Obituary: Benazir Bhutto
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BBC News (27 Dec 07) - Benazir Bhutto followed her father into politics, and both of them died because of it - he was executed in 1979, she fell victim to an apparent suicide bomb attack. Her two brothers also suffered violent deaths. She was the last remaining bearer of her late father's political legacy.
Like the Nehru-Gandhi family in India, the Bhuttos of Pakistan are one of the world's most famous political dynasties. Benazir's father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, was prime minister of Pakistan in the early 1970s.
Born in 1953 in the province of Sindh and educated at Harvard and Oxford, Ms Bhutto gained credibility from her father's high profile, even though she was a reluctant convert to politics.
She was twice prime minister of Pakistan, from 1988 to 1990, and from 1993 to 1996. On both occasions she was dismissed from office by the president for alleged corruption. The dismissals typified her volatile political career, which was characterised by numerous peaks and troughs. At the height of her popularity - shortly after her first election - she was one of the most high-profile women leaders in the world.
Young and glamorous, she successfully portrayed herself as a refreshing contrast to the overwhelmingly male-dominated political establishment. But after her second fall from power, her name came to be seen by some as synonymous with corruption and bad governance.
Corruption charges
During both her stints in power, the role of Ms Bhutto's husband, Asif Zardari, proved highly controversial.
He played a prominent role in both her administrations, and has been accused by various Pakistani governments of stealing millions of dollars from state coffers - charges he denies, as did Ms Bhutto herself. Many commentators argued that the downfall of Ms Bhutto's government was accelerated by the alleged greed of her husband.
None of about 18 corruption and criminal cases against Mr Zardari has been proved in court after 10 years. But he served at least eight years in jail. He was freed on bail in 2004, amid accusations that the charges against him were weak and going nowhere.
Ms Bhutto also steadfastly denied all the corruption charges against her, which she said were politically motivated. She faced corruption charges in at least five cases, all without a conviction, until amnestied in October 2007.
Army mistrust
Ms Bhutto returned to Pakistan on 18 October 2007 after President Musharraf signed into law an ordinance granting her and others an amnesty from corruption charges. In the months before her death, she had emerged again as a strong contender for power.
Some in Pakistan believe her secret talks with the military regime amounted to betrayal of democratic forces as these talks shored up President Musharraf's grip on the country. Others said such talks indicated that the military might at long last be getting over its decades-old mistrust of Ms Bhutto and her party, and interpreted it as a good omen for democracy.
Western powers saw in her a popular leader with liberal leanings who could bring much needed legitimacy to Mr Musharraf's role in the "war against terror".
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My first reaction on seeing today's headlines was surprise. Then sadness at the realisation that another icon of our times has died under the most violent circumstances.
Her death is starkly reminiscent of the way that both Ghandi and Mrs Indira Ghandi had died many years ago. A sad reflection on the way politics is conducted on the Indian subcontinent.
To be sure, I do not really know much about Ms Benazir Bhutto, other than that she was once a very charismatic prime minister of Pakistan, and that she was toppled from power due to alleged corruption.
I do know that she was a famous person I often read about or watched on TV news. And I was also vaguely aware that she had only just returned to Pakistan not long ago, after a period of exile. Ironically, if she had not returned, she might still be alive today.
I can't say that she had been good for Pakistan. As far as Pakistani or Indian leaders go though, she was par on course for the norm. She was perhaps just a little more memorable for being the first woman to assume the highest political office in her nation.
This is how democracy works outside of the developed world. Not for the first time, I think it's premature to introduce democractic government in countries where the rule of law is not yet guaranteed. It's comforting to think that democractic, market-based capitalism may represent the End of History, but we should never forget that less than one quarter of the world lives in truly democratic governments today.
I'd say we're very, very far from "The End" indeed.
Rest in peace, Ms Benazir Bhutto.