Friday, December 28, 2007

Qui Bono?

Benazir Bhutto 1953 - 2007

Multiple Choice Question:

Who benefits from the murder of Ms. Bhutto?

A. The Pakistani ruling junta ready for anything to maintain the status-quo?
B. The fundamentalist nutcases and their nihilist and cowardly vision of the world?
C. Some external forces who might find some benefit in keeping Pakistan as volatile and unstable as possible?

Ms. Bhutto has been accused of incompetence, nepotism and corruption in the past, nevertheless she has never been convicted nor has any evidence ever been brought against her. One thing is for sure: she was a hell of a courageous, beautiful and charismatic woman. A Muslim woman who undeniably loved her country and refused to hand it over to arbitrary rulers or to absolutist fanatics.

Pakistan -a nuclear power- is a bullet away from Islamic revolution which would plunge the whole country into a night, darker than the one it already struggles to override. I think that the best homage that her followers may offer to her memory is for their party to get rid of the current prevailing nepotistic system and transform it into a modern and democratic party, offering the secularist alternative that most Pakistanis are today in bad need for.

Rest in peace Ms. Bhutto.

Some Links:

> Murtaza Shibli's summing up of the life and death of Binazir Bhutto and the surrounding drama unfolding in Pakistan.

> Benazir Bhutto hosted by Aljazeera's David Frost, last november.

> The life and death of Benazir Bhutto.

> This is what the Moroccan blogosphere thinks about this tragedy (Thanks Jillian!)

Image courtesy of Aljazeera.net

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hello Hicham. I am Sara, Yasmine's friend. I have to say your blog is brilliant, really brilliant. I'm also a big fan of Bruce Springsteen. I advice you these 2 songs : "Sounds of silence" (Simon & Garfunkel) and "My brain is hanging upside down" (The Ramones). I hope you'll like them (above all the lyrics). ByeBye!!

Abdelilah Boukili said...

Al Qaeda denying it killed Benazir Bhutto can be just a tactic on its part. It has succeeded in eliminating her. Now it should work to destabilize the government of Pt Musharraf by showing it to be behind her killing as a way to create massive anger and unrest in Pakistan to its advantages.

Benazir, during her life, was a controversial figure in Pakistan politics. Now from her grave, she’ll continue to create controversies about who was her real killer and the real motives behind her death.
Click to view comm

Hisham said...

@Sara: Ahlan wa Sahlan Sara... you're most welcome and the honour is mine really!
I'm glad you're a fan of Springsteen's despite your very young age... that goes to show that you have a great taste indeed. Thank you for your visit and comment and please don't make it your last.

@Abdelilah: Pakistan is in a big mess and it is really difficult to figure out what are the dynamics that precluded the death of Ms. Bhutto. What is sure though is that Western relentless interventions in this country -as it is indeed the case all across the Muslim World- is at the root of the radicalization of the Pakistani street. Ms. Bhutto may have been a controversial figure but she was a democratically elected leader and despite accusations of nepotism, corruption and the rest (accusations that have never been substantiated by hard evidence), she undeniablyviscerally loved her country. You're right in saying that her killing was intended to create chaos in Pakistan, hence my title question: Qui Bono? (Who benefits from that?)... I think we should always keep this question in mind when dealing with these macabre assassinations, not only in Pakistan but indeed, also in Lebanon (where Syria in systematically accused while the obvious beneficiaries are ignored by the main media including the BBC), Palestine, Iraq and elsewhere.
Thanks fellow and good wishes for the new year!!

Anonymous said...

-Sara- Thank you and happy new year!!

Hisham said...

@Sara: Koul 3Am wa anti bikhair my dear

@Abdelilah: erratum: I should have said: Pakistan is in a big mess and it is really difficult to figure out what are the dynamics that [could have] precluded the death of Ms. Bhutto.
Thanks anyway!

Abdelilah Boukili said...

Happy New Year to you Hisham!
وكل عام و أنتم بالف خير