Given that the last and only comment I posted on this blog was about Benazir, it seems fitting now to say something more about her. While I have been skeptical about her portrayal as the Joan of Arc of Pakistani democracy, and I am no fan of her father–myself being a Bangladeshi born during the war–her death seems to mark a sad moment in time. Something has passed, similar to when Rajiv Gandhi was killed, or when Indira Gandhi was killed. And I must say that I grieve today because the realization that is dawning on me is that a generation of leaders who came of age during a time of struggle, whose parents and grandparents fought colonialism and oppression, and were shaped by those struggles is now being eliminated by cowards who use bombs and guns because they cannot use words and ideas. Benazir, whatever she was, was a leader who could hold her own with anyone. She broke a number of barriers and symbolized possibility and progress, regardless of how flawed her reality was. This is a momentous loss.
Thanks for posting this. This is a terrible loss.
Pingback: Feminist Law Professors » Blog Archive » Women in Black
Pingback: paki.fm » Blog Archive » Blogosphere Response to Bhutto Death
Given that the last and only comment I posted on this blog was about Benazir, it seems fitting now to say something more about her. While I have been skeptical about her portrayal as the Joan of Arc of Pakistani democracy, and I am no fan of her father–myself being a Bangladeshi born during the war–her death seems to mark a sad moment in time. Something has passed, similar to when Rajiv Gandhi was killed, or when Indira Gandhi was killed. And I must say that I grieve today because the realization that is dawning on me is that a generation of leaders who came of age during a time of struggle, whose parents and grandparents fought colonialism and oppression, and were shaped by those struggles is now being eliminated by cowards who use bombs and guns because they cannot use words and ideas. Benazir, whatever she was, was a leader who could hold her own with anyone. She broke a number of barriers and symbolized possibility and progress, regardless of how flawed her reality was. This is a momentous loss.