By Parveen Chopra, IANS
New York : Oxford-Harvard educated and first woman prime minister of a Muslim country, Benazir Bhutto, was a darling of the western media when alive, and often dubbed “daughter of democracy”. Predictably, they have given liberal space to her assassination and its consequences.
The New York Times on Friday devoted almost four pages to stories related to Bhutto’s killing, including a full page obituary on the leader “who weathered Pakistan’s political storm for three decades”.
The Washington Times has run one editorial on her and one on the consequences of her killing. The Washington Post has one editorial too. Both, like other US papers, have also carried several news analyses besides coverage of the killing and its violent aftermath.
Washington Post said in its editorial that Al Qaeda and its Islamic extremist allies had the most to gain from her death because she was “the most powerful advocate of secular democracy in her country; she had the courage to confront both Islamic militants and the autocratic government of President Pervez Musharraf”.
The Post adds that having a vital stake in preserving the stability of Pakistan that harbours both a nuclear arsenal and the top leaders of Al Qaeda and the Taliban, the US must press Musharraf, Nawaz Sharif and other key Pakistani actors to take steps that will alleviate rather than further inflame the situation.
“Perhaps most urgent is the capture of those who committed the murder and a full and credible investigation. In the absence of such a clear accounting, conspiracy theories blaming Musharraf or the military for Bhutto’s death will probably proliferate, to the further benefit of the Islamists,” the paper says.
The editorial concludes with the words, “Elections – held on Jan 8 or soon afterward – and a restored democracy remain the best way for the centrist majority in Pakistan to rally against the forces of extremism that yesterday realized a great, though despicable, victory.”
Washington Times editorial says Bhutto’s assassination could lead to any of a number of grim scenarios.
“Chaos in the streets is nothing new in Pakistan, but the sheer scale of the reaction and the precarious state of President Pervez Musharraf’s grip on power may cause matters to reach new depths,” the paper says.
The paper states that preventing the nightmare scenario of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons falling into the hands of radical Islamists is the paramount concern for all.
“No time for lofty rhetoric or finger-pointing, the Bush administration, neighbouring countries, including Afghanistan and India, and other allies must seek policies that quell turmoil and push democracy and stability – even if those policies lead to a less-than-ideal scenario (in Pakistan),” the editorial advises.
In its editorial on Bhutto, Washington Times notes that despite her autocratic ways – after succeeding her father and mother as head of Pakistan Peoples’ Party she declared herself chairperson for life – “she would emerge time and again as a vocal champion of political reform and democracy”.
“As prime minister from 1993 to 1996, she advocated a conciliatory policy toward Islamists, especially the Taliban regime in neighbouring Afghanistan. But after September 11 her thinking changed, and she emerged as an outspoken foe of the jihadists. In July this year, she praised Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf for taking a tough stance against radicals who barricaded themselves inside an Islamabad mosque,” the editorial points out.