Benezir Bhutto Dies in Attack!

[Nikolai]

Originally posted by Zkribbler


I'm not convinced, but I am suspecious.
The fact that she was shot at close range is even more indicative of a plot with official sanction.

Another indicative is that the killer came through three guard posts. Inside the equalient of West Point.

[Traianvs]

Musharraf would hardly order the assassination himself. He's having and has been having a hard time keeping order in the country. If a large portion of the populace even thinks or believes he was responsable he would have an even harder time, no? If he's hated, then killing his direct opponents would only make himself more hated.

My 2 cents are on muslim extremists. Seeing Bhutto had a secularist stance, it would be good if Musharraf was somehow implicated in the assassination, because it could cause a major uproar. For those extremists they'd be killing two birds with one stone.

[Dinner]

Originally posted by MOBIUS
Probably the most obvious assassination ever the moment she set foot in the country - my only surprise is that it actually took this long...

If you were so confident why didn't you vote for her in the dead pool? Unless you're just trying to pretend you knew ahead of time.

[LordShiva]

Also, Musharraf is now pretty much required to declare martial law and postpone teh elections, which is not going to help his image on teh Pakistani street.

[Dinner]

BTW NPR was saying Bhutto & her husband supposedly stole $1 billion plus while she was in power. Not small potatoes.

[Apocalypse]

Here is a blog post from a friend of mine. I agree with it.

http://neelofer.wordpress.com/2007/12/27/another-one-bites-the-dust/

Another One Bites the Dust
Thursday, 27 December 2007

Benazir Bhutto, leader of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), died today from gunshot wounds and shrapnel from a detonated bomb.

Personally, I’m no fan of Bhutto, but it is a regrettable incident. I’m tired of seeing this infantile violence.

I would have far more to say in defence of Bhutto perhaps if I wasn’t so overwhelming infuriated by the comments inundating the media and blogsphere regarding Bhutto’s death.

For those calling her martyr, she is not one. Bhutto did not die for democracy. She did not die for Pakistan’s future. She died for herself and her ambition. Twice elected as prime minister of Pakistan, Bhutto destroyed the economy as she mercilessly stole from the Pakistani people. Instead of having the courage to stand trial for her relentless corruption, she left the country imposing exile upon herself. She returned after numerous reassurances from President Pervez Musharraf and the U.S. government (no doubt) that she would not be prosecuted for her betrayal.

For those calling her a champion of feminism, being a woman doesn’t make someone a feminist. Under her rule, Bhutto curtailed numerous press and educational freedoms. For the majority of my life in Pakistan, Bhutto was the leader. I remember countless days of strikes where shops, schools, and offices closed down because of the lack of security in the country she oversaw.

For calling her a champion of moderate Islam and democracy, neither democracy nor moderation exist when you prevent a free press and educational rights from existing. Nor do those exist when the citizenry is at home, unable to work or shop, because there are riots in the street due to your actions. Oh yeah, stealing from your people is also not good.

Bhutto became who she is because her father was a leader with a vision. He was also assassinated. Riding on the coat tails of his fame, she became a “leader.” The only courageous thing Bhutto has done is return to Pakistan in 2007 with the hopes of being elected prime minister despite the numerous death threats she received. Even that is tainted by her history of corruption.

Additionally, I’m appalled, simply appalled by the comments of countless Americans who have so much to say on the topic.

Pakistan isn’t what you think it is. You have no concept of its culture until you have lived it. And, I’m free to make that statement because I have lived in both countries. I know both cultures as my own. The Americans I speak of include Pakistani-Americans. The Western ways of democracy cannot be exported to countries that have been systemically oppressed for decades. You can’t just throw money at people and assume everything is going to be okay. You can’t just say, “This is a good way” and have them blindly follow it.

When I was in Pakistan, I learned about the whole world. I didn’t have to wait until adulthood to read about the world in the newspapers. It was in my classes, it was in conversations with my parents, it was on the news we watched daily at 9 p.m., it was in the newspapers I read (yes, as a child). By the age of three, I could identify every U.S. state on a world map.

I’m not fellating myself. I’m trying to convey the point that in the rest of the world, we learn about the whole world from the beginning, not just bits and pieces of convenience. So, before one opines as freely as most do, consider adding some historical and cultural perspective. If you don’t have it, at least admit it before you speak so you don’t look foolish and arrogant.

[lord of the mark]

[QUOTE] Originally posted by Agathon

Another delusion of yours. You obviously have little idea of what drives these people.

Is this based on your extensive time in Pakistan, or your long years in high politics?

This whole thing is bull****. Her return to Pakistan was almost wholly choreographed by the United States and Britain, in service of their own interests in their moronic "War on Terror".

It really looks more like both Bhutto and Sharif were taking advantage of Musharafs troubles, and the US and UK were reacting.

Now that their goal has been frustrated, they are crying. As if our scumbag leaders care about Pakistani democracy or ordinary Pakistanis. They obviously didn't, since they wanted to inflict a corrupt and brutal thief back on the Pakistanis.

Actually from what I can gather they were quite content to keep Musharaf. I really think you are completely misunderstanding Pakistani politics. You are even repeating the accusations and terms of belittlement that the military has used wrt Pakistans civilian politicians.

This woman was not Aung San Suu Kyi.

Didnt say she was. Its a different political situation entirely.

Don't be fooled by our ****wit politicians into feeling sorry for her

Shes dead, you miscreant.

or thinking this is a bad day for democracy.

It is.

The ****heads

Its nice to be reminded that filosofer can be as vulgar as a teknologist.

o run our countries demonstrate their contempt for democracy on a regular basis. For example, in their slavish support of the racist Israeli state.

Tired of getting pawned about Pakistani politics, trying to change the subject?

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by Oerdin
BTW NPR was saying Bhutto & her husband supposedly stole $1 billion plus while she was in power. Not small potatoes.

Ive been listening to NPR and didnt hear that figure cited.

[lord of the mark]

"Instead of having the courage to stand trial for her relentless corruption, she left the country imposing exile upon herself. "

I guess she didnt expect a fair trial from the people who overthrew her, and whod hung her father.

[Apocalypse]

It was pretty obvious that she was guilty. And this was long before Musharraf started messing with the courts. I don't see how anyone can defend her. Musharraf was definitely the lesser of three evils in this election.

[lord of the mark]

Has Ramo posted here lately, BTW?

[Dinner]

Originally posted by lord of the mark


Ive been listening to NPR and didnt hear that figure cited.

I did. They said she was accused of stealing up to $1.5 billion but that a conservative number was $1 billion. The woman was a kleptomaniac.

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by Oerdin


I did. They said she was accused of stealing up to $1.5 billion but that a conservative number was $1 billion. The woman was a kleptomaniac.

well for whateve reason they didnt choose to quote that in the profile on their site

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=15048523

Only number mentioned is an account alleged to hold $10 million.

[lord of the mark]

a not particular adoring, but still nuanced view, from Hitchens:

http://www.slate.com/id/2180952/

[Dinner]

Look up how her husband was so renowned for graft that he was nick named "Mr. 10%". Absolutely any meaningful investment or enterprise in the the country had his dirty fingers in it.