Benazir
Yesterday, 27th of December 2007, Benazir Bhutto, former PrimeMinister and leader of Pakistan Peoples Party, was assassinated. She was 54.
Predictably, we’ve been watching the News. On various channels. BBC One, Channel4, BBCNews24, SkyNews24, CNN, and the lesser known Pakistani television channels, PrimeTV and Geo -
I’ve been learning more about the country’s political past whilst concurrently debating upon the future of Pakistan. My mother was born and raised in Karachi. My grandma, aunt and many many greataunts, greatuncles and first/ second/third cousins once/ twice/ thrice? removeds reside there.
Before Midnight: Daddy was curled up in the armchair with the patchwork quilt, looking delightfully incongruous as he dispensed his wisdom in measured mellowness. Mon frere lay on the leather, reclining so far as would be comfortable for sleeping, his glasses propped jauntily on the bridge of his nose as he peered at the screen. My mother and I had taken the three-seater; I’d embedded myself into her side. Daddy had once said to us, though in a different, somewhat funny-argumentative context to amuse my aunt, “Your mother is a woman of fire”. I took his statement literally, I am a cold person. It has been said this is common knowledge. One name I go by is Ice Queen.
Counting down to Midnight: We awaited the Headlines once more. Mother was getting firey over the various pros and cons of the oscillation which seems to be happening between Military and Democratically elected Presidents of Pakistan. I was mid-sentence with a retort to some point when -
Midnight: My brother interrupted with something. I didn’t quite register it. Neither did Mum, it seemed. I continued. Mum replied. He said something to Daddy, then turned on us again.
“Happy Anniversary!”
Today’s the 28th of December 2007. Happy Birthday to Daddy. Happy Wedding Anniversary to him, and Mummy also. Is there a Happy Anniversary song I can sing them? Apparently there’s this and also this. Shame they never matched the popularity of the Happy Birthday song – Warner Chappell supposedly demand royalties of between $5,000/$10,000 when allowing a substantial part of the song to be used in movies etc. In America at the very least. So says Wikipedia here. “Sucks to be them,” says the Ninja, the one to inform me of these Copyright laws.
Apparently Pakistani people are very happy with Marshall law, when it first happens. A sweeping generalisation perhaps. Nevertheless, often welcome reprieve from the previous mess of leadership. It does the country good. Indeed, Pres. [former General] Pervez Musharraf initially had a great amount of support from the people. I personally reckon he’s driven the country towards progress and brought about a lot of good in Pakistan. That’s not to say he’s without fault.
The problem that persists is this: Military folk don’t quite know when to leave. Musharraf’s outstayed his welcome. No-one’s there to kick him out, and so once more the people get restless and call for some Democracy. We likes Democracy, precious. But the democratically elected are no better, they’re just as, if not more, corrupt. Money-laundering, embezzlement etc etc. It seems, unfortunate as it is, that Pakistan is plagued by Corruption. Everyone wants, as mother put it, to EAT MONEY. Sounds better in Urdu, so much is lost in translation it’s depressing. When an elected leader is in power he/she is EATING the MONEY, but then the army are like, “WOAH now!” we wants to EAT too. They’re all feeding off the country, poor as it is. Yumyumyum. Poor gaunt little thing.
Back to Benazir, She was intelligent – having studied at both Harvard and Oxford – undoubtedly courageous – imprisoned, politically exiled, issued death-threats – and sadly ‘allegedly’ deeply corrupt. Though Mum says this was all her husband’s fault and she shoulda got rid ‘o him and she’d have been sorted. Politics took her family. Her father was hanged, one brother shot, another poisoned. She survived an assassination attempt scarcely two and a half months ago – Oct 18th. My brother questioned her return to Pakistan after self-imposed exile, her continued pursuit of power, as a Deathwish. Mum said, whenever you’re doing something you must have that conviction that what you’re doing is good, is right, without that passionate belief in yourself, why would you bother? I countered with, Megalomania is a disease.
As a child, the occassions when I heard of Benazir I’d simply insult her fashion sense. To this day I stand by that continued mocking. Primary Keywords I associated her with were, “pakistan” “primeminister” “bad clothes” and “corrupt”. She had no sense of style. But what does that matter if she’s a charming public speaker, something Benazir was for sure. But corruption, that’s a word I’d heard often. And even then I knew it to be Bad.
Yet standing, as she did, for Moderate Pakistan, I celebrate her efforts to promote tolerance and Democracy in Pakistan, unforgetting as I am of her prediliction for political corruptness. Ultimately, she was a person, of only 54. I’m sad she died, and at such a young age. No-one deserves to go like that, it’s horrific. I’m really sorry for her children.
Honestly, I’m not really sure how I feel, and that’s not a cop-out. It’s odd, being removed from a situation in some ways, and yet being attached to it in others. I guess it hinges on my relationship to Pakistan itself, something I see as not quite settled. The country that is mine in heritage and yet not my own. To say I am concerned would be something of an understatement, and yet a stronger word rings false. I can’t expect to feel as my mother does.
Still, one does not stop hoping for stability even in the places they’ve never yet seen anything but sustained turbulence. Perhaps if we look in the pockets of domesticity, look deeper than the national, at the local scale, perhaps it is there that we must derive strength from stability, that which we seek to spread across to the furthermost frontiers. Communities and families supporting one another, holding together and striving to live by Pakistan’s founding ideals of “Unity, Discipline and Faith”. A microcosm of what one wishes to see reflected in the country as a whole. A nation which, against the odds, survives all its ups and downs, constantly striving to progress and hold its own in a modern world.
Happy Anniversary to your parents Reda! Strangely enough, my fiancee’s parents’ 22nd anniversary was the 28th too.
Really interesting post. It must be strange such a strong family background in one particular country while living in a completely different one. I have no experience like that.
I’m really glad you’ve written about this, as I was wondering what you’d say, being suspended half way between 2 countries and cultures. I love your mother – she sounds like mine!
I must say though, I’m a bit shocked that you claim Musharraf has brought about progress and good! Benazir and her husband might have exchanged a bit of legislation for cash in their time, but doesn’t that happen to a certain extent in any democracy? Musharraf on the other hand is a totalitarian bastard. Many people in Pakistan place the responsibility for Benazir’s death squarely on his shoulders. And I must say I agree with them.
Firstly the autopsy. Her husband had insisted not to do one, but for such a public figure whose murder has caused rioting, further deaths and millions of dollars of damage, it is important to know the truth. Musharraf’s decision not to order an autopsy in the face of this aftermath is hugely suspect to say the least. As is the scene of the bombing being washed down with a high pressure hose barely an hour after Benazir’s death, which of course removed any traces of forensic evidence. Apparently an autopsy is compulsory under Pakistan’s criminal law.
Then there’s this controversy: how did she die? The government have denied any hand in the assassination, trying to pass off her death as an accident with the car’s sunroof, and then by claiming to intercept an incriminating phonecall that points the finger at al-Qa’ida. Good one there, as Benazir’s new campaign made it clear that if she became PM she would allow NATO to strike at the extremists and their aliies.
Worse, during the 3 days of mourning, flights were cancelled and shops shut. In Karachi I hear police were given authorisation to fire on rioters if they were attacked! And that’s an order issued from a decent democratic government.
You’re right about the military not knowing when to quit. In my opinion, the military should never sieze control of a government. Soliders are not diplomats. And absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Benazir was also the only secular political leader in Pakistan. The US since 2001 has given Musharraf’s government $11 billion in aid when he agreed to be part of the war against terror, but what has he done with it? Nothing observable. And (I quote here) his lack of a democratic mandate has not only made him unable to deal with Islamist militancy, but has forced him to compromise with it.
And because of this influence of extremism in parts of the military, some analysts conclude that Pakistan is more potentially a danger to world peace than Afganistan!
So saying however, Musharraf is hardly in league with al-Qu’ida as they have demanded his overthrow many times and attempted to kill several of his cabinet members.
Nawaz Sharif claims that dictatorships have ruined Pakistan; now I don’t know enough about the country’s history to refute or agree with that statement, but I’d like to see the back of Musharraf and his dodgy politics.
Isn’t it galling that if anyone deserves assassination it’s Robert Mugabe who has murdered his country, and yet the one who dies is Benazir Bhutto, a woman dedicated to helping her country and risking her life to do so.
Gosh, isn’t Lucifer clever! My contribution will now sound decidedly idiotic….
I will pick up on your point about family and community being the route to a ‘well’ country. The Greeks had a similar idea, which is why they had so many laws that affected things that seemed utterly personal and nothing to do with the state. The idea was that if everyone’s households were in keeping with the moral and sociological ideal, this would ripple out and the whole state would live up to the ideal. It’s a nice theory…doesn’t quite work though because, for the vast majority of people, living in a way that is beneficial to others is living against their nature. People can’t resist taking a little more than they need and doing a little less than they should. It’s human nature to screw up!
Geez, you write well.
Lucifer, wow, impressive response, thankyou to take the time! Hehehe… my mum loves you too, come visit again soon.
Yes it happens in any democracy, but it was a lot more than a “bit of cash”… this sortof corruption’s become systemic in the developing world. The politics are so messed up that it’s difficult to fully identify the root of the problems and the fact that it’s become a norm doesn’t make it acceptable. I’m by no means saying I support Musharraf or think it’s right that he seized and retained power, but from what people on the ground in Pakistan experienced, good things have come about during his stay. He did it for the safety of Pakistan and no, I don’t think blame can be put squarely on his shoulders. He dissuaded Benazir from so openly rallying, especially after previous attempts on her life, and she was well aware of the risks she was taking to reach the people of Pakistan she thought she could benefit by winning the elections.
I have more to say but unfortunately have the Creative Industries essay to get on with…
and Nawaz Sharif I don’t even want to begin talking about…
Thanks again for your passionate response! Lol at having so much to say cos of reading the Paper that morning!
xxxa