Bhutto Unharmed In Bomb Blasts

Over 100 people were killed in a terrorist attack on hundreds of thousands of supporters who were welcoming former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto ’73 in her hometown of Karachi.

Bhutto, who had been exiled from her country for almost a decade, was rushed away from the scene of the attacks, unhurt.

Bhutto had brokered a power-sharing deal with President Pervez Musharraf that allowed her to return from an eight-year exile ordered by a former president on charges of corruption.

One of Bhutto’s former political advisors expressed concern about her ability to garner the support of the Pakistani people if she cannot travel freely due to security concerns.

“This could lead to a civil war situation if terrorists can go out and attack political parties,” said Research Fellow at the Belfer Center Hassan Abbas, who served on both Musharraf and Bhutto’s administrations.

Abbas said that Bhutto, unlike the increasingly unpopular Musharraf, could initiate dialogue and reconciliation to address the rising problem of terrorism and Islamic radicalism. He added that Musharraf focused more on military solutions instead of diplomacy.

Musharraf’s waning public support has provided Bhutto with an opportunity to return to power. If Bhutto hopes to be reelected she will have to galzanize a deeply divided Pakistan that has come to question Bhutto’s intentions in returning.

Gowher Rizvi, director of the Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation, said that in striking a deal with a dictator, Bhutto may be undermining her credibility.

“There has been serious questions about her popularity,” said Rizvi, who is a lecturer in public policy. “A lot of people are extremely skeptical that she has been placed by foreign powers,” he said, adding that Bhutto has garnered the support of Washington and London.

Rizvi said that Musharraf’s emphasis on the military has led to an imbalance of power that will be challenging to correct.

“Her crucial test will be to restore the democratic process in a meaningful way, curb the political power of the military, and focus on social issues like education, the environment, civil society, and health care,” he said.

Saba Z. Zaidi ’10, whose family lives in Karachi, the location of the attacks, said that she thinks the Pakistani government is in need of fresh faces.

“These people have already played their political games, but because of these games, people keep getting hurt,” she said. “This is history repeating itself.”

Bhutto’s former Radcliffe roommate remembers her when she was still formulating her idea of democracy.

“It was at Harvard that Benazir began to study theories of government,” said Yolanda K. Kodrzycki ’74 in an e-mailed statement. “I believe that this coursework helped to shape her views on political systems, in addition to the lessons she has learned firsthand in the political arena.”