Guest Author - Alice Rienzo

A woman who loved her country so much, she was willing to die for it, met death on December 27, 2007. Ben-a-zir Bhu-tto died Thursday afternoon because some people did not like her. They did not want her to win the upcoming election because if she did, she would try to turn her country, Pakistan, into a democratic country. In an interview, a member of her family said every time Pakistan gets close to something good, they destroy it. How sad for the people of that country to not know love, peace, and harmony.

Benazir was a loving woman and in return, she was much loved by her people. She was well suited for the job of Prime Minister because she knew what her people wanted and what they needed. She was also a very bright woman. She attended Radcliffe College in Massachusetts where she studied comparative governments. Bhutto would later call her time at Harvard “four of the happiest years of my life it formed the very basis of my belief in democracy.”

After she graduated, she went on to study Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, United Kingdom. In December 1976, she was elected president of the Oxford Union, becoming the first Asian woman to head the prestigious debating society.

On December 18, 1987, she married Asif Ali Zardari in Karachi, Pakistan. The couple had three children: Bilawal, Bakhtwar and Aseefa.

Former Prime Minister Bhutto was a fearless woman who wanted to be like her father. He was also a Prime Minister of Pakistan many years ago, but was killed when militants took over his government in a coup (coo) and ordered him to be hanged. Since then, Pakistan has alternated between militant rulers and democratic rulers. Benazir served as Prime Minister for Pakistan from 1988-1990 and again from1993-1996. She represented the Pakistan Peoples Party and was the first woman to lead a Muslim state. She, too was overrun my militants who accused her and her government of being corrupt. She fled from her country in 1998 and was recently permitted to return with permission from President Pervez Musharraf, who also agreed to drop all charges of conspiracy. She was able to side step an attack on her in October 2007. She said that a true Muslim would not kill a woman because to do so would go against Islamic law and the assassin knows he would burn in hell.

On December 27, 2007, Benazir Bhutto gave an exciting speech. After returning to her vehicle and while waving good-bye to her supporters, three gunshots rang out and the would-be assassin then detonated himself killing 27 people that were around him. The first reports told viewers that Benazir had been shot in the head and neck. Later, the description of what killed the beloved Former Prime Minister was changed. The doctors said she died of a skull fracture when she ducked down out of the way of the bullets and slammed her head on the latch of the sunroof.

When reading the news, it is important to consider why certain statements are reported more than others are and why ideas change. It is believed by some that the cause of her death was changed because of the fear of repercussions in the country following Benazir Bhutto’s death. If she were assassinated, it would most certainly cause political unrest and spontaneous violence all over the world. On the other hand, if we were to believe that she died from head trauma, then it would more likely cause a sense of pity, rather than rage.

Nevertheless, Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto will be remembered and loved for many years to come.