Assassinating the Democratic Process

The assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto presents a cadre of possibilities for the future of Pakistan, the South Asian and Middle Eastern regions and the world.

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One positive result from this barbaric event would be that her supporters in the Pakistan People’s Party would press forward in a more concerted and immediate effort to bring the democratic process to fruition in the wake of her murder, thus advancing the very principles for which she was killed. But, with iniquitous forces holding considerable influence – both inside Pakistan’s government and out – the prospects for any positive outcome to this tragedy are minuscule. With the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, Pakistan has become the epicenter in the global war against Islamofascist aggression. That Pakistan is a volatile and politically complex country is an understatement. Ever since its creation in an Indian move to independence from Britain in 1947, Pakistan has struggled with its political identity while trying to lend credence to the claim of being the home of South Asian Muslims. The osmotic migration of Muslims to Pakistan and Hindus to India served to create the Kashmiri conflict. With the USSR’s Cold War intervention in Afghanistan, Pakistan saw an influx of thousands of mujahedeen who used Pakistan as a launch point for their jihad against the Soviets. With the defeat of the Soviets in Afghanistan many of the jihadi staging and training locations in Pakistan became more permanent and those who were drawn to jihad by the fascist rhetoric of radical Islam turned their attention toward Bosnia, Chechnya, Indonesia and the infidels of the West. More...