It’s not as if I know her personally. It’s not as if I even knew a lot about how deep her political struggle really went before her death. But the news of Benazir Bhutto’s assassination has greatly saddened me, and I can think of little else.

Bhutto grew up in a prominent political family in Karachi, Pakistan. She studied at Harvard and Oxford and graduated in 1977. She returned back home where her father had been elected as Prime Minister. But only two years later he was hanged by the military government under General Zia Ul Haq. It was in later years, after many arrests and the mysterious death of her brother that Bhutto, with the support of the public, called for the resignation of Haq. She was elected the co-chairwoman of the Pakistan People’s Party, and later as Prime Minster. She served twice as Prime Minister, having been dismissed once by President Khan, only to be re-elected after initiating an anti-corruption campaign. During her years in office, “she brought electricity to the countryside and built schools all over the country. She made hunger, housing, and health care her top priorities, and looked forward to continuing to modernize Pakistan.” (Academy of Achievement, Biography of Benazir Bhutto)

Bhutto was dismissed from office once again in 1996 by President Leghari who charged her with corruption and mismanagement. Just before she was to be arrested, Bhutto fled the country and lived in exile with her two children in London. Her husband remained in Pakistan, having been imprisoned on charges of money laundering. The charges against Bhutto were later dropped, but Bhutto remained in London where she was safe.

Bhutto returned to her beloved country of Pakistan after 10 long years this past October. Her leadership was needed more than ever by her flailing country under the poor direction of President Musharref. She was her country’s savior, giving hope to the hopeless, her love and pride for her country being her driving force. But only hours after she arrived in Pakistan, a suicide bomber attacked. She was left unharmed, but over 100 supporters perished as a result.

Bhutto’s return to Pakistan planted her in the news regularly these past few months. Seeing her face in the news for her political endeavors brought me hope for womankind. Here was this feminine woman with nurturing eyes and a friendly smile. Yet underneath the veil and soft features was a powerful woman who stood by her convictions, who sought to empower her country, who knew that every word she spoke risked her very life. To look at her reminded me of those times in grade school when we learned about all the women who made history, doing so in one month dedicated to these women. Helen Keller. Harriet Tubman. Madame Curie. Rosa Parks. Bhutto stood her ground in a world of men, any fear she may have harbored (and I’m sure she was afraid) hidden as she gave hope to a country racked with murder, violence, and corruption. She loved Pakistan, she wanted to see her country rise to its full potential. She eschewed foreign aid, insistent that Pakistan was strong enough to free itself from terrorism, and adamant that any outside help would be an intrusion. She knew her risks as a strong political figure fighting terrorism and religious extremism, and she accepted them. And with one last wave to her supporters after her first public rally, and only weeks before the election that would have surely granted her Presidency, she was assassinated. Her last act was to die for her country. And in her wake, her country is left mourning, acting out in sorrow and in violence. And the whole country is up in flames. Already there are conflicting reports of how she died, who is responsible for her death, who actually killed her…. And the very peace that she fought for has been forgotten through violent riots.

Benazir Bhutto was not a part of the world I knew. I regret that it took her death to learn that much more about all the good she did for her country and the example she was of what it looks like to lead with grace and unmeasured passion. And her death leaves me with sorrow…

Sorrow for her children who have lost their mother….

Sorrow for her absence as an inspiring role model…

Sorrow for Pakistan who lost their heroine….

Sorrow for the world and the unmistakable void she has left behind.

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