Day Seventy-Seven

6/17

The Book: Daughter of Destiny by Benazir Bhutto

ISBN: 0-06-167268-2

Suggested By: Sissy Vaughn

Where: Home

When: 9-9:45P

Music: None

Company: The Family

Pages: 375-435 (60)

The Lead In: When you know the end of the story, it’s a little depressing, especially when it’s a true story. Needless to say, this book has really given me much insight into the Pakistani world. More on that in the 20/20

The 411 on the 55: Zia died in a plane crash, which effectively took down the entire corrupt power structure. Elections were held and Bhutto’s party, the PPP, won majority, making her the PM. What a turn around! Eventually her government was overthrown by the military, only to win election again after a brief period. That government was again overthrown by the military.

She lists her goals and accomplishments as PM, and they are impressive. Some had claimed her legacy was tarnished by the accusations of corruption, but she dismissed those as excuses for the military to overthrow the government. While she was probably not spotless, it certainly makes sense for the military to concoct a lie to toss her out.

She, of course, died in a bomb blast (or gun shot wounds) after requesting the military government to supply her with protection. Regardless of her death, her life has left a mark on the history of Pakistan.

The 20/20: Daughter of Destiny is an interesting book about and by a powerful Muslim woman. Her life was an insane roller-coaster, full of despair and sadness dovetailed into intense moments of success and happiness. The book is inspirational and informative, especially from a Western point of view. I found myself exposed to elements of religions, geography, history, and politics. It was a sweeping view of the last 30 years of Pakistani life.

Line of the Day: “It is said that ‘there is nothing new under the sun’. When it comes to politics in Pakistan this certainly seems to ring true. Friends, allies and enemies spin around and flip like in George Orwell’s novel Nineteen Eighty-Four.” pg 424

The Fact on the Fiction: Yesterday, I mentioned that I would focus on the claims concerning her corruption, but, after finishing the book, I think they are a load of crap. She may not have been a saint, but it was obvious that she was a target of a system built on misogyny, jingoism, and tyranny. So I will close this with the amazing piece of information that her widower husband, Asif Ali Zardari, is now the democratically elected president of Pakistan. Wikipedia