Lately no news coming out of Pakistan seem to be good news. This afternoon I started writing about Benazir’s return in lighter words focusing on hilarious statements coming out of our politicians on her return and then this horrific news of scores of people dead started coming in. My lighter mood vanished totally and now I am left wihout words and more questions like, Why? Who? what now? etc.
The headline news on CNN reads as follows right now:
An explosion near the motorcade of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto killed at least 110 people and injured 200 more, officials say. Bhutto, returning after years in exile, reportedly was unhurt.
While we are glad that she remained safe, our sincere prayers are with those innocents who lost their lives.
zabt laazim hai magar dukh hai qayamat ka
zalim ab ke bhi na roay ga to mar jaaye ga
A comment on Karachi Metroblog:
I am not Pakistani. I am not even aware of pakistani political subtility. My knowledge of Bhutto do not go further wikipedia. By luck, I got this blog to read about the incident. What a surprise to read the comments. I feel that there is such a rift between our two culture. I wonder by what I read here if a “rapprochement” is even plausible.
I am simply astonished. Even if I am an educated person that knows that a minority do not reflect the position of a majority, I am not certain i’ll feel secure if I ever have a pakistani neighbour. If you are happy with this attack, please by all mean stay in Pakistan, DO NOT come to Canada!
The incident is simply a tragedy and some responses were simply way outside what I would consider conceivable. I am scared.
Simon, Montreal
BB outdid herself again in using a tragedy to gain political mileage. She knows that blaming Taliban does not take her too far in gaining votes in the land of the pure but blaming the “agencies” is a sure shot method of revitalizing her vote bank since the idealogical vote of PPP is based on “anti-establishment” and “anti-army” emotions.
I would like to ask BB what did she think about the evil “agencies” when she was negotiating her pardon with the heads of the same agencies just a few weeks ago. As for Zardari, someone needs to set him straight. If agencies wanted this man out of the picture, he would be long gone by now.
after the blast, ive joined the growing club of pakistani cynics: http://atifshaikh.blogspot.com/2007/10/bb-ride-of- re-animator-karachi-redux.html
its a full fledged civil war! pakistani’s need to wake up to the new reality.
After being disappointed by BB for over 2 weeks, I am again optimistic. I was amazed to listen to her press conference and how eloquently she described the conspiracy. Here is what she said.
“It was an attack not just against one political leader, it was an attack on all the political leaders of Pakistan. It was a message to all the political parties, on all those who believe in democracy that you can not go out and compaign because if you do a public meeting and go on compaign we will kill you , we will bomb you , we will kill your supporters so don’t go out, don’t exercise your fundamental human rights, don’t exercise your right of freedom of political expression.” It was an attack by a militant minority (read army) that does not enjoy the support of the people of Pakistan……….in a military dictatorship whether it is the dictatorship of 70’s , whether AlBadar and ALShamas gangs…or whether it is the militants (read agencies) of this era”
She summed up the whole conspiracy in this.
Pakistan needs democracy, we need “Corrupt” political leaders behind whom people come out in millions to show their support, these people, as Lal Salaam put it correctly, are not rent-a-crowd, they come on streets because they believe in their right to rule. Let Nawaz Sharif come and you will see similar people coming on the streets as well. Even the illeterates understand what it means by “Raj Karay Gee Khalq-i-Khuda” or “Right to rule by the people”. They come on streets when they have no fear, military dictator and his cronies for eight years kept saying that people don’t come on street they are not with the opposition in every talk show their only argument was that people don’t come on street. People don’t come on street when they have fear of their life, that’s why they will not come to get NS on the airport, they will not come in Karachi when CJ visited their. BB ensured with the help of US that the General and his cronies can not terrorise people by tear gas and bullets. And that made General and his cronies sleepless , recall his last message to BB almost like “please don’t come”. And unfortunately heartless agencies had to kill 138 people to ensure they never come out on streets again.