Dr. Isaac Kfir. Deathblow to the opposition
Photo: Gadi Dagon
The West's hope. Bhutto
Photo: Reuters
Great triumph for radicals
Expert says Bhutto assassination to gravely undermine Pakistan democracy hopes
“Benazir Bhutto’s assassination is an earthquake in Pakistan,” says Dr. Isaac Kfir, an international relations lecturer at the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya and a Pakistan expert. Kfir believes that the terror attack that killed the opposition leader constitutes a grave blow to democratic aspirations in the Islamic state. “Her death will cause a huge shock in the country and lead to the opposition party’s collapse. This is an immense achievement for radical Islam,” he says.
Suicide Attack
News Agencies
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Bhutto, the former Pakistani prime minister, was murdered Thursday in a shooting attack carried out by a suicide bomber. Dr. Kfir says that the opposition leader’s death will gravely undermine her party’s future. “Her death will neutralize the opposition party because there is no suitable candidate that could take her place,” he says. “This could lead to a party split and a leadership struggle.”
In addition, Kfir says that the murder significantly boosts the power of Islamists in Pakistan under the leadership of al-Qaeda activists. “The Bhutto assassination proves that radical Islam has shifted from Afghanistan to Pakistan and is moving from rural areas into the large cities. The Taliban may grow stronger and so would al-Qaeda – one of its leaders, Ayman al-Zawahiri, called for Bhutto’s murder and viewed her as a US and Western puppet,” Kfir notes.
Reforms will have to wait
The assassination is expected to bring about the postponement of elections slated for January, which constitutes a grave blow to Western aspiration to see a democratic Pakistan. “I assume that US President George Bush received the news of her death with complete shock. This is a grave blow to his vision, because Bhutto’s party was poised to win the elections and become Pakistan’s dominant party,” Kfir says. “I assume that the US president will use the assassination as further evidence for the need to engage in a determined war on global terror.”
The great fear in the West is of seeing complete turmoil in the Islamic state, which possesses nuclear weapons that may fall into the hands of radicals. Dr. Kfir believes that at this point there is no fear of regime change in Pakistan. The assassination could further boost the country’s army, he says, yet at the same time it would postpone various reforms which the people of Pakistan seek.
“President Musharraf would now be able to say that he cannot lead significant changes in the country because he is dealing with terrorism,” Kfir says. “Bhutto’s death will strengthen the army, which will be telling the citizens: This is the reason why we need to stay in power. We are the only ones who can cope with the situation.”
