Parallax

BBC NEWS | South Asia | Benazir Bhutto 'killed in blast'

Pakistan is one screwed up place.

Ruby_Slippers

Wasn't she assissinated?

iamsher

Yup. She was shot in the neck and chest and then the shooter blew himself up. She was rushed to the hospital to undergo emergency surgery but died.

Sad, sad day.

Jerry D

What a tragedy. When I heard that Benazir Bhutto had returned to Pakistan as an opposition leader, I was afraid that something would happen to her, and now it has.

silvercrystal

People have been assasinated all over the world, it's just a sad fact of life that people exist who will take the lives of those that are brave enough to stand up for their beliefs.

Bhutto wasn't a saint, she wasn't a great leader or a saviour like some people made her out to be. I don't avidly follow Pakistani politics but my parents do considering they both originally came from Pakistan. She was just as corrupt as pretty much every other Pakistani politician and they're pretty messed up at the moment. Even Imran Khan, who I'm rooting for, has his flaws.

Still she was pretty brave to stand up and keep going even with all the crap that is going on. So props to her on that. RIP and my thoughts are with her mother (who lost her husband to hanging and her two sons under similar circumstances and now has just the one daughter surviving) and her children and husband.

I'm following the news story on Geo (a pakistani tv station, probably the only one that's stood up to the government over the past few months) and it's all slowly unfolding. She was shot first and then the guy blew himself up. They showed footage of the gun lying on the ground surrounded by lots of blood.

But what we have to remember is that lots of people have been killed today and injured. My thoughts and prayers are with the families of those people. Times like these it scares me to be so politically involved but then again Britain isn't as dangerous. My cousin took part in a lot of the protests that took place over the past couple of months and I was so proud of him but then this incident is scary and really hits home how bad things are.

sunnykerr

I don't think it's about her being a saint or, even, a good person. It's about the fact that people ought to be safe in their own land, no matter where they stand politically.

She did just go home after years in exile, only to be shot and the coward who did it too chicken to face justice for his actions.

I can't get it out of my head. It was courageous to go home. But for what? What world do we live in where people are killed for their political beliefs?

I mean, I know, it happens all the time. But that really doesn't make this any better for me.

silvercrystal

Yes people should be safe in their own land no matter what, I agree with you on that, the sad fact is that it's just not what happens. It's tragic and a huge reality check for everyone.

The day she returned to the country two bombs went off during her journey from the airport to her destination. She knew her life was in danger because of who she was but she still continued to stay in Pakistan. It was a brave move by her and yes it caused her death but I just hope that the country doesn't deteriorate even further now because fo this. Nawaz Sharif has already said he'll be boycotting the elections and Imran Khan was already boycotting. This leaves some scary parties in the runnings, parties I don't think anyone would want in power.

On the news tonight a lot of people were going completely crazy and going out and burning buses and trains etc... which is stupid, to put it simply. It's going to achieve nothing and if people put that passion into actually changing the country then things like this - assasinations of people who are standing up and trying to make a change - could be something only to be read about in historical documents.

It's just a tragic situation all round.

Papri

Why does this thread only have 6 replies but the "news" about Jamie Lynn Spears has more than double the amount of responses?? It's absurd.

But anyway, re: Benazir Bhutto - yes, I think the way she died was a terrible thing to happen, but at the end of the day she knew it was a risk of the job. It's sad, it shouldn't BE a risk but it is, she knew it, yet she carried on. In that sense, I admire her grit.

What worries me is when all these people run around shouting about how great she was for democracy. She manipulated the judiciary in Pakistan, she appointed her highly unqualified husband to the cabinet, she was basically a proponent of nepotism. Yes, she was an alternative to the military rule, and a good one at that - but that doesn't equate her to being this pinnacle of democratic practice. She was far from that, as was her father, as were her whole family. Democratic rulers don't swindle the country out of millions of dollars and then live comfortable privilaged lives funded by corruption.

ceilirose

She wasn't the answer but then again neither is Musharraf. I read a few articles on the whole situation yesterday and it seems that all of the political leaders have some sort of scandal/taint associated with them.

Anyway the reasons given by her death by the Pakistani Government over the last two days borders on the comical. A bomb blast, shrapnel, bullets, falling and hitting her head. There has to be some reason the story is changing. Some have said that certain groups don't want her to be a martyr so therefore the spin that she died in an accidental way is out there. Although she never would have hit her head if a gun wasn't pointed at her. Strange stuff.

Ruby_Slippers

The news coverage has been interesting. I agree they are spinning it as a "martyr of democracy". I acutally saw that on CNN.

Who does everyone think is responsible for this? They are blaming terrorist but have they formally come out said that they did it. They usually do...

sunnykerr

I don't particularly buy her as a martyr myself, but it's not like I need anyone to tell me that "them's the risks you take" either. She was a grown woman, she made her own choices and faced the consequences thereof. I still maintain that, as far as I'm concerned anyway, what happened to her was tragic.

Yeah, she must have known the risks she was taking. Yeah, changes are she was far from perfect. I still think it's incredibly tragic. A woman lost her life. It seems to me she was trying to do something useful, even if it was as much for her as it was for her country.

I don't think she was perfect. But I do think it's incredibly tragic when a woman loses her life while contributing, by the very fact that she was a divergent voice, to the democratic process. I don't actually care whether she was as corrupt as the next. I don't care if she was even more corrupt than the next guy.

Every voice should be heard on the political arena, especially what seemed to me as a non-violent one. The fact that there's one less divergent voice is something I find particularly sad. I don't doubt that the country will get worse as a result of this before it, hopefully, gets better.

Kodak Kid

I am really happy her son (his father until he finishes Uni in UK) believe that even though she died nothing will stop the democratic process. She knew what was going to happen.