Bloodbath in Rawalpindi

With Benazir Bhutto’s murder the extremist forces within the army and outside will become stronger

Pranay Sharma Delhi

Benazir Bhutto never believed she could be killed at a public rally, in front of her supporters, hundreds of security men and in the presence of all the cameras. Last of the Bhutto lineage, with her father hanged by Zia ul Haq and her two brothers killed in mysterious circumstances, she too had to die a bloody death, even while she, backed by the Americans, arrived in Pakistan to usher in democracy after a long spell of exile.

A fortnight back, in an interview with The Washington Post, she recalled the attempt on her life in October in Karachi. The incident left 179 dead and over 450 injured, though she escaped unhurt. "The militants had tried to kill me in the past, but I couldn't believe they would try it in front of all the cameras. Even now, think of how bad it was." It got worse in army-ruled Pakistan's garrison town of Rawalpindi on December 27. She was killed the way she never believed she could be: in public, before the security personnel, even while the suicide bomber exploded himself and the killer with an AK-47 pumped her with bullets on the neck.

Everyone thought the worst was over after the Karachi blasts on her arrival, but her close aides, particularly the chief of her security, Rahman Malik, thought otherwise. Since October, when two bombs, one of them suspected to be strapped on the body of a baby, went off in an attempt to kill her, Malik had pleaded with the Pakistani authorities to tighten her security. He had asked for equipments, including "jammers," that would effectively ward off future attempts on Benazir's life. It is apparent that the authorities did not oblige him. Two of the "jammers" on Benazir's bullet-proof car, were said to be faulty.

It would take a while for the political dust and the blood and gore on the streets in Pakistan to settle down. Riots have erupted in Karachi and other cities. The supporters of Benazir's Pakistan People's Party (PPP) have decided to mourn for 40 days. How will the nation cope with this sudden magnitude of the tragedy, and the disgust and anger which is unfolding with it?

Musharraf has urged the people to strengthen his hands to fight the terrorists who he claims are behind the murder. Few in Pakistan believe him. Interestingly, no slogans are being shouted against the militants — they are all directed against Musharraf. Benazir's supporters, Nawaz Sharif, and most political parties, have put the blame squarely on Musharraf. The leaders of Pakistan Muslim League (Q), the faction close to him, are under attack. Their party offices have been ransacked. Even in Rawalpindi, they are holed up in their houses and are afraid to come out in the streets.

The elections scheduled for January 8, 2008 in Pakistan would definitely be called off. But despite world leaders' joining Musharraf in his attempt to call for peace in Pakistan, the country has been thrown into political chaos once again. Pressure has started mounting on Musharraf as many in the western capitals have started questioning  as to how long they should continue to back him. The widespread violence could well create a situation for him to go. His main backer, the George Bush, who has invested over $10 billion on him and the generals close to him, to ensure their cooperation in America's fight against "global terror", have been in a catch-22 scenario.

While Musharraf gagged the press, sacked the judiciary and cracked on human rights the West and the US kept silent. While the extremist within the army and outside called the shots, the West backed Musharraf. Now that Benazir has been assassinated, will Musharraf once again be absolved of all blame?

Many believe the Pakistani army to be the biggest stumbling block for it to turn into a real democracy. It has dismissed elected governments at will and had always managed to have the last word on key decisions. It has been backed by the West and the US in its efforts to run the country. Even while the brutal crackdown went on, the international community stood silently  Benazir's assassination could safely be blamed on Islamic fundamentalists. No one would bother to probe further as to who masterminded minded it.

In a signed op-ed piece article in The New York Times in November, Benazir had written, "It is dangerous to stand up to a military dictatorship, but more dangerous not to. The moment has come for the western democracies to show us in their actions, and not just in their rhetoric: which side they are on."

Is any one in the West listening?