This may only be a setback, but it was close to defeat

I had just finished watching the Spooks DVD I had been given for Christmas – the Series 5 episode in which Christian extremists declare war on Islam (a blatant propaganda tool by the BBC, in which they attempt throughout the series to “dumb down” Islamic militancy by virtue of the fact that, in all ten episodes, even when it looks like Islamists are behind the troubles, it turns out to be someone else, usually Israel).

The problem was, when I turned off the DVD player, the TV automatically showed BBC News 24, and I felt a lump in my throat as the dangers of the state-controlled liberal propaganda machine denying the real threat to the gullible audience who believe them to be a constantly credible source played out before my eyes. My heart almost stopped.

They had finally got Ms Benazir Bhutto, the great hope for democracy in Pakistan.

Instantly I rushed to the computer to start blogging. But I came across a problem: how do I put into words all the jumbled-up thoughts running around my mind. So I did the only thing I could do: I reported the facts as laid out and promised personal commentary later. And here (slightly later than I was anticipating for various reasons) it is.

For me, the assassination was a tragic shock. In my mind, no-one in Pakistan resonated louder the needs and wants of the Pakistani people, and with beliefs including “democracy is the best revenge“, was their Country’s best hopes for securing free and fair elections.

But let me clarify for a moment; I have not built up a “whiter than white” image of Ms Bhutto. Her name is synonymous with allegations of corruption, and though many people may claim they are unfounded, there are others who provide minimal evidence, although I could not honestly say whether I believed she was, or was not, guilty.

What was important was the reason Ms Bhutto was alive – for democracy. She believed from an early age that she was born to lead, and she also knew the great importance in democracy.

It must be pointed out, however, that in recent months she, along with most other politicians with an eye on Pakistan, has displayed a very idealistic view of democracy, believing that, despite the fact that Pakistan has been living under blatant army rule since Pervez Musharraf, the then Military General, took over in a coup in 1999, the people would be able to seize power back just as quickly.

I believe that, deep down, despite her public calls for an instant open democracy, Ms Bhutto knew that it would take time for democracy to evolve in Pakistan, and the only way to start was to strike the power-sharing deal, manufactured by the United States, with Pervez Musharraf.

It was on this that Ms Bhutto returned to Pakistan on October 18, 2007. She, of course, knew the immense risk she was facing, proven within hours of her return, when suicide bombers killed 136 supporters close to the convoy which was leading her to a rally in Karachi.

It was clear, then, that Ms Bhutto was indeed a wanted woman, that for all her supporters, there were probably just as many alive who wanted her dead, and by returning to Pakistan, Ms Bhutto silently declared that she was not afraid of what anyone may throw at her.

The President had other ideas, and swiftly placed her under house arrest on a number of occasions, for her “security”. And then, of course, on Thursday, December 27, 2007, she was cruelly assassinated by people who fear democracy, the greatest cowards of them all.

It was a major setback for democracy, and came close to being the tipping point, the final act of horror which sent the Country over the edge and into all-out civil war. They are by no means out of the danger zone, there is still rioting in the streets, arguments over the cause of Ms Bhutto’s death and it all looks like the one thing Ms Bhutto wanted, above all, would be delayed.

As many readers of this blog will know, I had the great pleasure of meeting Ms Bhutto back in August, when she came and spoke to our association. The video I took is now sought after by some, as one of the very last speeches she gave in the UK (the transcript of which should be on this site in the New Year).

Following the event, I wrote on this blog:

Ms Bhutto spoke of terrorism and dictatorships, saying “people don’t want terror” and that “democracy is the best way to undermine terrorism. Dictatorships fuel terrorism: a dictatorship needs an external threat to justify its existence in power and so lacks the will to take on the terrorists.”

Benazir Bhutto was a shining light to us all. Like every champion of a cause, there were those who sought to bring her down. They succeeded, or so they will claim.

The truth is that this is merely a setback for democracy in Pakistan. It came close to defeat, and they are not out of the woods yet. However Ms Bhutto’s murder has highlighted the dangers of living in a society where people are suppressed. Her murder has highlighted further her own cause, and angered her supporters into upping the volume on their calls for democracy in Pakistan.

There was once a time when maybe I’d say that they were right to call on President Musharraf to resign, but now I’m not so sure. The first thing that is needed in Pakistan is stability, and overthrowing the very height of government, the Head of State, just months following his election, is not going to provide that stability.

However it needs to be recognised, and accepted as far as possible, that the next elections, whenever they are held, will be at least partly rigged, just as they would have been partly rigged in favour of Benazir Bhutto had she still been alive to win.

It may sound ironic, but Musharraf and the United States had decided (and I fully agree) that the only way democracy would be able to develop in Pakistan is to ensure, by whatever means necessary, that the pro-democratic candidate won and became Prime Minister, even if it meant undermining democracy just this once.

Pakistan has a chance to come out of this tragedy a stronger, and eventually democratic, state, and it would be both a tragedy, and an insult to Benazir Bhutto’s legacy and memory, if that were halted as a result of her passing.