Benazir Bhutto Assassinated

Benazir Bhutto is dead. Her death an act of brutal, premeditated murder. This is a tragedy on several levels. At a personal level, no one should go the way she did. This is an act of violence which cannot be condemned enough. She has young children who unfortunately have been deprived of their mother. At the level of her party, her death has left a massive void. Like nearly all political leaders, Benazir treated her party like a fiefdom. Any one who gained or even started to gain popularity was swiftly sidelined or ejected. The result is that the party has been left rudderless. The next few months are going to be crucial for the possible survival of her party. At the country's level, there is going to be massive instability. The full extent of this will become apparent over the next few days. Tough times are ahead. Pakistan seems to be acting out the ancient Chinese curse.

Her death has blown a massive hole in Musharraf's strategy. This will definitely impact the elections and there is a possibility that it may be postponed.

The perpetrator of this dastardly deed is dead but the masterminds are still out loose somewhere. In all the acts of suicide bombings, the point to note is that the person who actually carries out the attack and dies is some brainwashed idiot. All extremists tend to pervert the teachings of their beliefs. Essentially peaceful teachings are used to justify acts of violence. The people who espouse and spread these perversions are never the ones to suffer. Neither are the fools who kill themselves (in this world of course). No. The ones who really suffer are the family members of the suicide bomber and his/her victims. And in the general public, the people who suffer are those who are caught up in the riots that usually follow and those whose properties are damaged or destroyed as the cycle of violence escalates.