Several newspapers have portrayed a hopeful picture of Pakistan, now that Benazir Bhutto is back in the country. The bomb attack on her entourage has also been analysed. Rashtriya Sahara in its editorial on October 22 writes, “Pakistan masaail ke daldal mein” (Pakistan in a cesspool of problems). It says, “Benazir’s return has been possible because of pressure from the US. The US was finding it difficult to continue supporting the dictatorship of Pervez Musharraf. It couldn’t have found a better person to help the dictatorship don a democratic garb.” The paper maintains, “there is a group in the ISI too that is unhappy with Musharraf’s allegiance to the US.” On October 20, National Herald’s Qaumi Awaz writes that, “in spite of dangers and apprehensions, the people of Pakistan are hoping that Benazir’s return would lead to a democratic system and the present chaos will end.” The paper has taken note of the fact that “Benazir has not made use of the language of ‘crushing’ India, as in the past, nor issued any inflammatory statement on the Kashmir issue, even though any army leader uses hostility towards India on the Kashmir issue as a crutch for success.”

MP and editor Shahid Siddiqui’s weekly Nai Duniya on October 29 has a special issue on Benazir: ‘Pakistan ki khufiya agenciyon ko chahiye Benazir ka khoon.’ It says that the “most powerful and resourceful intelligence agencies, acting quietly, want to paint Pakistan red with the blood of Benazir.” Jamaat-e-Islami’s mouthpiece, the biweekly Daawat on October 25 writes, “the army should take people and opposition parties into confidence instead of applying force, using martial law or armed action in certain areas. The Pakistani government should know that nobody supports bomb blasts and everybody condemns it.” The paper openly says it is sure that “she has come after a certain deal with the Americans.”

... contd.