photo by PAKlSTAN
Unless you’ve been living under a rock this past fortnight, you’ll know that the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto, was assassinated by a reported Al Kaeda suicide bomber on Thursday, 27 December 2007. If you’re not overly political and live in a western country, then there’s a good chance this news does not mean anything to you. Pakistan is very far away, maybe you know almost nothing about it, or maybe your only thoughts of Pakistan are of it being a country full of “crazy Muslims” and potential terrorists.
Whether you agree with any of these sentiments, it doesn’t change the fact that the assassination of Benzir Bhutto is something we should all care about. This was a woman who deserves to be remembered, and not just by her countrymen. A woman whose courage, determination and passion should be celebrated. So, here’s why I’m toasting the life of the great Benazir Bhutto. May she rest in peace.
- She was the first female to ever be ELECTED as leader of a Muslim nation. Any Muslim nation. Considering the place women generally hold in this faith, this is an amazing achievement
- She was democratically elected to this office not once, but TWICE
- Despite the fact that she had been run out of her country and was living comfortably in exile, AND she knew her life would be targeted if she ran for office again, Benazir Bhutto returned to Pakistan in 2007 and positioned herself as the candidate to beat in the coming election. She kept up her political rallies and refused to hide away from the people who loved her and turned out in thousands to welcome her home. Unfortunately, this was also what killed her: she was shot in the head as she stood up to wave to her adoring crowds from her bullet proof car
- She was a symbol. A symbol for hope for many of the people of Pakistan, including the poor and Pakistani women, who believed she was the key to their gaining equal rights in a country where honor killings are still rampant
- Despite being imprisoned and fearing for her own life and that of her family, Benazir Bhutto fought to save her persecuted father, ex-Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, from the gallows before his eventual execution by Pakistan’s military dictatorship in 1979. She then vowed to continue his legacy and became the leader of his Pakistan People’s Party
- And in a world struggling to keep the forces of fundamentalism at bay, Benazir Bhutto should be honored as a woman who truly believed in a free and democratic Pakistan. A woman who never gave up the hope that she could recapture her country from the Muslim extremists who have dogged Pakistan for so long
Benazir Bhutto was a woman with vision, a sense of purpose. A purpose, which even when attacked, she would not desert. Benazir Bhutto knew her persistence and single minded focus could end her life one day, but this did not stop her. That takes courage. Courage of conviction and self, and that is something we should all commend.
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