Ms. Bhutto’s return has already taken its toll. Over a hundred innocent people have died and several hundreds injured. Her attempt to gain maximum political mileage nearly cost her her life. “The attack on me was not totally unexpected” she writes in the WSJ clearly indicating that she knew about the potential dangers. Despite this, she chose to gain maximum political mileage and media coverage on her return. Instead she could have slipped into Pakistan with minimum fanfare and then gradually launched into her campaign. Even if it didn’t gain all the instant coverage, it would have at the least saved a few hundred lives. Eight years of exile has not changed her “politics first” mindset.
Despite a symbolic change, unfortunately, between Pervez Musharraf, Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Shariff Pakistan has little to chose from. A Bhutto Government with Musharraf as President, which seems like the next step, is a case of a hopeless situation getting no better. At this point, Pakistan can only hope for some hope!
Pakora Korner 