Word: bhutto
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What She Left Behind As a Pakistani Canadian I read with great interest your coverage of Benazir Bhutto and Pakistan [Jan. 14]. While I sincerely condole her untimely and fiery death, I must agree with William Dalrymple that her legacy was "mediocre." Far from being a martyr for freedom and democracy, she chose to live a life of luxury in self-imposed exile - in distant Dubai. Although she was Prime Minister of Pakistan twice, she did little to improve the conditions of the masses, particularly those of women and the poor. Jalaluddin S. Hussain, Brossard, Canada...
...Bhutto's return to Pakistan was regarded by many as the force needed to bring Pakistan back to the path of democracy. The sad truth is, there is nothing democratic about Pakistan's so-called democratic parties. Every election time, leaders assure us that they will make the changes they failed to carry out the last time they were in office. Bhutto's assassination, though unfortunate, will probably bring more change to Pakistan's political process than a third period as PM would have done. Amna Mansur Khan, Atlanta...
...While I condemn Bhutto's assassination, I have not forgotten what it was like to live in a country run by her. Both her terms as PM were marred by corruption scandals. She actively supported the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. She twice squandered the opportunity to make any tangible difference in the lives of the masses who voted her in. Her legacy is one not of democracy but of kleptocracy. Her will, which named her husband as her successor, underlines her lack of commitment to democracy. To her, political power was something you could inherit and pass on to family...
...Bhutto, like her father, connected with Pakistan's downtrodden masses. She represented the hopes and aspirations of the country's poor and disenfranchised. For millions of her followers, her inability to deliver really did not matter. In a country ruled by inept, corrupt generals, Bhutto was an icon of defiance and courage. In death she has become larger than life. Her indefatigable struggle for democracy and willingness to take risks overrode much of the paradox that is implied in the article. Seemingly fragile yet politically astute and daring, Bhutto will remain a potent force in Pakistan's troubled political landscape...
...Bhutto's assassination highlights once more the deep contradiction between the U.S.'s stated aim of advancing democracy around the world and our actual practice of backing friendly dictators like President Pervez Musharraf when we think it suits our interests. The Bush Administration will retreat to its codependent relationship with the dictator, regarding him as the only remaining bulwark against a Taliban-style fundamentalist theocracy armed with nukes, and probably flirt no further with notions of a truly democratic Pakistan. These chickens will one day come home to roost. Mark C. Eades, Oakland, California...