This engrossing and jam-packed documentary on the first ever-female Leader of a Moslem Country starts with scenes of her assassination in 2007, before embarking on becoming a riveting history lesson on both Ms. Bhutto and Pakistan. There’s a myriad of facts, like it is the 6th most populated country in the world, and 97% Moslem, but it’s the ones relating to Benazir, and indeed the Bhutto dynasty that makes this a compelling story. Her charismatic father served as both the country’s President and then Prime Minister before being removed from power after a Coup D’état led by General Zia ul Haq who bought up some trumped up charges against him, which resulted in his execution.
Benazir who had been educated at Harvard and Oxford was always destined to become her father’s successor, and so in 1988 she was elected Prime Minister for the first time. Her stay in power was just 20 months as there was a conspiracy against her that resulted in the President dismissing her. She was back for her second term in 1993 and again this was cut short 3 years later when her government was dismissed on corruption charges. When she lost the next election she went into self imposed exile in Dubai and focused on building up an international reputation for herself as the natural Leader of Pakistan, before she returned against everyone’s advice to face the 2007 Election and her untimely death.
The film almost revels in the fact that Pakistan is steeped in deep rooted corruption, and politically is one unwieldy mess. As a strategically placed country with its own nuclear arsenal it is used ruthlessly by the West to promote their own ambitions even when they are definitely in in Pakistan’s own interest. What was unclear however was the reason for Ms. Bhutto’s unshakeable conviction that she had this calling to lead despite the fact that she was up against the impossible odds of a powerful and entrenched opposition who had killed both her father and brother and would stop at absolutely nothing to get their own way. And why she insisted in going back for the final time when everyone knew it would only end one way.
Megalomaniac or martyr? I’m still unsure.
Labels: 2010, documentary, political
