this piece of news just came in. this is shocking especially in the time of christmas when we speak of peace. there seems to be no peace in pakistan where unruly elements are bent on destroying whatever little hope of democracy and peace.
death seems to be the emphasis this month for me. first, it was our daughter's god brother, zi on, who gave his life to save a person he did not know. see the posts on kerk zi on on this blog.
then, just this morning (27th dec), my uncle, lee eng huat, passed away in k.l. he had a fall and broke his pelvic bone recently. during his hospitalization, he suffered, i think, 2 heart attacks without his knowing. his blood pressure went down, his kidneys began to fail, so the doctors put him on dialysis. efforts by the doctors did not work and he lapsed into a comma. the funeral will be this saturday in p.j. followed by the cremation.
of course, now this death of benazir from a suicide bombing. not that i am a strong fan of hers but at least she offered some hope of peace and democracy to this volatile nation.
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Pakistan on the brink as suicide attack kills Benazir Bhutto
PAKISTAN opposition leader Benazir Bhutto was killed by a suicide bomber as she left a public rally today, threatening to plunge Pakistan into a civil war.
Benazir BhuttoThe former prime minister was caught by the blast as she was driven from the rally in the city of Rawalpindi.
She had just addressed thousands of people in a public park as part of her campaign for the country's parliamentary elections which are due on January 8.
Her supporters gathered outside the hospital where she died and began chanting "Dog, Musharraf, dog," referring to Pakistan's president, Pervez Musharraf.
Some of them smashed the glass door at the main entrance of the emergency unit, others burst into tears.
Her lawyer said: "The surgeons confirmed that she has been martyred."
Ms Bhutto ,54, served twice as Pakistan's prime minister between 1988 and 1996.
She had returned to Pakistan from an eight-year exile last October after agreeing an amnesty deal with President Musharraf over corruption charges.
Her homecoming parade in Karachi was also targeted by a suicide attacker, killing more than 140 people. On that occasion she narrowly escaped injury.
The assassination threatens to plunge a nuclear armed Pakistan into civil war, opposition groups warned.
Riaz Malik, of the opposition Pakistan Movement for Justice party (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf), warned: "The impact will be that Pakistan is in more turmoil – it will be the start of civil war in Pakistan.
"There is a very real danger of civil war in Pakistan."
He said that while suspicion was likely to fall on insurgent groups based in the northern tribal areas near the Afghan border, the killing was bound to increase dissatisfaction with the regime of President Pervez Musharraf.
"There will be a lot of fingers pointed at the government," he said.
Foreign Secretary David Miliband described the killing of Benazir Bhutto as a "senseless attack".
An official for the US State Department official said: "The attack shows that there are still those in Pakistan trying to undermine reconciliation and democratic development in Pakistan."
India said Bhutto's assassination a terrible blow to the democratic process.
"In her death the subcontinent has lost an outstanding leader who worked for democracy and reconciliation in her country," said Sanjaya Baru, spokesman for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Amit Roy, a writer and commentator on Pakistani politics who knew Ms Bhutto, said she knew the risks of returning to campaign in the elections but was determined to win.
He said: "In one of my last conversations with her I said, almost as a joke, that she should leave politics and become an academic.
"But she felt that it was always her ambition to return to Pakistan as Prime Minister. She knew the risks but was determined to stay."
BENAZIR BHUTTO FACTFILE
* Born June 21, 1953. Her father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, founded the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and was president and later prime minister of Pakistan from 1971 to 1977.
* Educated at Harvard and Oxford universities. Returned to Pakistan in 1977. Inherited leadership of the PPP after her father's execution in 1979 under military ruler General Mohammad Zia-ul-Haq.
* First voted in as prime minister in 1988. Sacked on corruption charges in 1990. Took power again in 1993 after her successor, Nawaz Sharif, was forced to resign. Removed from power in 1996 by Sharif.
* 1999: Bhutto and husband Asif Ali Zardari sentenced to five years in jail and fined 8.6 million on charges of taking kickbacks from a Swiss company hired to fight customs fraud. Conviction overturned by higher court.
* Joined an Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy with her arch-rival Sharif in 2006.
* Returned to Pakistan in October 2007 from eight years of self-imposed exile. Military president Pervez Musharraf granted her protection from prosecution in old corruption cases.
* On her return, as she was driving through Karachi, a suicide bomber struck killing 139 supporters and members of her security team.
death seems to be the emphasis this month for me. first, it was our daughter's god brother, zi on, who gave his life to save a person he did not know. see the posts on kerk zi on on this blog.
then, just this morning (27th dec), my uncle, lee eng huat, passed away in k.l. he had a fall and broke his pelvic bone recently. during his hospitalization, he suffered, i think, 2 heart attacks without his knowing. his blood pressure went down, his kidneys began to fail, so the doctors put him on dialysis. efforts by the doctors did not work and he lapsed into a comma. the funeral will be this saturday in p.j. followed by the cremation.
of course, now this death of benazir from a suicide bombing. not that i am a strong fan of hers but at least she offered some hope of peace and democracy to this volatile nation.
----------------------------------------------------------
Pakistan on the brink as suicide attack kills Benazir Bhutto
PAKISTAN opposition leader Benazir Bhutto was killed by a suicide bomber as she left a public rally today, threatening to plunge Pakistan into a civil war.
Benazir BhuttoThe former prime minister was caught by the blast as she was driven from the rally in the city of Rawalpindi.
She had just addressed thousands of people in a public park as part of her campaign for the country's parliamentary elections which are due on January 8.
Her supporters gathered outside the hospital where she died and began chanting "Dog, Musharraf, dog," referring to Pakistan's president, Pervez Musharraf.
Some of them smashed the glass door at the main entrance of the emergency unit, others burst into tears.
Her lawyer said: "The surgeons confirmed that she has been martyred."
Ms Bhutto ,54, served twice as Pakistan's prime minister between 1988 and 1996.
She had returned to Pakistan from an eight-year exile last October after agreeing an amnesty deal with President Musharraf over corruption charges.
Her homecoming parade in Karachi was also targeted by a suicide attacker, killing more than 140 people. On that occasion she narrowly escaped injury.
The assassination threatens to plunge a nuclear armed Pakistan into civil war, opposition groups warned.
Riaz Malik, of the opposition Pakistan Movement for Justice party (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf), warned: "The impact will be that Pakistan is in more turmoil – it will be the start of civil war in Pakistan.
"There is a very real danger of civil war in Pakistan."
He said that while suspicion was likely to fall on insurgent groups based in the northern tribal areas near the Afghan border, the killing was bound to increase dissatisfaction with the regime of President Pervez Musharraf.
"There will be a lot of fingers pointed at the government," he said.
Foreign Secretary David Miliband described the killing of Benazir Bhutto as a "senseless attack".
An official for the US State Department official said: "The attack shows that there are still those in Pakistan trying to undermine reconciliation and democratic development in Pakistan."
India said Bhutto's assassination a terrible blow to the democratic process.
"In her death the subcontinent has lost an outstanding leader who worked for democracy and reconciliation in her country," said Sanjaya Baru, spokesman for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Amit Roy, a writer and commentator on Pakistani politics who knew Ms Bhutto, said she knew the risks of returning to campaign in the elections but was determined to win.
He said: "In one of my last conversations with her I said, almost as a joke, that she should leave politics and become an academic.
"But she felt that it was always her ambition to return to Pakistan as Prime Minister. She knew the risks but was determined to stay."
BENAZIR BHUTTO FACTFILE
* Born June 21, 1953. Her father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, founded the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and was president and later prime minister of Pakistan from 1971 to 1977.
* Educated at Harvard and Oxford universities. Returned to Pakistan in 1977. Inherited leadership of the PPP after her father's execution in 1979 under military ruler General Mohammad Zia-ul-Haq.
* First voted in as prime minister in 1988. Sacked on corruption charges in 1990. Took power again in 1993 after her successor, Nawaz Sharif, was forced to resign. Removed from power in 1996 by Sharif.
* 1999: Bhutto and husband Asif Ali Zardari sentenced to five years in jail and fined 8.6 million on charges of taking kickbacks from a Swiss company hired to fight customs fraud. Conviction overturned by higher court.
* Joined an Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy with her arch-rival Sharif in 2006.
* Returned to Pakistan in October 2007 from eight years of self-imposed exile. Military president Pervez Musharraf granted her protection from prosecution in old corruption cases.
* On her return, as she was driving through Karachi, a suicide bomber struck killing 139 supporters and members of her security team.
Comments
For violence so foul
That it rocks all sanity
To destroy a spirit that refuses to be cowed
(C) Samuel Goh Kim Eng - 281207
http://MotivationInMotion.blogspot.com
Tue. 1st Jan. 2008.