[Al-Hayat, U.K.]

24 Heures, Switzerland

Benazir Was Only a Secondary Target

"The target is democracy in Pakistan. Or more simply: the goal is to destabilize a government allied with the United-States. Allied with the wicked West."

By Foreign Desk Editor Andrés Allemand

Translated By Sandrine Ageorges

December 28, 2007

Switzerland - 24 heurs - Original Article (French)

Who profits from a crime? This is the unavoidable question in the aftermath of the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. Should we listen to some of her supporters who already see a Machiavellian plot by President Pervez Musharraf to dispose of his main rival in legislative elections on Jan. 8 - and why not - since this justifies his hold on power with a new “security” coup d’état? Or should we instead adhere to hear the President’s speech, which blamed the perpetual war against Islamist terrorism?

Clearly, the crime benefits the partisans of chaos. It wasn't their first attempt. This year Pakistan broke a sad record: the number of suicide bombings. They killed nearly 800 people in the last twelve months, although most haven’t been publicized. Just yesterday, while the death of Benazir Bhutto was the central focus of the media, Nawaz Sharif - another former prime minister and a candidate in the presidential election - survived gunfire during his own election rally.

The target is democracy in Pakistan. Or more simply: the goal is to destabilize a government allied with the United-States. Allied with the wicked West. A government that resists, as much as it can, the advance of Islamic radicalism, which is no longer satisfied administering the “tribal zones” along the Afghanistan border or the thousands of madrasas - the Koranic schools which manufacture Taliban. Remember: in early July, the fundamentalists stormed the Red Mosque, in the heart of Islamabad.

One dare not imagine what it would be like if a nuclear power fell into such hands. At this point, the Pakistani Army remains a steadfast bulwark. But for how long?

Click for French Version