The assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto caused quite a stir throughout the world, and leaders of many countries immediately condemned the incident. News of her assassination sent the U.S. stock market and dollar plummeting, while prices of oil and gold soared sharply. It also sparked anti-government demonstrations throughout Pakistan, and the furious protests and resulting violence have made some question whether Pakistan President Musharraf should be forced to step down.
As the opposition leader to the militant Musharraf regime, Bhutto symbolized democracy replacing autocracy. Regardless of her own safety, she dedicated herself to furthering democracy in Pakistan. Her great courage and sense of purpose were indicative of other female figures of democratic change, such as Myanmar democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Indian Prime Minister Singh said that Bhutto was not an ordinary political leader, as she had left behind a profound influence. For the Prime Minister of India—a country which seen long years of conflict and tension with Pakistan—it is clear that Bhutto's dedication to democracy has had positive effect in the relationship between the two countries.
It was an historical coincidence that India and Pakistan both created respective outstanding female leaders. As a politician, Bhutto's bumpy career was very similar to that of Jawaharlal Nehru's daughter, Indira Gandhi, who twice served as India's Prime Minister and was also assassinated. The Gandhi family in India and the Bhutto family in Pakistan could be likened to the Kennedy political dynasty in the U.S. In terms of administrative style, Gandhi was dubbed the "iron lady," while Bhutto was known as the "iron butterfly." Moreover, both of their sons did not become involved in politics until their mothers were assassinated. While there are differing views on Gandhi in the wake of her death, her popularity since then has continued to grow. Bhutto was twice Pakistan's Prime Minister, but forced to step down both times due to corruption allegations against her husband, but her death made her a Gandhi-style legend.
The investigation into Bhutto' assassination may have tremendous impact on Pakistan's political future, but the truth of the case may likely never be unraveled—not only because there were many with motives to commit such a crime, but also because there were complicated conflicts of interest behind the case. Both Musharraf and the United States believe that Al Qaeda is most likely culprit. However Al Qaeda—with a history of proud admission when it comes to such killings—has publicly denied the allegation. The U.S. remains supportive of democratic elections in Pakistan and was pleased to see the power-sharing between Bhutto and Musharraf. And an international independent investigation into the matter wouldn't be in place without strong U.S. support. Nevertheless, fingering Al Qaeda for Bhutto's death serves the Bush administration's anti-terrorism rhetoric and the Republican Party presidential campaign. Although the Bhutto assassination has done more harm than good to the newly elected President Musharraf, it is difficult for him to escape the shadow of guilt for four reasons: the first can be found in clues left in Bhutto's email messages; second, the Musharraf government has reported conflicting statements regarding the causes behind Ms. Bhutto's death; third, the intuitive judgments of Ms. Bhutto's family and Pakistan People Party (PPP); and fourth, the Musharraf administration's failure to protect Bhutto with the protection she had repeatedly requested. With such a case against Musharraf, attributing the Bhutto assassination to terrorists seems like merely a convenient excuse to stabilize the situation.
What's interesting is the Chinese Communist regime's ambiguous position on the case. Unlike most countries in the world, the head of the Chinese regime has yet to make any comment on the Bhutto assassination, aside from a brief statement by the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman, who said that China was shocked by the incident. Moreover, since her death the Chinese media has largely ran articles detailing the Bhutto's past corruption charges, heavily suggesting that Bhutto deserved what she got. While in power, Bhutto was an ally of the Chinese regime, yet after her death this government sold her out for their own political interests. But it shouldn't come as any surprise. The Chinese regime and the Musharraf administration have befriended each other as they both hold totalitarian interests, and both feared the influence Bhutto might have had in furthering democracy had she taken power. The Chinese regime has a lot of vested interests in Pakistan, including a natural gas pipeline project and military cooperation, such as the transfer of ballistic missile and nuclear weapon technologies, etc. But the Chinese regime also wants to use Pakistan as strategic leverage against India and the U.S.
In the wake of Bhutto's death, Pakistan's political triangle has been changed, with the PPP appointing Bhutto's son as the new Party chairman. However, even after death Bhutto can still influence people's shared opposition to totalitarianism and serve as a solid catalyst for democracy movements around the world.
