For once, I have no words...

Comments

[mr.ed]

She can't steal anymore.

[mr.ed]

She can't steal anymore.

[Pepito]

Yup. What Mr. Ed says.

Of course, it IS a terrible tragedy. Nobody deserves that kind of death.

On the other hand, Pakistan is probably better off without her.

[Elatia Harris]

Whether or not Benazir Bhutto was a fit leader is hardly the main thing. The main thing is that a whole nation, already torn between progressive and backward-looking forces, is now that much closer to chaos. Exactly which Pakistani is benefited by the removal of Bhutto from the power equation by violent means? No one is better off now, or safer -- certainly not those who labor for a lawful democracy, and certainly not Musharraf. Where there is chaos, history shows us, there is fertile territory for the most repressive rule. At the very least, this is a time to think of the millions upon millions of mostly poor Pakistanis who had placed hope in Benazir Bhutto -- misplaced hope, many looking from the outside in would say -- and to reflect on what may await them now. Are they closer to social justice, now that she is dead? Are they nearer to a way of life that includes education for girls and employment for women? It is not at all necessary to romanticize or whitewash Benazir Bhutto to see that great suffering, and much wondering which way to turn, will come of her death by violence, and to feel sorrow for the people who must endure it.

[beajerry]

I thought I read an article through here that pointed out Bhutto's corruption.
I forgot the details, but was it swimming with sharks in order to fight other sharks? And does that make it any better?

At any rate, what she was trying to do this past year was very brave.

[Shabbir]

I would like to express my condolences to Bhutto family, her supporters and to anyone who stands for a chance of democracy for the people of Pakistan. I can’t express enough, my deep sorrow for the loss of our majority leader, Benazir Bhutto, and her supporters who gave their lives.
January 8th , 2008 that is twelve days away is the Election Day in Pakistan, where every Pakistani had a chance to vote for their future, that FUTURE IS GONE. There is nothing perfect about the people or government of Pakistan, but they are PEOPLE like you and me, today 169 million people of Pakistan it is a sad day, their hopes for equality and human dignity are gone to the terrorists of today.
My request to Mr ED: For those of us who are still mourning her death, please show some compassion and leave the pointing fingers till her mourning period is over.

[Ruchira]

Ditto to what Elatia and Shabbir said. This is not good news for anyone - for Pakistan, for the Indian subcontinent, for America. It is as demoralizing as it is tragic.

Also, let's not forget that Benazir Bhutto was the mother of three young children.

[stefany]

I fear for the days ahead for Pakistan.

[John Ballard]

For some reason the murder of this woman touches me. In a global landscape of killing and chaos, why should the death of yet another political figure strike a different chord? I don't know, except that her age, glamorous deportment and educational accomplishments projected an image bigger than life. Hers was a world-class charisma, instantly apparent. All this prating about corruption is irrelevant. What great figure has not had feet of clay?

There could be a silver lining to the cloud. Contemporary Pakistan and America of the Sixties can't be compared, but I recall the death of Kennedy and the words of a history teacher spoken within minutes of his being shot, even before confirmation of his death: "Anyone who thinks that by killing the president they will stop his policies does not understand history. Shooting him will do nothing to stop what he was trying to do."

Let's hope that in time the martyrdom of Benazir Bhutto will be remembered, not as the disruptive act if terror it was intended, but the beginning of a critical mass leading to a strong affirmation of representative government.

[Carlos]

Not that he isn't at the forefront of everyone's probable perp list, but FWIW...

[Abbas Raza]

Thank you, Shabbir. I agree with all that you say. And I weep for our people.

[Thomas]

horribly sad thing to hear that Benazir Bhutto was murdered.

you should have elided the words: "for once I have no words".

[maniza]

Our leader
Our hope
Our country
Our credo
Our ethos
Our emblem
Our identity
Our inspiration
Our pride
Our poem
Our anthem
Sleep.
Darkness falls,
sweet Shahzadi, sleep.
Dear sweet Benazir, sleep.

Our unending love
o
Our enduring grief burys you deep in our hearts.
We are broken. Our hearts, our minds, our souls. Cry beloved country.
We have been looted.

[judith weingarten]

This photo was taken on 18 October, when she returned to Pakistan,and it touched my heart:

http://judithweingarten.blogspot.com/2007/12/r-i-p.html

[Shabbir]

Thank you Maniza for the poem and thank you 3QD for refreshing your website with photos and articles of our hero Benazir Bhutto, Daughter of the East. Please keep us readers updated of new developments in Pakistan.
We love her and we miss her dearly.....BENAZIR LIVES FOREVER!!

[KB]

Benazir was not perfect. But she engaged in a struggle that was not about who was perfect, but about what mattered: justice, democracy, stability for the people of Pakistan. She made a very brave, perhaps reckless, calculation to serve Pakistan at a moment of evident crisis.

I wonder if Mr. Ed ( of talking horse fame?) and Pepito ( I am sure of some non-credited opinionator) really have any idea of what is at stake and what has been lost. And would they have done the same if their homeland was in peril?

Frankly, I doubt it.

I could say more to those who think their uneducated opinions matter to anyone.

Instead, I choose to respond as humans should in the face of any loss of a human life.

Benazir, you are now in the hands of the God that you trusted. Peace be with you.

[Arifa]

What is even sadder is the violence being done in her name right now.

Pakistanis are frustrated and I wish there was a way to channel their frustrations in a postive direction rather than have them burn cars and trucks.

Why could there not have been massive mobilization with people coming out in the streets in peace to show the people who killed her that her belief in democracy will continue to live on and that Pakistan will never turn into the state that her killers want. Instead, people are afraid to leave their homes and some have not left their homes for several days.

[aguy109]

This is sickenning, even more so for being so predictable. It is so much easier to kill and destroy than to build something worthwhile. I am sure that the people who did this get some heady satisfaction out of the feeling that they are "Making History" but in the final analysis they are merely agents of chaos

[Maliha]

I would just like to say that I offer my condolences to the Bhutto family. When it comes down to humanity, I regret the loss but as far as politics is concerned, I was never a supporter.

RIP Benazir Bhutto.

Goodluck Pakistan.