Sat 29 Dec 2007
With all the attention now (rightfully) focused on the unfortunate death of Benazir Bhutto, I can’t help but wonder why the media isn’t giving more attention to the fact that Musharraf knew exactly what her situation was yet seemed to do little to strengthen her security.
I came across this story yesterday evening (though its from 12/26) when I analyzing news stories from different media outlets across the globe:
Pakistani police say bomber prevented from entering Bhutto rally in Peshawar
Wednesday, December 26, 2007 08:00 PM
ISLAMABAD (AP) - Pakistani police caught a would-be suicide bomber today as the teenager tried to enter a rally for opposition leader Benazir Bhutto in the northwestern city of Peshawar, a local police official said.
The 15-year-old boy, who had a small bomb consisting of dynamite and nails, managed to make it past the first of four security checkpoints set up outside the rally, but was caught at the second checkpoint, said local police officer Rahim Shah.
Pakistan, which has been a key US ally in the war on terror, has been beleaguered by suicide bombings and other attacks as well as fighting between Islamic militants and armed forces.
Doesn’t it seem odd that a 15 year old boy was able to get through even the first checkpoint? If anything, this seems like a convenient test, something that Al-Qaeda has done in the past, that being using Children to test the waters.
Aside from that, the more important question is whether or not Musharraf knew about this situation. While I haven’t been able to find any comment from him on this, my guess is that he knew all of the details and then some. Even if it was just a child any pro-democracy leader would have offered her more security.
Unfortunately, playing Monday morning quarterback isn’t going to bring back Bhutto. I have no doubt that in the coming months escalation of attacks on US troops will rise significantly from the Waziristan region if Musharraf is once again elected. With there being no candidate to fill the shoes of Bhutto, things definitely look grim.
Yes, Musharraf has been a friend to the US in the past, however he has been incredibly inconsistent and more importantly, extremely undemocratic.
This is a point where a lot of Republicans will disagree with me, however I truly believe that feux democratic leaders hurt our goals much more than assist in advancing them.
