Tariq Ali: Daughter of the West

More about Bhutto... I've come across so much ignorance about who Bhutto was that I'm compelled to blog even more about her to shed some light on reality.

Tariq Ali wrote this article recently for the London Review of Books:

Arranged marriages can be a messy business. Designed principally as a means of accumulating wealth, circumventing undesirable flirtations or transcending clandestine love affairs, they often don’t work. Where both parties are known to loathe each other, only a rash parent, desensitised by the thought of short-term gain, will continue with the process knowing full well that it will end in misery and possibly violence. That this is equally true in political life became clear in the recent attempt by Washington to tie Benazir Bhutto to Pervez Musharraf.

The single, strong parent in this case was a desperate State Department – with John Negroponte as the ghoulish go-between and Gordon Brown as the blushing bridesmaid – fearful that if it did not push this through both parties might soon be too old for recycling. The bride was certainly in a hurry, the groom less so. Brokers from both sides engaged in lengthy negotiations on the size of the dowry. Her broker was and remains Rehman Malik, a former boss of Pakistan’s FIA, who has been investigated for corruption by the National Accountability Bureau and who served nearly a year in prison after Benazir’s fall, then became one of her business partners and is currently under investigation (with her) by a Spanish court looking into a company called Petroline FZC, which made questionable payments to Iraq under Saddam Hussein. Documents, if genuine, show that she chaired the company. She may have been in a hurry but she did not wish to be seen taking the arm of a uniformed president. He was not prepared to forgive her past. The couple’s distaste for each other yielded to a mutual dependence on the United States. Neither party could say ‘no’, though Musharraf hoped the union could be effected inconspicuously. Fat chance.

Read more >> Tariq Ali: Daughter of the West

They don't blame al-Qa'ida. They blame Musharraf

Weird, isn't it, how swiftly the narrative is laid down for us. Benazir Bhutto, the courageous leader of the Pakistan People's Party, is assassinated in Rawalpindi – attached to the very capital of Islamabad wherein ex-General Pervez Musharraf lives – and we are told by George Bush that her murderers were "extremists" and "terrorists". Well, you can't dispute that.

But the implication of the Bush comment was that Islamists were behind the assassination. It was the Taliban madmen again, the al-Qa'ida spider who struck at this lone and brave woman who had dared to call for democracy in her country.

Of course, given the childish coverage of this appalling tragedy – and however corrupt Ms Bhutto may have been, let us be under no illusions that this brave lady is indeed a true martyr – it's not surprising that the "good-versus-evil" donkey can be trotted out to explain the carnage in Rawalpindi.

Who would have imagined, watching the BBC or CNN on Thursday, that her two brothers, Murtaza and Shahnawaz, hijacked a Pakistani airliner in 1981 and flew it to Kabul where Murtaza demanded the release of political prisoners in Pakistan. Here, a military officer on the plane was murdered. There were Americans aboard the flight – which is probably why the prisoners were indeed released.

Read more >> Robert Fisk: They don't blame al-Qa'ida. They blame Musharraf - Independent Online Edition > Asia

A Grotesque Feudal Charade

Tariq Ali wrote in the Independent today that the "Pakistan People's Party is being treated as a family heirloom" that has become the dynastic instrument of one family.

Ali's comments come in response to yesterday's announcement that the PPP will be run by "a triumvirate consisting of her [BB's] husband, Asif Zardari (one of the most venal and discredited politicians in the country and still facing corruption charges in three European courts) and two ciphers will run the party till Benazir's 19-year-old son, Bilawal, comes of age. He will then become chairperson-for-life and, no doubt, pass it on to his children..."

It's obvious that Benezir nor her party represent democracy and we shouldn't be fooled. But American politicians are too cozy with this dynastic idea to state this obvious fact. Here in the US we have our own Dynasties. The Bush family and now, potentially the Clintons. (In fact the Clintons have had way to much Bhuto-like control over the Democratic party.)

Ali's article also comments on the military and the possibility that the PPP might split.

Read Tariq Ali's full article at the Independent UK: My heart bleeds for Pakistan. It deserves better than this grotesque feudal charade - Independent Online Edition > Commentators

A Grotesque Feudal harade - Independent Online Edition > Commentators

My heart bleeds for Pakistan. It deserves better than this grotesque feudal charade - Independent Online Edition > Commentators

Sources for Hope

In recent posts I've tried to balance my obsession with our wasteful Iraq War with ideas for positive change. One of these positive posts was A Progressive Agenda put forth by The Nation. In the tradition of looking for the positive, Rebecca Solnit offers Tom Dispatch readers plenty of sources. Click over to her article, The Secret Library of Hope, for a list of source for inspiration.

Bhutto's Death Solved!

Apparently Pakistan's Musharraf government has already solved the mystery behind Bhutto's death and pinned the whole thing on - wait for it - the scapegoat of the decade - and the winner is: al-Qaida. Additionally, the government is saying that it wasn't a bullet that killed Bhutto, rather, it was a blow to her head she received when she fell after the bomb blast. The Associated Press coverage promotes this Musharraf version of events.

Check out what appears to be the official line in this AP article: Pakistan: Al-Qaida behind Bhutto Killing. But it's not that cut and dry.

Al Jazeera reports that the one's pinned with the killing deny it.

The report continues with Sherry Rehman, Bhutto's spokeswoman who was in the motorcade at the time of the attack and was in the party which bathed her body before the funeral, she said, "There was a bullet wound I saw that went in from the back of her head and came out the other side. We could not even wash her properly because the wond was still seeping. She lost a huge amount of blood."

Rehman said: "The hospital was made to change its statement. They never gave a proper report. ..."

Javed Cheema, an interior ministry spokesman, said the death was caused by head injuries. But Farooq Naik, a senior official in Bhutto's PPP said: "Two bullets hit her, one in the abdomen and one in the head."

Read this alternative coverage in this article at AlJazeera: Fighters deny Bhutto killing link.

Don't stop there. Check out how US coverage sanitizes Getty photos taken after the assassination. The actual photos show the carnage while the doctored photos shown to the American public are blurred. Apparently this will protect our sensitive eyes from the horror that is reality. Thank god we can lose ourselves in our video games that brings style to carnage. Get Wonkette's take on this here: What They Sort of Showed You.

But wait - there's more. Here's some photos from the streets of Karachi showing the path of destruction: Mudsi's photos.

As a result of Ms. Bhutto's death I've heard pin-head commentators (like Blitzer and his guests) whining that with Bhutto's death any chance for democracy in Pakistan is dead. Then the inevitable racist, religious question comes up: Can you even have a democracy in an Islamic country? The fact is you can't have a democracy unless the government is secular. Religious involvement with the government is dangerous. There was a reason early American's created the wall between church and state. It was obvious to them that Christianity can be tyrannical and the best way to avoid this was to have a secular state. Obvious? I think so, but our media plays up the so-called danger posed my Islam without setting the proper context that it's not just Islam that's dangerous - all religions can be dangerous. Why didn't we worry more when Bush said his favorite philosopher was Jesus Christ?

Maheen's Comments on Benazir's Death

Like Cementaur, I was up at 4:50 AM, but rather than contemplating the wonderful gifts God has bestowed upon me, I was pissed-off that I was awake. Tossing and turning, I heard my cell phone receive three text messages...but deeming nothing to be more important than beating my sleep cycle back in-line...I dove back into a deep slumber.

6:45 AM. Younger Brother from Karachi calls, "Benazir, shot, dead and burned...you sound sleepy, talk to you later."

First thought: Three kids. What will they do? Stupid woman. Why did she come to Pakistan knowing she’d be killed?

Second thought: Karachi is Fucked!

I am banging on the bathroom door and telling my husband about it in some unintelligible combination of street Urdu and English and he says: "r u shocked?"

Random thought: When Dad had a stroke almost a month ago, people who did not know him, including the doctors, were not shocked. You know, old age, diabetes, hypertension. Statistically speaking, it all makes sense. But it still is a shock. Same way, BB's death is a shock despite the threats, her near death experience earlier and her family legacy. So, yes I am in shock.

CNN/BBC/MSNBC can't stop the coverage but then I switched to GEO and heard Asif Zardari's crumbling voice over the line. I saw people in the streets, yelling into their cell phones, grabbing sticks and breaking cars, hysterically crying holding each other, tires, buses burned and chaos in innumerable cities, Karachi being the worst.

Flashback: 1980's Karachi. Bomb blasts in Defense & Clifton. This is close to home, too close. Horribly close to where family and friends live. Usually things never really reach the upper class residential area, but BB lives/d there. Karachi is the capital of Sindh and Clifton/Defence is not so far from the main Larakana, Liyari area.

Important thought: Start Calling!!!

Ramifications: Three cousins at their friend's house, unable to reach home after work. Traffic jam. 80 cars burned. 40 of them at Sumbarine Chowk/Punjab Colony. Aunt in apt bldg right across, street, lights turned off and open shooting there (killing two as of 9 a.m.). And at Balawal house, BBQ tonight and Shariah Faisal. People are scared, angry and sad. First cousin's engagement party cancelled. Friend's 80 year father (a cancer patient) cannot be transported across Gizri for an MRI/biopsy – awaits death as my city burns for the Daughter of the East.

Flashback: August 2005, driving in a un-air-conditioned car in Sukkur with friend after traveling to Moen Jo Daro with a Sindhi driver/guide. "Baji, Hazrat bhutto kay mazaar chalo, har dua Qubool hogi.” So, we visited Garhi Khuda Baksh. I felt like I was in Ajmer. The love and the fervor was so strong, I almost kneeled at his grave.

Return to GEO: Amidst the tear-filled cries of Altaf Hussain and jabbering of Bush, I learned that BB was in the armored car wearing a bullet proof vest and then got out thru the sun roof. Stupidity, bravery, or the inability to sit still while others chant for you? I don't know.

Aftermath: Can't stop reading, looking at pictures and talking on the phone.

To me this is larger than if Musharraf gets assassinated. This is a legacy of martyrdom that only fuels the fervor of her followers in Pakistan. Bilawal, Fatima, Bakhtiyar… all will have the same fate.

I am not a PPP supporter and don't think her democracy was the right answer. However Mushiji is on the wrong track and there seems to be less and less out there that can offend him. But then there is the Taliban's reaction to her meeting Karzai that must have really gotten the fanatics all messed up in addition to her alliance with the West. But at this point, politics seem less important than what is really at stake, which is the blow to the love and devotion residing in the people of Sindh. I only hope they keep it controlled when Zardari travels to Bilawal house with his three kids and her body (deemed Shaheed first time on GEO by Mr. Altaf Hussain) and then to Garhi Khuda Baksh. May all blessings be upon those who may come in the line of fire.

- Maheen

Bhutto Killed In Suicide Attack

This morning’s news from Pakistan was grim:

Benazir Bhutto, the former Pakistani prime minister, has been killed in a gun and suicide bomb attack at an election rally in the city of Rawalpindi.

At least 16 others were also killed in Thursday's attack with another report saying at least 20 bodies were seen after the explosion which triggered violent protests across the country.

Bhutto,54, was proclaimed dead after she was taken to the Rawalpindi General Hospital. "At 6:16pm [13:16 GMT], she expired," Wasif Ali Khan, a member of Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party (PPP), present at the hospital, said.

Police said a suicide bomber fired at Bhutto as she was leaving the rally venue in a park before blowing himself up.

"The man first fired at Bhutto's vehicle. She ducked and then he blew himself up," Mohammad Shahid, a police officer said.

Read more >>

Who did this? Well, the spin is going crazy in the U.S. Some of the commentary goes like this: "It’s an Islamic country and therefore violent and the radical Islamists are obviously responsible." Of course we know better and that things aren’t always what they seem in Pakistan. Juan Cole offers this:

The Pakistani authorities are blaming Muslim militants for the assassination. That is possible, but everyone in Pakistan remembers that it was the military intelligence, or Inter-Services Intelligence, that promoted Muslim militancy in the two decades before September 11 as a wedge against India in Afghanistan and Kashmir. The Pakistan People's Party (PPP) faithful will almost certainly blame Pervez Musharraf, and sentiment here is more important than reality, whatever the reality may be.

Read more >>

Whatever the reality, I’m worried about the reaction Bhutto’s Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) will have. My wife (she's from Karachi) worries for relatives and friends there. Cars were set ablaze around Karachi and in the Defense neighborhood. Further unrest is expected. A CNN babbler called it ‘pre-riot conditions.’

Charlie Wilson's War: How one man changed history

I remember on September 12th, 2001, trying to explain the Pakistani connection to 9/11. My Pakistani wife understood all too well the connection and threat to her country, and we worried that Bush would bomb her home town Karachi.

Now that story is out and it can't be dismissed as exaggerated conspiracy theory from me. There's a movie, Charlie Wilson's War to explain (starring Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts) - but start with this article from The Independent about a missing chapter in our recent, covert history.

Crimes of War (2.0)

Crimes of War (2.0): What the Public Should Know edited by Roy Gutman, David Reiff and Anthony Dworkin is the updated version of a book about 'crimes committed in the course of human conflict.'

Read the book review here, at TimesOnline.