Benazir Bhutto

By Imran Khan in Asia on January 11th, 2011
Photo by EPA

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, son of the slain Pakistani politician Benazir Bhutto, knew his words needed to count.

By Imran Khan in Asia on December 28th, 2009
Photo by AFP

It was an extraordinary speech. After months of silence, Asif Ali Zardari, the Pakistani president, finally spoke out.

It was the anniversary of the death of his wife, Benazir Bhutto, who died on December 27, 2007 on the campaign trail.

The speech was at Naudero, the spiritual home of Bhutto's Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) in Sindh Province, southwest Pakistan.
 
The president was blunt. He spoke of "non-state actors" trying to break up Pakistan. He spoke of sacrifice.

"We have shed our blood for building institutions, know how they have been built. We know what will happen when such institutions clash and we don't want to see such a day," he said.

By Imran Khan in Asia on December 17th, 2009
Photo from EPA

It had all the makings of a great TV show: A president under a cloud, a supreme court with a historic judgment to make and a nation in waiting.

To add to the drama a decision was made by the court to tell the world at 4.30pm local time [11.30GMT] their verdict. It was a tense wait as the deadline passed.

In the hours that we waited for the judgement, speculation was high. The rumours where that the supreme court's 17 judges were divided between hawks and doves. That the decision was painful because others wanted to find a middle way.

Finally, a little before 11pm, it arrived. A scriptwriter could not written a better ending. Once the judgement came, speculation turned to jubilation for some, shock for others - null and void.

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