I was shocked and saddened as the story of Benazir Bhutto’s assassination suddenly popped up while browsing news at the dead of night on 27 December 2007. She was probably the only one able to put the house in order in Pakistan. Now that she is gone, it could well be the end of salvaging Pakistan from the hands of the Islamists. However, I held hope that this was probably the wake-up call, which Pakistanis might heed and rise up against the death-cult of the Jihadists.
After her death, Ms Bhutto has emerged as an icon of secularism and modernity in the Islamic world, a courageous political leader and a champion democrat, a champion of women’s rights, and a fighter against the Jihadists. Her death has been compared to Gandhi’s and her political struggle to Aung San Suu Kyi’s. She was going to replace the rogue dictatorship of President Musharraf to institute democracy and secularism in Pakistan.
In a thoughtful analysis, however, it turns out that the majority of these epithets bestowed on her career and legacy are not accurate. Her most devastating action, not only for Pakistan but also for the whole world, was her patronization of the Taliban militia in Afghanistan and fueling of separatist Jihad in Kashmir.
It is not right to put all the blame on her for the support that the Taliban and Kashmiri militants received during her tenure as Prime Minister (PM), because the Pakistan intelligence services (ISI) and the military are too powerful for the PM to call the shots alone. Yet, she must accept her share of eager complicity.
Let us explore the Jihadi world of Benazir Bhutto. As the Islamist separatist movement was heating up in Kashmir, she walked into the field to fuel the Jihad in Kashmir. In addressing a huge congregation, she said:
“The people of Kashmir do not fear death, because they are Muslim. The Kashmiris have the blood of the Mujahids [Jihadists] and Ghazis [infidel slayers]. The Kashmiris have the blood of Mujahideens, because Kashmiris are the heir of Prophet Muhammad, Hazrat Ali and Hazrat Umar.”
In inciting even the women of Kashmir to Jihad, she said:
“And the brave women of Kashmir ― they know how to fight and also to live. And when they live, they do so with dignity.”
She added:
“From every village [of Kashmir] only one voice will emerge, “Freedom.” From every school, only one voice will merge, “Freedom.” Every child will shout: Freedom, freedom, freedom.”
After becoming PM for the second time, she told William Dalrymple in 1994 about her support of the Jihadists of Kashmir:
Article comments
1 - Dave Nalle
There's a difference between Jihadism and Islamic nationalism. Bhutto was more of a promoter of nationalism in Kashmir than Jihad, though she may have couched it in terms of holy war. The desire to unite Pakistan, Kashmir and even Bangladesh into one Muslim nation of considerable size and power, able to stand up to India is a pretty strong seduction. The fact that Bhutto embraced that nationalistic movement is by no means the same as supporting worldwide Jihad.
Dave
2 - Alamgir Hussain
Dave,
What exactly is "Islamic nationalism?" How is it different from Jihad?
Muhammad founded the cult of Jihad for capturing the lands of the infidels and establish the supremacy of Islam that would eventually expand over the would world. Allah promises in the Quran to make Muslims the owner of the world and instigates them to fight until religion becomes Allah's [Islam] alone [2:193].
In the subcontinent, Jihad re-started in early 20th century leading to founding of Pakistan and Bangladesh. Next step in Jihad was to take away Kashmir. Then wait for another region to be dominated by Muslims... This has become the new strategy of the Jihadists in the changed world scenerio.
3 - temporal
Benazir (Pinky) Bhutto was a lot of things but not a jihadist as alamgir hussain would like us to believe in this post:
These rabble-rousing statements speak volume of Benazir Bhutto’s eager support for the Kashmiri separatists, clearly inspired by her Jihadi zeal.
*****
this is what i wrote recently on Benazir that describes her more accurately
Benazir’s Last Will Shows Her True Colors
In her death, she spoke like the feudal she was at heart, treating her party like her jaagir (personal fiefdom.) She wrote the leadership of PPP should remain within the Bhutto clan.
While there are more eligible candidates in the Bhutto clan, she did not mean them, but her own son Bilawal Zardari, 19, who promptly and publicly consented to change his name to Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.
How can any party fight for democracy, and free and fair alphabet-soup of demands and display not one iota of conscience at this blatant travesty of democratic norms?
Today, greed won - injustice won - nepotism won- once again - and you, me and Pakistan lost.