavera@aryoneworld.net,
Faezadawood@aryoneworld.net,
aaj@geo.tv,
aajcomments@aaj.tv,
today@aryoneworld.net
I am stunned, speechless and senseless as its a great tragedy for us where a symbol of unity and moderate values in Pakistan has been assassinated. Its hard to believe and write Mohtarma Benazir’s Bhutto (LATE). We should commend her courage and bravery against terrorism and dictatorship. Its a great loss for Pakistan.
Another key member of Bhutto family assassinated and her children are deprived of loving mother.
Great Lady…I am speechless.