Adil Najam
Benazir Bhutto, twice Prime Minister of Pakistan, now lies under six feet of earth in Garhi Khuda Bux, her ancestral village, in a grave next to her equally mercurial father, the late Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto.
As the graphic above (click to enlarge) from Boston Globe shows, hers – like her father’s – was a brilliant but tragic life. Tragically ended.
Now she is buried. But I suspect that the Benazir saga is far from over. Indeed, just as all of Pakistan’s politics after Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto’s hanging was contextualized by his hanging, all of Pakistan’s politics after Benazir’s assasination is likely to be contextualized by Benazir’s assasination.
In the immediate aftermath of this tragic death, the country continues to reel in grief at what has happened, fear about what might happened, and immense immense anger and everything that has been happening. As I argued in an op-ed in the New York Daily News today, this mix of grief, anger and fear is a very dangerous combination. It cannot lead to any good.
Right now the scenes we see on our screens are of mayhem, of devastation, of further violence, of destruction. These are not good images for Pakistan and certainly these are not the Benazir Bhutto would have wanted as her legacy. We at ATP have written many many times about the climate of anger that defines modern Pakistan (here here, here, here, here, etc.). This anger is the single most disturbing and single most defining motif of today’s Pakistan. Right now – and not without reason – the anger is being directed at Gen. Pervaiz Musharraf’s government. Much of this should, but not in this way.
More important to note is who the anger is not being directed at. I hope that the legacy of Benazir Bhutto’s untimely and tragic death is a legacy of a society that seizes this moment to reassert its demand for democracy and to recognize that extremist violence is our problem. This is not a mercenary war. This is Pakistan’s own battle. Right now the evidence suggests that society continues to tear at its own self. I fear that it will not change anytime soon. That things are likely to get worse before they become any better. But, I refuse to give up hope. At least, not yet.
As I wrote in my New York Daily News op-ed:
If this moment ends up being defined by Pakistan’s latent anger – if it launches a cycle of crackdowns and protests – it will certainly empower and embolden the militants further. But if it is defined by society’s sense of shared loss, felt grief and the continued movement toward genuine democracy, it might – just might – bring together a fractured society and awaken in them the realization that the common enemies are extremism, violence and terrorism. Then, we might just have half a chance of winning this war on terror. And Benazir Bhutto’s death would not have been in vain.
For those interested in the craft of writing, East of Eden serves as a masterclass in character development and setting the scene. Steinbeck’s journals, written while he was drafting the book, reveal his struggles. Comparing the final text to his journals is a fascinating exercise. Writers often look for an East of Eden PDF to study the sentence flow and structure. Our site offers a writer’s perspective on the novel, breaking down the techniques Steinbeck used to build tension and empathy. We help aspiring writers learn from the master.
The enduring mystery of Heathcliff’s origins is one of the most intriguing aspects of the book. Where did he come from? To look for clues, you might want to scour a Wuthering Heights PDF. The text offers subtle hints but no definitive answers, leaving it up to the reader’s imagination. A digital copy allows you to closely examine the early chapters where Mr. Earnshaw brings the boy home. It is a puzzle that has baffled scholars for decades, and having the text in a searchable format lets you play detective in one of literature’s greatest mysteries.
The concept of the “tragedy of the commons” isn’t explicitly stated, but the exploitation of the land is a background theme. The shift from family farming to business is depicted with nostalgia and resignation. Economics students can find interesting parallels here. An East of Eden PDF allows for keyword searches related to business and farming. Our content discusses the economic shifts in the Salinas Valley, adding a layer of sociological analysis to the reading. We broaden the scope of the novel beyond just the family drama.
Many people know the story, but fewer have read the actual words. The richness of the prose is lost in summaries. To get the full effect, you must read the original. A Pride and Prejudice PDF is the most accessible way to do this. Our platform is dedicated to the integrity of the text. We encourage readers to go beyond the adaptations. Discover the beauty of the sentences that Austen crafted with such care.
The references to classic rom-coms in this book are a delight for film buffs. However, the story stands on its own as a masterpiece of the genre. A PDF download provides easy access to this layer of pop culture fun. It is a narrative that respects its roots while growing into something unique and, yes, better than the movies.