The lesson of Benazir Bhutto

[unixronin]

Benazir Bhutto, twice former Prime Minister of Pakistan and considered likely to win a third term, has been assassinated in Rawalpindi by a suicide bomber during a campaign rally.  That, by now, is probably hardly news any more.

But her death leaves an important example, because she leaves a lesson behind her.  She knew that if she came back to Pakistan, she would be a target for terror attacks.  But she came anyway.  She vowed to defy the threats, refused to be cowed.  She refused to live in fear and allow terrorists to dictate how she should live, what she should and should not do.

In short, she refused to be terrorized.  And in so doing, she set an example that many more of us would do well to emulate.

Comments

[wyrdling.livejournal.com]

i remember seeing news footage of her first election as a child. we hardly watched tv and i didn't care about most of it, but a woman getting elected... well, i cared about that. didn't know a thing about pakistan back then, either.

i was worried this would happen, when she returned to pakistan. but perhaps she felt it was necessary. that the moment was right. or waiting was worse.

i almost feel like she was daring them to kill her.

[unixronin.livejournal.com]

I don't think she was daring them to kill her. I think she was showing them she wasn't afraid of them. And by trying so hard to kill her, they showed that they were afraid of her and of what she might accomplish. I hope that fact isn't lost on Pakistanis.

[wyrdling.livejournal.com]

it seems a sort of continuum. leaders (real leaders) will act that way to try to inspire others to be less afraid but often enough get killed in the process. and they do inspire people. usually. i guess the word "dare" is inaccurate. but i can't think of a better one, all the same.

i hope the fact that some things are more important than personal safety isn't lost on... well, lots of people.

[unixronin.livejournal.com]

i guess the word "dare" is inaccurate. but i can't think of a better one, all the same.

In that context, "defy", perhaps?

[wyrdling.livejournal.com]

yes, quite.

[ithildae.livejournal.com]

She was in exile. Her exile had just been lifted by the government. That is why she went back when she did. I am certain that she would have been back sooner, if she could have. (There was also a legal cloud about whether the charges against her could be dismissed, so she risked going to jail when she landed by going back when she did.)