Why Bhutto Was Assassinated

Counterterrorism.org has an article examining the motivations behind the assassination of Benazir Bhutto.

But the return of Mrs. Bhutto to Pakistan sent a positive message to the public and a negative one to the radical Islamists. The daughter of a prominent leader, a member of a political family, a former prime minister in her own right — and, above all, a liberal Muslim woman — Mrs. Bhutto projected the possibility of a leap toward more balanced politics and greater steps toward pluralism — two ingredients for progress toward democracy. Her dialogue with Mr. Musharraf made possible the return of Mr. Sharif and the global march to new elections. The bickering politicians didn't let go of their sour feelings toward each other, but the political process was about to gradually return to the country.

I think this will backfire badly on the Islamists. Bhutto was popular and killing her like this is only going to highlight their brutality and drive moderates further away from the hard-line fundamentalist position. It has been said many times that ideas cannot be killed and it is as true now as ever. If the US and other nations can assist Pakistan in moving forward with democratic elections and prevent Islamic extremists from taking control of the country by force, then I think we can count on the Pakistanis moving away from the extremists on their own.