Benazir's tribulations

A special accountability court in Karachi acquitted the former prime minister Benazir Bhutto and four others on corruption charges involving appointments in the state-owned carrier, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).Judge Parkash Lal Ambwani of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) ruled that as the prosecution had failed to provide sufficient evidence against the accused, he was acquitting them. However, there are still a few cases pending against Ms Bhutto — one of them on the concealment of assets before an accountability court in Rawalpindi. The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has throughout maintained that all cases against Ms Bhutto are false. This acquittal is a strong blow to the framers of the charges against her. Although this acquittal favours Benazir, her trials and tribulations are far from over. An acquittal in one case does not exempt her from the other cases pending against her.In 1999, Benazir was charged with several corruption cases in Pakistan. She appealed against these while living in self-exile in England and the United Arab Emirates. Supporters of the PPP believe these charges are politically motivated, while opponents are of the opinion that there is no smoke without a fire.Benazir’s trials are not limited to Pakistan alone. She has also been charged with money laundering in Switzerland, through bogus companies. After she was charged, the Swiss authorities froze her Swiss bank accounts. She is currently on trial in a Swiss court for charges related to receiving kickbacks in awarding pre-shipment inspection contracts to Societies General de Swiss and Cotecna. If proven guilty, she would not only be discredited in Pakistan, but her reputation would be sullied internationally.Benazir Bhutto is a popular figure internationally for being the first female to lead a Muslim country in modern times. On November 29, she received the “World Tolerance Award” 2005 from former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev in Germany. She said that the she had been chosen for “her vision, personal strength, commitment to her ideals and passion for creating a better and peaceful world in the 21st Century.” Right now Pakistan faces the dilemma of a questionable democracy. The PML (N) has been weakened by the exile of Nawaz Sharif and after a majority of its members joined the PML (Q). The Pakistan People’s Party has strong representation in the National Assembly, but due to the party’s leadership vacuum, present no meaningful opposition.The government is using the fear of additional trials to keep Benazir away from Pakistan. Her continued absence from the country is not only harmful for her party, but also for the future of democracy. Reportedly, PPP workers are actively planning to celebrate Benazir Bhutto’s return to Pakistan from self-exile, but the continued claims of her expected arrival need to factually materialise before she becomes a credible democratic option.Asif Zardari’s attempt to grasp the reins of the PPP’s leadership was short-lived and the PPP is again without a viable leader.If Benazir decides to return to the country, there is a strong chance of her being arrested. She must be ready for that as both her constituency and her party expect her to take up this challenge. The Post editorial