Benazir Bhutto's Path to Martyrdom

Born on June 21, 1953 into a wealthy political family, Benazir Bhutto was the firstborn of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Zulfikar Bhutto founded the Pakistan's Peoples Party and rose to prominence leading Pakistan to become the first Muslim nation with nuclear capabilities.

16-year old Benazir, with the privilege of wealth, traveled to the U.S. and was educated at Radcliffe, then part of Harvard University. In addition to her academic studies, Benazir learned, admired, and adopted Western ways complete with shedding her Pakistani attire. After graduating and before continuing her education in Britain, her father was already president of Pakistan. His reign was not with out serious allegations of corruption, however he was able to hold onto his tenuous control and win re-election in March 1977.

During the summer of '77, Benazir Bhutto returned to her homeland. Two weeks after her return, Benazir witnessed her father lose power during a successful coup of his government. Zulfikar Bhutto was arrested, convicted of the murder of a political opponent, and imprisoned for two years before receiving the death penalty by hanging. The charges were disputed by the Bhutto regime, which claimed it was conspired by the opposition. This of course may very well be accurate. In Pakistan, corruption and extremism was the rule not the exception. Loyalties usually followed the leader promising a bigger share of the spoils. This shifted as frequent as the desert winds.

Benazir and her mother vowed to continue Zulfikar's legacy. This promise ultimately led to a divide in the Bhutto family amidst the continued political struggles the Bhuttos faced. Benazir and her mother faced numerous detentions, house arrests, and solitary confinements during the aftermath of the patriarch's imprisonment and subsequent death. Benazir's mother backed her brother, Murtaza, over her.

In 1984, after a cancer scare, Benazir was allowed to travel abroad to seek medical care. During her time in England, her brother Shanawaz mysteriously died. The Bhutto family alleged murder by poison, but the charges could not be validated. Benazir and her surviving brother, Murtaza, were still estranged over the political path he felt they should pursue.

In 1987, Benazir Bhutto married into a wealthy and corrupt family. Benazir claimed that this was an arranged marriage, prompted by her family and the price she had to pay for the political path her life had taken. Despite this, she and her husband Asif Ali Zardari started a family and in 1988, Benazir gave birth to the first of three children. Late that same year, Benazir was sworn in as Pakistan's first woman Prime Minister.

1988 was a pivotal year for Benazir Bhutto. It was during this time she started motherhood, and a political path that ultimately claimed her life. In 1988, General Muhammad Zia-ul Haq the man who lead the coup against her father died in a suspicious plane bombing. Bhutto's political party rose to power, resulting in her position as PM. Nearly two years later, Bhutto was run from power amidst serious allegations of corruption. A Zia loyalist resumed control.

In 1993, Benazir returned to power after a successful re-election bid. She was very close to then President Farooq Leghari, whom she considered as close as a brother.

In 1996, Benazir's estranged brother Murtaza was killed during a firefight with Pakistani police. In an outpouring of grief and/or guilt, Benazir wept for nearly three quarters of an hour over the corpse her dead brother. Bhutto's government was dismissed by President Farooq Leghari and Benazir claimed the president was complicit in her brother's death.

The third time was not the charm for Benazir Bhutto and her bid to return to power failed.

Benazir Bhuttos platform was one of economic change for the down trodden and empowerment for Pakistani women. She failed to deliver on these promises and existed in a whirlpool of corruption and scandal. Adding to the suspicions, Benazir appointed her husband to the post of investment minister. Her family could not shake off the mounting criminal investigations by Pakistani, French, Polish, Spanish, and Swiss authorities. Benazir's husband served eight years in prison for his crimes. The Bhuttos were banned from Pakistani politics for life. This life ban would soon prove to be short-lived.

During Bhutto's reign (she served in office from 1988 to 1990 and again between 1993-1996), she failed to unite the country and control the tribal areas where radical Islamism flourished, and numerous radical madrassas were established- whose sole purpose was to encourage young men to embrace jihad. Her failed socioeconomic plans for Pakistan allowed radical Islamists to recruit ignorant and hungry young men for the cause of violent jihad.

In 1999 after declaring never to be PM again, Benazir Bhutto fled Pakistan to Dubai, where she lived with her mother and children in self-imposed exile. She was later convicted in absentia. The conviction was later overturned. In October of the same year, Pervez Musharraf took control of Pakistan via a bloodless coup. Pakistan and Afghanistan continued to be a hotbed and sanctuary for terrorists.

On September 11, 2001, The U.S. was attacked by Islamic terrorists. Pakistani President Musharraf became a reluctant U.S. ally in the war against terror. Under threat of heavy repercussions and the influence that only U.S. dollars can buy, Musharraf began to dance to the Western tune. Pakistan aided our war efforts in Afghanistan and captured high profile terrorists for us. Over the years, Musharraf faced heavy opposition by the Taliban and al-Qaeda operatives. To his credit, he was successful at keeping them at bay. 10 billion U.S. dollars later, Osama Bin Laden still not captured, apparently holed up in a Pakistani sanctuary or with in the chaotic no mans zone between Afghanistan and Pakistan, Musharraf begin to lose control and favor. A Talibanic surge culminated into a Pakistani state of emergency while Musharraf wrestled to control the chaos and restore some functionality to his dysfunctional government.

There always remained grassroots support in Pakistan for Benazir Bhutto. During her time away from Pakistan, Benazir traveled throughout the West on various speaking engagements and interviews. Benazir Bhutto an attractive symbol with a democratic rhetoric began to become an iconic figure.

In 2002, Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf amended Pakistan's constitution to ban prime ministers from serving more than two terms. This seemingly cemented the barring of Bhutto's return to power as well as Bhutto's opponent, former PM Sharif. Sharif is apparently another corrupt Pakistani politician. However, under U.S. influence, Musharraf granted Amnesty to Bhutto, and began talks with the charismatic symbol. After these talks, her husband was released from prison. In 2004, after an eight-year separation, Benazir and her husband celebrated a reunion in Dubai.

During Musharraf's increase in power, Bhutto began to criticize his actions and intentions. Benazir was able to curry favor with the U.S. and returned to Pakistan in October 2007. After a see saw effect of support and criticism and an infusion of Western influence Musharraf came to a shaky alliance with Bhutto. She positioned herself to join the government after the Pakistani general elections in January 2008, which apparently she was a shoo-in.

Benazir Bhutto understood the political climate in the U.S. and in Pakistan quite well. She understood to garner Western support and U.S. dollars, she must continue her rhetoric in favor of democracy and shout loud and clear for the world to hear, her intent to route out and crush terrorism.

Her rally was indeed heard and she was silenced. On Thursday December 27, 2007, Benazir Bhutto was murdered. The murderer acted on whose behalf?

The cause of her death, as her life, was controversial. Reports indicate despite the preliminary examination that she died of hitting her head on the sunroof latch, not by bullet fragments to the neck or head. Her ex-con husband who was arrested and released of the murder of Benazir's brother in 1996 did not allow an autopsy.

Friday December 28, 2007, a day after her murder, she was laid to rest in a grave near her father.

Perhaps the symbol of Benazir Bhutto, or rather the idea of Benazir Bhutto as a martyr in death will rise to do more good for the people of Pakistan than her politics or life ever did.