BY HASAN KANBOLAT
TODAY'S ZAMAN- Benazir Bhutto, the Pakistan People`s Party leader who became the Muslim world`s first female prime minister when she was elected in 1988, was killed Thursday in a suicide attack as she left an election rally in the city of Rawalpindi. During an earlier rally held by Nawaz Sharif, Bhutto`s main rival in the election who also recently returned from exile, four people were killed in an armed attack as well.
Bhutto, 54, returned to Pakistan in October following an eight-year exile in Dubai and London. Her homecoming parade in Karachi was also targeted by a suicide bomber, killing more than 140 people. On that occasion she narrowly escaped injury.
Bhutto had returned following a deal with current President Pervez Musharraf on sharing power. However, relations between the two leaders soon took a turn for the worse. Bhutto was critical of Musharraf for not taking adequate measures against Islamic militants. Musharraf, on the other hand, asserted that he was fighting extremism with `enlightened moderation.' Al-Qaeda has declared war on both Musharraf and the parliamentary elections set to be held on Jan. 8. The US believed that cooperation between Musharraf and Bhutto would be the best way to fight terrorism, and Bhutto had declared that if she came to power, she would allow the US to hit al-Qaeda targets within Pakistan`s borders. It is quite certain that Bhutto`s death will profoundly worsen Pakistan`s political crisis.
Turkish President Abdullah Gul, aware that Pakistan is going through critical days, paid an official visit to this country on Dec. 3 to mark the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Turkey and Pakistan. During his visit, Gul emphasized the war on terrorism and extremism and the importance of trilateral summit meetings between Pakistan, Turkey and Afghanistan.
For Pakistan, a country used to the frequent assassinations of political leaders, 2007 was a year in which both political crises escalated and terrorist attacks climbed. Instability in Pakistan, the sole Muslim country possessing nuclear weapons, is not a desirable situation. Pakistan also shares a border with Afghanistan, a country that exerts considerable influence on Pakistan due to religious, linguistic and ethnic ties. Pakistan`s democracy may be suspended in the name of stability for more time to come. For this reason, if Musharraf, who represents the military, the most important power in Pakistani politics and the economy, fails to maintain order in the country, the military might produce a new leader from among its ranks.
Musharraf's efforts to render the Supreme Court ineffective, his reelection on Oct. 6, and the declaration of emergency rule on Nov. 3 - all eight years after Musharraf seized power through a bloodless coup - heightened the political tension in the country. Musharraf, after a great deal of international pressure, lifted the emergency rule on Dec. 15.
Political and military relations between Turkey and Pakistan have been characterized by a very positive and friendly atmosphere since Pakistan's founder, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, took Turkey as a role model. But economic ties between the two countries are at a very low point, considering their potential. In 1985 the bilateral trade volume totaled only $20 million before rising to over $300 million in the 1990s, and, as of this year, $600 million. The trade balance is against us, with only one-third of that amount going to Turkey. Contracting services are currently the most dynamic sector between the two countries.