Bishop of Rochester pays tribute to Bhutto’s courage

The Bishop of Rochester has spoken of the “commitment and courage” of Benazir Bhutto following her cruel assassination on Thursday, according to the BBC.

The Right Reverend Michael Nazir-Ali, who was born in Pakistan, “was part of an audience in Kent which welcomed a visit from Ms Bhutto at the end of August.” He said in a statement: “Benazir Bhutto has been a personal friend for many years. Her murder is a body blow for freedom and democracy in Pakistan.”

The article continued: “Ms Bhutto was invited to Rochester in August by a former adviser, Rehman Chisti, now a Medway councillor and the Tories’ parliamentary candidate for Gillingham and Rainham. At the event held by the local Conservative constituency association, she addressed members of all parts of the Medway community while also speaking of her “great admiration” for Mr Nazir-Ali. She spoke of free and democratic societies being a “very precious gift”. One of her comments was: “I believe that democracy is the best way to undermine terrorism.”

Mr Nazir-Ali continued: “I do hope the elections can still be held and that the cause of democracy can survive this catastrophe. My prayers are for her husband, children and family – that they will be comforted at this time of grief. She will always be remembered for her commitment to Pakistan and her courage in public life.”

I am currently in the process of creating a transcript of the segment of Ms Bhutto’s speech which I have on film