Sunday, December 30, 2007

Benazir Bhutto did not want her children in politics...

Most of the media headlines today read similar to the Washington Post, Bhutto's Son Chosen As Eventual Party Chief which goes against what Benazir wanted for her children. In several interviews she made it very clear she did not want her children to follow her political footsteps, she wanted her son to grow up to be a lawyer, not someone embroiled in the political struggles of Pakistan.

Unfortunately it appears that the desire to use her death and the family name appears to be more important than her wishes for her children. Given the instability of Pakistan and the ease in which Benazir was murdered, throwing a 19 year old into the mix seems unconscionable. It also seems as if the script is now changing:

The young man representing the newest generation of Bhuttos -- who added the famous name for the first time Sunday -- indicated he is acutely aware of that record, saying the chairmanship of the Pakistan People's Party is a position "that often is occupied by martyrs."

Nonetheless, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said he planned to return to Pakistan after he graduates from Oxford "to lead the party as my mother wanted me to."

Compared to one example from the same newspaper:

I asked Bhutto if she'd like to see her children go into politics, too. She was in her second term as prime minister, following in the footsteps of her father, who also held that post but was overthrown in a military coup and executed in 1979.

"No, never," she said with conviction. "Politics in Pakistan is much too dangerous."

"What, then, would you like to see them do?" I asked the first woman ever elected leader of a Muslim country.

"I would like to see my son become a lawyer," she replied. "And I'd like my daughter to be a social worker."

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Muslims Against Sharia condemn the murderers responsible for the assassination of Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and her supporters.

Our prayers are with the victims of this atrocity. We send our condolences to their loved ones.

May the homicide bomber rote in hell for eternity. May his accomplices join him soon!

http://muslimsagainstsharia.blogspot.com/2007/12/prime-minister-benazir-bhutto-murdered.html

Claudia Meydrech said...

I don't think it is easy for us, in the US, to fully understand the idea of being willing to risk your life for something that we're passionate about in the same sense as Benazir Bhutto did. It is a way of life we can't begin to know how to "walk in the shoes" of. I admired her. Claudia, who is Married to Politics.