Bhutto Whacked, Pakistan in Chaos

Former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto, was murdered yesterday after a political rally in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, about 10 miles from Islamabad. As this stand now, it appears a man shot her at least three times from close range before blowing himself up, killing around another 20. Along with her, he may well have killed off any hope for stability in Pakistan for years. And the world will never know exactly who did it.

The Bhutto family and the Pakistan People’s Party claim that the Musharraf government rubbed her out. They argue that she had complained of poor security and even a reduction in the number of police officers around her home in recent weeks. They pointed out that a previous attempt had been made on her the very day she returned. Clearly that attempt, they maintain, should have resulted in increased protection. Since there was none, they conclude the government was responsible. And the motive was to ensure that January’s elections are postponed indefinitely.

Another set of pundits, largely in the Musharraf government, is blaming Fascislamists of the Al-Qaeda, Taliban variety. This group of commentators point out that President Musharraf’s position would be strengthened by an open election. Even if his backers lost (and the vote was going to be rigged by most accounts), he would remain president. They argue that the jihadis gain from continued turmoil, and therefore, they were behind the murder.

The world will never know for certain. The suicide vest that blew the assassin to bits ensured no one would even know his name. Consequently, no one would ever know his motivation. Was he an intelligence agent? Or a bin Laden fan? The conspiracy theories are multiplying rapidly.

Pakistan has fewer options now than it had just a few days ago. Opposition leader Nawaz Sharif has been banned from running in the election due to corruption charges; Mrs. Bhutto is dead. There is no one else other than President Musharraf, who is increasingly unpopular. On the real central front in the war on terrorism, the bad guys just won big.

© Copyright 2007 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux.

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