Mrs. Bhutto's Death

As most of us know by know, at 6:16 PM today in Pakistan, Mrs. Benazir Bhutto, twice former Prime Minister of Pakistan and first female PM in a Muslim nation was killed after a suicide bomber shot her and exploded a shrapnel filled bomb. While it is not clear whether the gun shots or shrapnels killed as, as there are many conflicting stories, Mrs. Bhutto was pronounced dead at a local hospital nearby the location of the suicide bombing. She was giving a speech at an open rally at the town of Rawalpnindi.

It is a great tragedy that such an event occurred, and even more tragic that she apparently was killed after willingly opening her car window to wave to the crowds, a customary action of hers, when she could have prevented serious injuries had she not done so since she was in her bullet-proof Toyota.

Many protests have erupted in Pakistan over this incident, with many of the disgruntled Pakistanis blaming the incident on Musharraf, calling him a murderer and the likes. Mr. Musharraf himself condemned the attacks and announced three days of national mourning for this horrendous act of terrorism and the unfortunate death of Mrs. Bhutto. Nevertheless, I believe that Mrs. Bhutto's legacy should not be in vain. Now is the time for the Western nations to push for more reform and the increased democratization in the region. Now that the people of Pakistan overwhelmingly despise the actions of the radical Islamists who are currently the prime suspect by analysts for the attacks on Bhutto, we should take advantage of this feeling and finish what Bhutto would have wanted us to do, promote moderate Islam in Muslim nations.

On the news, most candidates have expressed their condolences to Mrs. Bhutto, but none of them are giving solvency to the problem and any actions they will take because of this incident. It is important they give their grief to the people of Pakistan and those close to Mrs. Bhutto. But it is more important that they show the world that this incident is the reason why we must promote moderate Islam in Muslim nations and combat terrorism.