Benazir Bhutto Assassinated in Pakistan; Status of Elections is in Doubt
By Jane Clark
December 28, 2007 | Printer Friendly

The December 27, 2007 assassination of Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto has left many people in her country in mourning, outraged, and concerned about the future of Pakistan. The Washington Post writes that while the government has formally blamed her death on al-Qaeda and the Taliban, many of her supporters hold President Pervez Musharraf responsible, accusing him of doing too little to protect her. With upcoming elections just days away, her death has created violent unrest in the country and officials are unsure of how to proceed. The United States government facilitated Bhutto’s return to Pakistan in the hopes that she would join forces with Musharraf in order to create stability in Pakistan. Following her death, there is no one immediately available to take the lead in her party the Pakistan People’s Party, which has long been connected to her family name. Still, the US government is urging Pakistanis to remain calm and to move forward with the democratic election process in honor of Bhutto’s memory. Immediately following Bhutto’s assassination Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice issued to following statement:

On behalf of the United States, I want to express our deepest sympathy on the tragic death of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. We extend our sincere condolences to the Bhutto family and to the families of others who were killed and wounded in the attack. We condemn in the strongest terms possible this cowardly and murderous attack.

Ms. Bhutto’s passing is a great loss for Pakistan. I knew her as a woman of great courage and had been impressed by her dedication and commitment to democracy and to the future of Pakistan itself.

As President Bush said earlier today, the perpetrators of this crime must be brought to justice.

The deadly results of this attack will no doubt test the will and patience of the people of Pakistan. We urge the Pakistani people, political leaders, and civil society to maintain calm and to work together to build a more moderate, peaceful, and democratic future.

According to BBC News, the attack on Bhutto may be a crippling blow to the hope for stability in Pakistan. British Foreign Secretary David Miliband is quoted as saying that without Bhutto, the responsibility for ensuring Pakistan’s future rests on the ability of politicians, community leaders, people of faith, business people and the military to work together. He discusses the need for a political system that can support itself and deal with widespread social problems, and the need for other countries to “back strong systems not just strong people.”

A New York Times editorial states that the United States, which has for many years given billions of dollars in military to Pakistan, must act immediately to support efforts in Pakistan to establish democratic institutions. The editorial argues that this means calling on Pakistan to allow for a brief delay to allow Bhutto’s party to field a new candidate, demanding that opposition leader Nawaz Sharif be allowed to run, and pressuring Musharraf to reinstate the Supreme Court judges he fired earlier this year. The US government must reevaluate the vast amounts of money it is sending to Pakistan, much of which is funding the personal interests of Musharraf and Pakistan’s army. The editorial concludes that it is now time to prioritize building democracy in Pakistan, so that United States’ support can help the people of Pakistan, and not just the interests of a few.

Washington Post: Thousands Mourn Bhutto as Unrest Spreads

State Department: Assassination of Benazir Bhutto

BBC News: Search for Stability Continues Amid Fears

New York Times Editorial: After Benazir Bhutto