Pakistan and Bhutto - Private correspondence

The moment I learned of the Bhutto assassination, I wrote to a close friend in India, highly placed, knowledgeable of reality behind the scenes. "What do I need to know?" I asked. I received a quick letter back, many hours before the WaPo article posted below.


My letter:

Dear ______

The Bhutto assassination is shocking!

Will its impact remain domestic for the most part? The region?

Any help for my understanding please


The response:

Dear Frank,

Indeed, it is a great shock, but well awaited given the scenario in Pakistan. The old saying is that you reap as you sow.

She could not get away from her past deeds of sheltering and encouraging the Taliban, the Kashmiri extremists and her latest compromise with the dictator Musharraf. They boomeranged on her.

However, it is unfortunate that she was removed from the scene when she was pretending to be a champion of democracy. In fact she always thought that the PPParty was her family business and never encouraged any inner party democracy. That is why there is a vacuum of leadership for her party after her.

I think now USA and like should understand that unless they stop supporting the army dictators and start supporting democratic forces in Pakistan it would soon turn into another Iraq or Afghanistan in their worst form as it has the nukes and other destructive weapons already.

It is of great concern for India as we get the brunt of it all.