Boiling Over
My jaw dropped a few minutes ago when I was browsing my daily news and read that former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated. We have never discussed the situation in Pakistan here on Urbanagora, but I’ve thought about it quite a bit.
Pakistan could change the political landscape here in the U.S. more than just about anyone can realize. Pakistan is a nuclear-armed country that is in political turmoil. The top of this pressure cooker is being held down by strongman Pervez Musharraf who supports the very groups that are trying to take him down. He is part of the generation of Pakistani military officers that came up in the 70s and 80s when many military men were taking an interest in Islamism. He’s been supporting or at least not bothering the Taliban in the northwest while repressing his own people and continually denying even a mockery of a free and fair election. Pakistan has been heading toward some “interesting” shall we say, times for a while now and the death of the only serious contender for the Pakistani leadership will only increase tension.
The only other contender for the office was Nawaz Sharif. Last I heard Sharif was barred from seeking office and many of his party were similarly barred from running in regional elections. This essentially leaves Musharraf as the sole contender for Pakistan’s highest office frustrating democracy and increasing tensions. I imagine the next few months will be tumultuous and violent. These events will likely destabilize the region further and will doubtless impact politics here in the U.S. as contenders for office will have to come up with an appropriate response.
Comment by JayBandit on 27 December 2007 at 7:12 pm:
I’m still in shock that this has happened. I know they made their first major attempt on her life about 12 hours after she returned; but I honestly thought they really had her protected well.
Apparently extremism is harder to defend against than her bodyguards anticipated.