"Tragic Hour for Pakistan" after Benazir Bhutto Assassinated

By Anastacia Mott Austin

Supporters of controversial Pakistani political figure Benazir Bhutto had their worst fears realized when she was shot and killed Thursday, only moments after speaking at a rally.

Dogged by assassination attempts and threats for months, Bhutto knew she was taking a risk by even appearing in public. In October her motorcade was attacked during a parade celebrating her return to the country, killing more than 150 people. Bhutto barely escaped the attack with her life.

The assassination puts the upcoming January 8th democratic elections in Pakistan in jeopardy, with some predicting that they will be put on hold.

"The biggest hope for Pakistan was for free and fair elections to give the government some genuine legitimacy," said Gareth Price, an expert on the area and head of the Asia department at Chatham House in London. "This assassination will make it much harder to get that free and fair election."

Rioting erupted in the city of Rawalpindi where Bhutto was shot, her supporters largely blaming current Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf, shouting, "Musharraf the dog!"

The death of Bhutto puts relations between the United States and Pakistan on shaky ground as well, as the West had been strong supporters of the liberal Bhutto. Now the U.S. is forced to support Musharraf, at least temporarily.

"The whole idea behind the U.S. plan was to bring her and Musharraf together, thereby wedding the hard power of the Army and an increasingly isolated leader to a populist democratic movement," said John Hulsman, a foreign relations expert in Berlin, to reporters at The Christian Science Monitor. "The reasoning was that this broadening of support would stabilize the most volatile nuclear power in the world – but now that plan goes out the window."

President Bush spoke at a press conference and expressed his condolences to Bhutto family and supporters, adding, "The United States strongly condemns this cowardly act by murderous extremists who are trying to undermine Pakistan’s democracy."

The assassination has the entire world asking the question, what happens now?

There is no clear successor for the popular and charismatic Bhutto in the PPP (Pakistan People’s Party); indeed, some had criticized her for overshadowing the party.

Bhutto’s primary opponent in the upcoming election was Nawaz Sharif, former Pakistani prime minister and leader of the Pakistan Muslim League (PML), who has now said he would boycott the election after Bhutto’s murder. Sharif expressed his grief to his own supporters, saying "Benazir Bhutto was also my sister, and I will be with you to take the revenge for her death. Don’t feel alone. I am with you. We will take the revenge on the rulers."

This ominous sentiment is what makes some uneasy about the future of Pakistan, and echoes the worries of those who fear that the country will now be plunged into riotous chaos, despite pleas to honor the memory of Bhutto by refraining from more violence.

All the world can do now is wait and watch…and mourn this controversial, charismatic leader.

Said Gordon Brown, Britain’s Prime Minister, "Benazir Bhutto was a woman of immense personal courage and bravery. She risked everything in her attempt to win democracy in Pakistan and she has been assassinated by cowards afraid of democracy. Benazir Bhutto may have been killed by terrorists, but the terrorists must not be allowed to kill democracy in Pakistan. This is a sad day for democracy; it's a tragic hour for Pakistan."