Did Benazir Bhutto know she was America's lackey?

by HijabMan :: posted 30 December 07

This post is an ongoing series of guest posts by my brother-in-law Angrez and my sister currently traveling through Pakistan. The following is my sister Zosha’s contribution for the day:

Day three of “mourning.” We have such cabin fever! But my Sindhi and Urdu both improve by leaps and bounds with each day. I’m now speaking to Auntie in Sindhi and am working on reading a book by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s prison superintendent in Urdu with Angrez at night. We’re making the best of not getting out much. Auntie refers to my Sindhi “coming out” as “khush khabri”—she’s clearly pleased with my progress…I have to admit I’m a little surprised myself to be recovering so much so quickly.

There are so few women on the streets—I really think women get the worst of all of this. They’re not responsible for the drama, they aren’t burning cars or beating on thier heads for the cameras, and yet they end up stuck at home for days as a result… I’m pretty sure I could adjust to just about everything except that about Pakistan. Angrez and I talk frequently about a brain-drain reversing move, maybe to Islamabad, as we both grow increasingly frustrated with the U.S.‘s hyperpower insanity. I’m reading a fantastic book about the role of multiculturalism and tolerance in empire and fall of empire by Amy Chau. I think it’s true that the U.S. had an unprecedented opportunity to redefine the role of world leadership after the Cold War and has instead chosen the tried and true path of empire expansion.

Speaking of which, the…erm…inconsistencies in the Pakistan government’s story(ies) about Benazir’s assasination have us all speculating about the real players and motives involved. In the interests of full disclosure, I wasn’t a huge fan of Benazir’s return to begin with. I found it all too suspicious in the context of the sudden American media spotlight on Pakistan—since when is Pakistan front page news for two months in the U.S.? Since when does the U.S. have a problem with military dictatorships? After all, they installed at least the two most recent Pakistani ones. Suddenly, America wants to “build democracy” in Pakistan? Pulleeeze. And then when Benazir had a spot on NPR shortly before returning to Pakistan, I was convinced. If Musharraf wouldn’t give Benazir a leg up, certainly the U.S. was helping her to create a liberation narrative and distribute it to the American public. I’m just trying to figure out if Benazir herself knew that she was America’s lackey. I wonder if she really believed that America’s interest in keeping her safe outweighed America’s interest in a destablized Pakistan.

Why does America want a destablized Pakistan? No offense, but-duh. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to look at a map and notice that every (Muslim) country between Israel and India has been described by the American media as a threat to democracy and a hotbed of terrorism in the past year. Pakistan is just the latest among them to be painted as a country undeserving of its sovereignty.

Not to be too ideological about it, certain truths must be told: Pakistan is woefully mismanaged. In this “international city” of Karachi, there are kids playing in the mounds of trash on the streets, pollution everywhere, little or no public health or safety regulation. The gap between rich and poor is almost unimaginable. But does that justify America raping Pakistan the way it’s raping Iraq under Blackwater guard? No one here wants U.S. imperialism and that has nothing to do with terror or fanaticism. Why don’t Americans seem to get that? Where is the American left when you need it? American liberals seem to be licking up the GOP’s empirical ambitions like they’re chocolate sauce. What was unacceptable in South and Central America is apple pie in the Muslim world. Can you tell I’m disillusioned?

We’re hoping things settle out enough for us to see more of Karachi tomorrow, maybe start moving around the day after. I just sorted out that it’s December 30th—-here’s to persistent prayer for peace in the new year. That’s my resolution: persistent, intimate, relentless prayer.
Love,
Zosha

Beth at 30 December 07 :: #

Just to point out the need to separate American politicians from average American citizens. There are several Americans (myself included) who are also against American imperialism and are outraged by what politicians are doing to our country. I fear our government has sufficiently separated itself from its people. I’m also concerned about the many Americans who aren’t even aware that it’s happened. Best of luck to everyone everywhere in the new year.
Editor @ IJTEMA at 30 December 07 :: #

Assalamu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullah
I pray that you are in the best of health & imaan.
This is a short message to notify you that this entry has been selected for publishing on IJTEMA, a venture to highlight the best of the Muslim blogosphere.
To find out more about IJTEMA, and how you can further contribute, please vist the site at http://ijtema.net/about-ijtemanet/.
May Allah bless you for your noble efforts.
Wa’salam
fathima at 30 December 07 :: #

i am so sick and tired of the mainstream news coverage here in Toronto. pathetic and trite and ridiculous, the lot of it.
literally sick and literally tired.
so i’m grateful for intelligent bloggers and blogs like this.

keep safe.
Incognita at 31 December 07 :: #

Thank you! Someone who finally tells it!
InshAllah, our families in Pakistan will stay safe.
fgeyqg at 1 January 08 :: #

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Aisha at 1 January 08 :: #

Superbly written. Thank you for sharing your perspective. I also have been disturbed. Iw asin Columbia, SC when the news hit that she died and they interrupted LoCAL PROGRAMMING to discuss it. CNN played nothing else… I can’t help but be suspicious… I’m glad that someone else has noticed too… sometimes I wondered if it was all in my head.
Sana at 2 January 08 :: #

Thank you so much for filling the gap that the media in this country has failed so miserably at.

While I agree with you about the incessant nonsense that the American media has been dishing out vis-a-vis Pakistan, what I find MOST disturbing about experiencing this tragedy in America are conversations that I’ve heard in the living rooms of Pakistanis residing in Orange County and the like. Its appalling how the first reaction to Bhutto’s assassination was not shock or concern, but a mere “she had it coming”, followed by “how foolish of her to stick her head out of a sunroof”. According to these arm-chair political pundits, this is apparently “the reason why Pakistan doesn’t deserve democracy and can only be ruled with an iron hand”. The conviction with which people believe they know what is best for others in a country they left for greener pastures would be funny if it wasn’t so disgusting.

As for me, I wasn’t a big fan of Bhutto’s politics. But I must admit, I’m saddened by the loss of an undeniably courageous woman and the state of a country where several of my loved ones reside.

Be safe.
baji at 3 January 08 :: #

Dang, you got some smarty pants in your family! I’d be all, ‘uh, and then we had chai and uh, then we played cards, and uh…’

also, woot woot on ZP making your top three! it’s only proper that your niece should be #1. :D
Watcher at 13 January 08 :: #

The reasons that America is concerned with Pakistan is that it is on the precipice of becoming a radical sharia state – with nukes. Bhutto could well have made a difference – as it stands it is a threat to the civilized world that wil, no doubt have to be dea;lt with in the near future…
paani at 15 January 08 :: #

(Campus?) Watcher:
It was during Butto’s second time in office that the taleban came to power in A-stan.
So what was it?
Either Bhutto was too busy stuffing her coffers with the Pakistani people’s money OR her “solution” to extremism was to sweep them up and into the north.

So lets say for a moment that BB was still around and came to power for an unprecidented third time. What’s her option? The second? The first?

As for the nukes; what’s the difference between 10,000 dead from an A-Bomb and 10,000 dead from a dozen CBU-87?
From half-a-million dead because of sanctions?
What’s the difference between millions displaced because of radioactive cobolt and millions displaced from various illegal occupations?
Also, what’s this “civilized” nonsense about? What does civilized mean?
Rioting in the streets (as long as it isn’t Paris, LA, or New Orleans)? People dying of treatable diseases because of inaccessable healthcare? Corrupt, invasive, and torturous government? Fixed elections? Press as a mouthpiece of the state? Bumpkins teaching schoolchildren quaint little myths? Economic catastrophe? riiiight.

Bhutto was a crook, the taleban came to power under her watch. Having her running things would have been disastrous. Not to mention that she’s half iranian and shi’a, what makes you think that she wouldn’t just hand some of that nuke nubbin to the IRI?

Welcome! This site serves two main purposes: to entertain and educate the Believing and curious community, and to generate a bit of cash—God willing. But there’s a lot more about HijabMan.

Did Benazir Bhutto know she was America's lackey?

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