Political Turmoil In Pakistan
On the evening of 27th Dec, 2007 Ms. Benazir Bhutto was killed in a suicide bomb attack after addressing the political rally in Rawalpindi for the upcoming national election on 8th Jan, 2008.
Around about the same time, Mr. Nawaz Sharif's rally was also targeted by the political extremists which resulted in the loss of 4 of his aides.
The United States was swift to condemn what it called "terrorist attacks in Karachi during peaceful political demonstrations."
"There is no political cause that can justify the murder of innocent people," State Department spokesman Tom Casey said in a written statement.
This news is a shock to the Indian Government and the people in the subcontinent as the resulting turmoil could damage the peace process and upset the communal fabric in Kashmir and the surrounding regions.
The fact is that Gen. Pervez Musharraf could not control the insurgents or terrorists in his country. And, United States which acts as the "World Police" has done nothing in its power to curb such extremist acts which was also directed against its soil.
The sudden and saddening demise of Ms. Benazir Bhutto would certainly hurt the peace and stability in the Kashmir region and would lead to scores of problems in Pakistan and its relation with India.
This incident could be termed 'absolutely horrendous' and has shaken the beliefs of people in Pakistan and in the very existence of the word 'Democracy'.
The two major bugbears of Indo-Pak relations over the years --- the issue of Kashmir raised by Pakistan and infiltration by India have re-surfaced with a vengeance and threaten to smother all else, including progress in trade, road links between the Indian and Pakistan portions of J&K, deployment of troops at the Siachin glacier, oil supply lines through Pakistan and plenty more of the positive dynamics that can be generated once the two nations are in sync.
The situation has not deteriorated to levels post-Kargil in 1999 when the war posturing continued for a long time. The High Commissions are at almost full strength, air, road and rail links have been restored from other parts of India, prisoners of war, fishermen and others who accidentally stray across the border are regularly let off; talks on nuclear weapons have also progressed satisfactorily.
But, it is increasingly being felt that a cul-de-sac has been reached, with the air thick with suspicions once again with blame lying on the structural factors that seem to prevent both the sides from making any quantum progress.
And now, after the death of the opposition leader and a strong contender in the upcoming national election, the Indo-Pak relation would take a serious set back and the wrath would be faced by the people residing in the state of Jammu & Kashmir.