Another Bhutto Assasinated
Contrary to popular wisdom it really is the time now to assign blame. It lies squarely with the Pakistani Army and its Commander-in-Chief, Pervez Musharraf. The same army assassinated her father, Zulfikar Bhutto, after a sham trial. The same army has been plundering the country’s wealth and put its judges in jail in the name of security.
It is the machinations of the Army that in effect surrendered the sovereignty of Pakistan, won after decades of struggles against the British led by Gandhi and Jinnah. Once it became the battleground in the global struggle between the West and the Soviet Union and later the Islamic terrorists, Pakistan ceased to be a nation. It is merely a theater of war, like Poland was in the 1930’s. Even greater tragedies await the people who are unfortunate enough to inhabit the region.
It is significant that Bhutto’s assassination happened not in Karachi, her power-base. And not in Islamabad the capital. But in Rawalpindi, the garrison town, the Head Quarters of the Army itself. The one place in Pakistan where the Army’s writ ought to hold. Either the ISI, the Army’s shadowy secret service is complicit in her murder or they are impotent, unable to ensure security even in their own Head Quarters.
Neither Mrs. Bhutto nor her father was a saint. The corruption charges against them do have substance. But we do not live in an ideal world. In the real world, the Bhutto family was the only beacon of hope for the working class of Pakistan, although they were themselves Zamindars, among the wealthiest landowners in the country. If we do not have to admire them for their financial dealings, we have to respect them for bravery. For all their flaws, it is only the civilian politicians there who can find a way out of the quagmire that is swallowing Pakistan.
The inevitable and scary question is, who is next? Mr. Nawaz Sherif is not as much of a threat to the Army or the Islamists, but one worries for him and all the other brave civilian leaders. Will this provide the pretext for more repression of the civilian population by the Army? Will the elections be postponed? Will the terrorists be emboldened enough to turn even more openly against the Army? The slimy assurances of the Pakistani Ambassador to the US do not reassure any one. Especially when he tries to claim now that Bhutto and Musharraf were on the same side.
These are perilous times indeed. And not just for Pakistan.
There is the urban legend about the man who is running down the street, his beard on fire. A drunk comes up to him and asks “Hey man, can I have a light?”
US politicians reactions to Mrs. Bhutto’s assassination react in a similar vein.
McCain says he has the experience to deal with such situations. OK, he does, let us give him his due. Only thing is, he seems to think Churchill is still Prime Minister.
Mrs. Clinton says she met with Bhutto and even Chelsea was there. Oh, really? That should make her an expert then. I met a dentist last week at a Christmas party. Want me to do a root canal on you?
We couldn’t make out what Giuliani was saying, but it sounded like “9/11, 9/11, 9/11. As mayor of New York I had much experience in Foreign Policy. I even ate at “Curry in a Hurry” once.”
Huckabee said it was all predicted in the Book of Revelations. “But we can understand what the Good Book is predicting only after it happens.”
Edwards: “She always had such a nice haircut”.
Romney:”She pardoned some criminals; nothing good ever comes from that”.
Obama: “I voted against sending Bhutto back to Pakistan back in 2004″.
Bush: “Huh..What is a Bhutto?”.
Mrs. Bush:”I heard she has a real nice recipe for Chicken Tikka. We should have got it from her.”
Ron Paul: “What happens in Karachi should stay in Karachi. It is none of our business.”
Kucinich: “She wasn’t assassinated. She was kidnapped by aliens.”
Gravel: ” Even I can’t figure out why anyone gives a shit what I think.”
