Benazir Bhutto, former prime minister of Pakistan, spoke at Fall Convocation and helped dedicate the Isabella Cannon Centre for International Studies during her visit to campus Sept. 18-19, 2002. Details...
Bhutto, who served as prime minister from 1988-1990 and 1993-1996, also held a news conference and answered questions from students during a session in Whitley Auditorium. She emphasized her belief that terrorism can only be defeated when democracy is able to flourish throughout the world.
“Democracy is important for our success in the war against terrorism,” Bhutto said. She said free governments, supported and chosen by the people, are the best weapon in the fight against dictatorships and military regimes. “I remember the days of the Cold War, when there was a commitment to the freedom of the countries in the Communist bloc. There needs to be a similar commitment to the democratization of the countries in the Muslim world.” She said it is ironic that while Islam is strongly committed to democracy, most of its followers are living under dictatorships.
Bhutto has declared her intention to return to Pakistan next month to run in national elections, despite threats from President Pervez Musharraf to have her arrested if she returns. She believes Musharraf’s government has stifled democracy in Pakistan and contends it did nothing to stop terrorist cells that played a role in the September 11 attacks.
“I do believe Musharraf’s regime should have handled the Taliban, bin Laden and al Qaeda before they reigned terror on America.” She blamed Musharraf’s government for turning a blind eye towards terrorists. “They’ve been given a long rope and they’re doing what they want.”
During her convocation address to a crowd of 2,000 in Alumni Gymnasium Wednesday evening, Bhutto said that among the many victims of September 11 is the image of Islam. “At this time of crisis, American leaders must understand that those who use violence in the name of Islam are heretics and hypocrites. They are criminals, not clerics; their actions contradict the teachings of Islam….Our religion is not what (the terrorists) preach. Islam is committed to tolerance and equality, and it is committed by Quaranic definition to the principles of democracy.”
Facing challenges is nothing new for Bhutto, 49, who became the first head of state of a predominantly Muslim country in 1988. “It was difficult growing up as a woman in Pakistan,” Bhutto said, telling students that women pray to give birth to boys rather than girls. “It used to be quite shocking to me that because I was a girl, I was a disappointment. I was very conscious of the fact that women were treated as second class citizens, but I did not accept it and I was fortunate that my father did not accept it.” She says women in many Muslim countries “are discriminated against in every aspect of life.”
When her father, Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, was ousted in a 1977 military coup and later executed, she promised him that she would work to return democracy to Pakistan. “The cost of going behind bars to be on the ballot is one I’m willing to accept. Even if General Musharraf puts me in prison, I can still be elected.”