Adil Najam
Whatever her opponents may think of her, Benazir Bhutto was a most recognized and much-loved international figure. An icon in the best sense of the word. The shock of her death – and the manner of her death – was not confined to Pakistan. As comments on our earlier post suggests, in that moment, the entire world stopped in its tracks. It was not just the most tragic of moments, but also a most historic moment.
These are the pictures of the front pages from just a few newspapers from across the United States and across the world. They are but a fraction of the hundreds, possibly thousands, of newspaper front pages that mourned her death. They make a fitting tribute to a woman who served twice as Pakistan’s Prime Minister, but was also a global citizen in heart and in spirit.
Regular readers of ATP know our fascination with newspaper front pages, which we feature often as pictures in our political posts. But credit for this fine collection goes to the South Asian Journalists Association (SAJA) who have featured this collection (ATP added a few images) on SAJA Forum. My gratitude to them for this, please do visit the SAJA page where you can click on each of the front pages images for more detail in them. Additional images of international newspapers were found at another wonderful post here.
She he was an atriculate, charismatic and a courageous woman, who spoke her mind. Whatever her weaknesses and failings, nonetheless she was popular among the masses of Pakistan, in all the four provinces. A woman of conviction, who stood her ground in the face of the fascist military regime…not once but a number of times until the fascist and the reactionary forces got rid of her forever…..May she rest in peace and Allah bless her soul.
Her senseless assassination which caused her untimely departure left many like me shocked and speechless. Regardless of what the technical details of this murder and the direct agent or perpetrator of this criminal and cowardly act, the threads of the conspiracy definitely reach high up. The so-called Islamic fundamentalists and jihadis are only the puppets and hired assassins of reactionary forces that are entrenched in the Pakistani ruling class and the state apparatus, lavishly funded by the Pakistan Intelligence Services (ISI), drug barons with connections with the Taliban.
This murderous onslaught on the PPP came in the middle of an election campaign where, after years of military dictatorship, the masses were striving for a change. There was a wave of support for the PPP, which probably would have won the National and provincial assembly elections that were due to be held on 8 January 2008.
The dictator Zia murdered Benazir’s father but failed to destroy the PPP in the 1980s. The forces of state terrorism murdered Benazir’s brother, Murtazar….blaming her for it. Then they exiled Benazir and installed a new dictatorship. That also, did not prevent the PPP from experiencing a new resurrection when millions of people came onto the streets to welcome her back.
These elements (especially military and intelligence agencies) have always destroyed the picture of popular public figures (leaders and intellectuals alike) by branding them as traitors. They have marred their images with the graffiti of corruption or treason charges which were never completely proved…. as these elements were the real deal makers and still are…..Mr. 10% is more talked about but who gets away with the 90% of the country’s wealth…..was and is never questioned.
People, especially the (middle and upper middle class) are programmed to believe that without the military (rule)
What a wonderful way to highlight the outpouring of affection for Benazir Bhutto. Plus the post looks really nice too.
Many years ago when I was a student at Colorado I would glean the pages of the Rocky Mountain News to look for any news, just any, about Pakistan. But there would be none. No body knew Pakistan. Today, the paper has the front page covered with nothing but a picture of Benazir addressing a huge crowd with an eloquent caption: Hope takes a bullet.
Eidee Man, I am sorry I dont have any emotional attachment to Bhutto dynasty as you have and I live in Boston.
Talking with my americans friends here, they have impression that Pakistan is going to explode nuclearly as their only hope is gone.
The real reason there is so much interest in Benazir is not because she was Nelson Mandella or Gandhi, but West saw her as some one who can secure Western interest in Pakistan, which they percieved as most dangerous country in world(Reality bites).
Also she was women and she was antithesis of a typical mulsim leader. They are frustated as they tried hard to bring her back in Pakistan but not every things goes according to script.
We now need a leader who can save interest of Pakistan. I am getting sick of ppl thinking Pakistan that unstable.
I encourage everyone to read Irfan Hussain’s column in today’s Dawn:
http://www.dawn.com/weekly/mazdak/mazdak.htm
I am ashamed to look at the comments by some of the so-called “educated” people in Pakistan (i.e. who can write in English and have access to the Internet).
Benazir has always been criticized and indeed needlessly ridiculed by the drawing-room classes of Pakistan. The elite of Pakistan have always hated Benazir, and for good reason; that’s because Benazir’s core strength came from the down-trodden millions of poor Pakistanis.
It’s good to see the outpouring of sympathy for Benazir; but the reality is that most of Pakistan, and the rest of the world, will forget about her in due time. But she, like her father, will become the stuff of SINDHI legend for generations to come.
Well why Benazir was that much covered? The answer is that Pakistan is nuclear country and worst nighmare of west and West saw a savior of Pakistan in Benazir with her pro western stand.
One of the strategist of “Lexington think tank” littteraly said that we “engineered” return of Benazir.
I bet most people in Licoln, Nebraska won’t be able to locate Pakistan on the world map. And yet Liclon Journal Star has its full front page covered with Benzair. That surely says something about Benazir.