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Q and A with Mansoor Ijaz, a Pakistani-American businessman

By Marlene Naanes, amNewYork Staff Writer
More stories | MNaanes@am-ny.com

December 28, 2007

Mansoor Ijaz, a Pakistani-American businessman and media contributor, discussed Benazir Bhutto's assassination with amNewYork::

Pakistani President Musharraf blames her death on the extremists his government has been battling. Is that accurate?

Extremists may have had a hand in the suicide bombing, but targeted assassinations are not Al Qaeda's modus operandi. Even if they claim the hit, Al Qaeda did not in my judgment execute Ms. Bhutto. We may never know who was behind the killing simply because Ms. Bhutto had such a wide and diverse array of enemies.

Bhutto knew she was the target of assassins. Why did she return from exile last fall?

She was a savvy woman who calculated that absolving her and her family's name of corruption charges in return for an opportunity to become Pakistan's most powerful politician again -- and that if she was killed, it would leave her as a martyr in Pakistan's history. Frankly, it was a pretty cold calculation, but one that I'm afraid was inevitable.

Bhutto was a polarizing figure in Pakistan. Did her return contribute to the further destabilization of the country?

Yes. Her party was fractured as a result of her negotiations with General. Musharraf. She was historically a polarizing figure. She permitted the army to start conflict in Kashmir during her first term in office to appease Punjabi generals who did not trust her and we all know what the result of that decision was. She permitted her husband and others around him to plunder Pakistan's treasury during her second term in office, bringing the country to the brink of bankruptcy twice. She was, above all, a woman who was probably not the right candidate for the Islamist framework that has taken hold of Pakistan today.

What impact will her death have on Jan. 8th parliamentary elections? Is there anyone to take her place?

The elections will either be postponed or canceled. If they proceed, say by March, then it is my view that Aitzaz Ahsan would be the best People's Party candidate to be fielded. He has a positive record as a democratist, and as a lawyer, could easily lead a "Pinstripe Revolution".

Who will emerge from this stronger?

Everyone lost today. There are no winners in a society whose political leaders are assassinated to prevent their ascension to power.

What impact will her death have on the progress of democracy in Pakistan?

As for democracy, Pakistan never had it, and probably never will.

Bhutto was the first female Pakistani Prime Minister. She also was twice expelled from office amid corruption charges, what will be her legacy?

She struck me as a terribly conflicted person who deep in her heart wanted to save Pakistan from its evils, but was unable to put her personal lifestyle choices aside in doing so. But I firmly believe that she loved Pakistan, and for all her faults, had returned there this time to turn a new page in its troubled political history. We should remember her for her courage to stand up in the face of incalculable odds to bring some semblance of sanity to the disaster that Pakistan has become.