Its very peaceful here, almost still. Nothing is open, the TV channels are full of scenes of Benazir Bhutto’s life and the thousands thronging to her grave to offer their sorrow and duas for her salvation. It truly is a sad sort of a day. With so much left unsaid and so many people jumping on the bandwagon of adulation for the slain leader, it seems to be impossible to separate the stalwarts from the hanger on’s.
The reality of things as always is very cruel and one must look back at her life and death with a semblance of reality attached to it. Last 27 Dec this city was set on fire after her death, people were looted, cars were burnt, shops were gutted, entire warehouses emptied of goods. Yet who was caught and tried for these offenses? For that matter what happened to the U.N inquiry into her murder? Or the fact that the British investigation team disclosed of her dying by lieu of explosion rather than a bullet. Till yet her murderers roam around free, who are they that they cannot be brought to justice? Even with her own husband as president of the country.
Yes indeed today is a very sad day, not only because Pakistan lost a leader, and she was one of international stature no matter what any jiala of any organization says about her. We cannot take away her charisma and her appeal at world level. Qualities which Pakistan seems to be so desperately lacking at its helm of affairs as it bumbles through one crises after another. It is such a day because her mission is still left unfulfilled. Her death brought back democracy but it is a faltering one faced by many many difficulties. Her presence at the center of her party which revolved around her like she was the sun is sorely missed, her vision is missed.
Perhaps her son or daughter will grow up to be the leader she could not be because of her untimely demise, perhaps they can learn from her mistakes and rectify some. What I hope they keep close to their heart is the fact that even in her last moments she was reaching out to the one thing she truly had a connection with and loved, the people of Pakistan. For them she will always be irreplaceable!!
They say names have an influence on peoples lives, well her name certainly holds true to its meaning because in her courage and faults, in her decisions and indecision’s in her stature and her humility she really has no equal. She was Be’nazir.