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Benazir assassination:
The unprecedented mass
reaction
By: Farooq Tariq
29th December 2007 (7am)
Pakistan has never seen so many
people protesting in streets all over as been the case during the last
two days. They were all united across Pakistan to condemn
the brutal murder of Benazir Bhutto. The news was heard with a great
shock and there was an immediate mass anger erupted in all parts of
Pakistan. 28th December was the first day of general
strike called by many groups ranging from political parties to various
professional groups.
Most of elections posters,
banners, flags and bill boards of Pakistan Muslim League (PMLQ) were the
first victim of the mass anger. PMLQ is a General Musharaf creation
after 1999; a major split of Pakistan Muslim League, The rest is headed
by Nawaz Sharif, the former prime minister. PMLQ has been sharing power
with General Musharaf after 2002 and is comprised of the most corrupt
feudal, capitalists, former army generals and black marketers.
PMLQ had spent billions of
these advertising material and all that was gone within few hours of
mass reaction. It was very proudly claiming that it has done the home
work. The work to remove all these anti people election material was
done with utmost sophistication. None of Pakistan Peoples Party or
Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz election material was removed.
Then it was the banks
mainly in Sind. They were attacked and the buildings were
burned in many cities of Sind. Most of ATM machines were
destroyed. In some places, people were lucky to bring some money home.
Banks had made unprecedented profits during the last few years. There
was no free banking any more that was the case earlier from sixties.
Hundreds of private buses
were burned in all parts of the country. The fares had gone too high
during the Musharaf eight years of rule. There were no more public
buses. Most of PMLQ government ministers had their own bus companies and
were making huge gains out of mass poverty.
There were also incidents
of burning of railway trains in Sind. According to Daily Jang
28 railway stations, 13 railway engines, and seven trains have been
burnt resulting over three billion Rupees loss. The rail fares were
increased by many folds by Musharaf regime in a bid to reduce the
railway losses. It has been partly privatized as well. The whole rail
system has collapsed since 27th December night. Thousands of
passengers are on the railway stations waiting for restoration. There is
no sign of restoration for some days. Pakistan International Airlines
PIA and two private airlines, Air Blue and Shaheen Air have cancelled
all their domestic flights on the name of “rescheduling”. The staff
did not turn up.
Thousands of private cars
have been damaged all over Pakistan by the angry mob mainly
youth. They were showing their anger on the car companies (mainly
Toyota, Suzuki and Honda) unprecedented profits during the last
few years. Many leasing companies have robbed the growing middle classes
by offering cars with abnormal prices. While the massive majority of
population have no more ant subsidized public transport.
The houses and offices of
PMLQ politicians, local government’s mayors and administration are the
other victims of the mass reaction. They have either been burnt or
damaged.
Over 100 people have so
far died in the incidents relation to mass protest either by police or
by cross firing of different groups during the last 40 hours.
Thousands and thousands
have raised slogans against Musharaf regime and American imperialism
after the death of Benazir Bhutto. The anger was accumulated during the
last eight years and was manifested after this unthinkable incident.
This was a response of the masses to the strict implementation of neo
liberal agenda which resulted in unprecedented price hike, unemployment
and poverty. The anger that was to be shown in boycotting or
participating in the elections has come out early after the
assassination of Benazir Bhutto.
There is a great anti
Musharaf consciousness all over. It is been shown in different ways in
different part of the country in different degree. The so-called
capitalist economical growth under Musharaf has left millions in
absolute poverty. There was no Pakistan shining as was
propagated by the dictatorship all the times.
The 2007 has been a year
of mass awakening. It started with advocate movement after the removal
of chief justice of Supreme Court of Pakistan. The chief justice
Iftikhar Choudry said a big “No” to resign under pressure by the
Generals. He was removed only to be reinstated on 20th July
after a massive movement of 80,000 lawyer’s community. They were joined
by political activists from almost all political parties but not by the
masses. Masses only welcomed the chief justice from the side roads and
did not participate in the movement in real terms.
Musharaf got himself
elected as president for the second five year term in a “democratic
manner” by a parliament elected for one five year term. He was still
wearing military uniform when elected as “civilian” president. His theme
was “elect me president for the second term and I will take off uniform
after taking oath as civilian president”.
The November imposition of
martial law on the name of emergency was used to remove the rather
independent top judges of Pakistan. It put restrictions on
the media and over 10,000 were arrested. Musharaf got himself duly
“elected president” and took off uniform after removing the top judges.
His hand picked judges gave him all the necessary backing. He was helped
in this process by Benazir Bhutto who was forced into in Tariq Ali,s
word “forced arranged marriage” by US and British imperialism. In this
unholy alliance, every one was cheating everyone with utmost honestly.
The general elections were
announced for January 8th and emergency lifted after the
large scale repression and removal of independent judiciary. The regime
was happy that everything is going according to “plan”. The Pakistan
Peoples Party of Benazir Bhutto and Muslim League Nawaz and Quid Azam (PMLQ),
the three major parties had agreed to participate in these fraudulent
elections. The religious fundamentalist political alliance MMA had split
on the question of participation in elections. One major part of MMA had
gone to contest elections.
The campaign for and
boycott the election had started when the religious fundamentalist stuck
and killed Benazir Bhutto on 27th December evening. The
“plan” was shattered into pieces. It was big blow to agreed terms and
conditions of various participating parties in the elections. It was not
a bumper on the road but a total destruction of the road of
conciliations and compromises.
The murder of Benazir
Bhutto is a double edge sword. While it is big blow to the plans of
British and American imperialism, it will also be no celebration for the
religious fundamentalist forces. The initial anger has gone against the
military regime and its crony politicians. It can go against the both.
No party will be able to celebrate the shocking killings.
But Musharaf regime has
understood this clearly and now is trying consciously to put the
direction of the movement against the religious fundamentalists. Last
night on 28th December, in a two hour press conference, a
military brigadier, representing the government named Baitullah Mehsud,
an Al-Qaeda associate in tribal areas of Pakistan as the one
who carried out the attack.
Foolishly he tried his
best to prove that Benazir Bhutto is not killed by a bullet but by the
lever of sun roof of the bullet proof car while Benazir Bhutto was
waving to crowds outside after the bomb blast. What difference it makes,
if it is proved that Benazir Bhutto is killed not by the bullet but by
another way? Not much.
The military Brigadier
explanation did not satisfied the angry journalists who asked him again
and again about the connections of secret intelligence agencies of
Pakistan with Abdullah Mahsood. The question, that why Mahsood
released quietly over 200 Pakistan army men on the day of
imposition of emergency, who were kidnapped by his group a week earlier,
went unanswered. The military Inter Services Intelligence ISI has long
time relationship with the religious fundamentalists groups dating back
to Eighties when Imperialists and fundamentalists were close friends.
It is very volatile,
unstable, unpredictable, explosive, dangerous, impulsive, fickle and
capricious political situation. It never happened before in many years
that mass reaction has erupted to this degree.
The general strike was a
total success. All roads were empty. No traffic at all. All shops were
closed. All industrial and other institutions were completely shut down.
After the initial
inhibition to curb the strike, the regime has now issued strict orders
to kill anyone on the spot if it is “looting” any thing. It has called
the regular army in 16 districts of Sind and paramilitary forces
elsewhere in Pakistan.
The regime has so for not
postponed the scheduled elections but it is very difficult to hold
elections in this situation. Nawaz Muslim League Nawaz and several other
political parties have already announced to boycott the fraudulent
elections.
Labour Party Pakistan is
demanding an immediate resignation of Musharaf dictatorship and forming
of an interim government comprising of civil society organizations,
trade unions and peasant organizations. This is to hold free and fair
general elections under an independent election commission. It is
demanding an immediate restoration of top judges and investigations of
Benazir and others murder in this and previous bomb blast by these top
judges. As part of All Parties Democratic Movement, LPP is supporting a
three day general strike and linking it to the overthrow of the military
dictatorship. It is asking all parties to reject the general elections
fraud on 8th January and not to participate in these
elections.
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