Moment of the army

Benazir Bhutto was a real, modern-day Daughter of the East. Dynastic, educated abroad, liberal and moderate, she maintained the aura of religious and family values. A feudal-democrat with an exceptional ability to reach out to people from all shades of society. She spoke with passion to her friends, foes and to public.

When no longer in power, Benazir Bhutto came to address the HT Leadership Initiative conference in December 2003 and extended the olive branch. Many of us were sceptical. I questioned her on the creation of the Taliban and her hawkish stand on J&K during her prime ministership. She gave a long but unconvincing answer.

During the coffee break, she summoned me to her private lounge. She explained the political circumstances prevailing in the early 1990s and the continued pressure on her from the Pakistan army. I told her that she had missed an opportunity to clarify and gain public support in India. But I could not help admiring the sincerity with which she was reaching out.

In March 2007, she came to address the India Today Conclave. She declared her commitment to democracy in Pakistan and improvement of Indo-Pak relations, with greater passion this time. When questioned about her secret parleys and deal with Musharraf, she did not deny these. She said that their future depended upon Musharraf giving up the appointment of the Pakistan army chief. When I said that as Pakistan PM she would have to keep the army in the barracks and not just Musharraf, her reply was, “The question that you have put to me is a very important one. My party has been studying what has been done in India and other countries. We called for parliamentary scrutiny of our military’s budget. We also intend to look at certain reforms so that the military and security apparatus come under the Parliament. I used to think winning an election means democracy is restored. But I have learnt painfully that that it is not so... I know that it is going to take substantive reforms to bring that about and I hope that the new generation of officers in our armed forces will be looking at the 21st century in a new light and will appreciate that it is economic emancipation and economic growth that brings the real dividends.”

Bhutto’s assassination on December 27 was well planned. The firing on her from close range followed by the blasting of her car by a suicide bomber ensured that their target could not escape and no one would get close to her immediately after the incident. In the terrorists’ determination and tactical sophistication, this act was a step ahead from the usual suicide bombing. The deterioration of the security situation in the North West Frontier Province and Balochistan, desertions and poor performance of the security forces in Swat and other areas, the Lal Masjid episode, regular bomb blasts, and now the assassination of Pakistan’s tallest political leader shows that the overall security situation in Pakistan is in disarray.

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