When I was 6 years old, an article in The Manila Bulletin caught my eye. The new prime minister of Pakistan was only 35 years old,  intelligent, Harvard + Oxford educated, and a Muslim woman! A first for an Islamic state that was rocked by armed conflict and racial tensions. It was the year of the Dragon and I spent most of my time reading whatever newsprint I could salvage from my dad's morning routine. It was the same year when Lolo Ismael, my maternal grandfather, came to visit and tell us how young women were supposed to behave.

At age 6, when people ask little girls what they'd want to when they grew up, the standard responses include secretaries, nurses, teachers, doctors and lawyers. Since the Ghostbusters was my favorite TV cartoon, I'd tell everyone that I  wanted to be like Dr. Egon Spengler. Secretly, I wanted to be the Prime Minister, just like Benazir Bhutto. Of course, my family would have none of that, so I chose to just read and read and read about the lives of all these gifted and gorgeous women who were making history all over the world.

Growing up throughout the '90s, news reports of the alleged corruption charges against her, mismanagement, her fall from political grace (twice!), and the melodramatic ways her family members were murdered, fueled my curiosity. Was it because legalistic traditions frowned on her defiance of gender stereotypes? Were her detractors taking advantage of her husband's non-involvement in Pakistani politics? Was it a generational curse for the Bhutto clan to always end in bloodshed?

As a law student, the beautiful Benazir Bhutto made me devour pages upon pages of The Wall Street Journal the moment she arrived in Karachi last October 2007. Even in the shower, when Deutsche Welle Radio would broadcast news about her, I would stop and listen. I'd raise a soapy fist, rooting for her Party, worried over Nawaz Sharif, silently annoyed with Gen. Pervez Musharraf.

She was definitely a charismatic leader and, like the Pakistani masses, I was smitten. I've never even been there! The closest brush I've had with that country is the cuisine served at Khas Canteen at the UP Arcade! Still, I was definitely a fangirl who could identify with everything from her being president of the Oxford Union (student leader!) to dental aberrations (butterfly upper central incisors!).

So it was that I found myself weeping in front of BBC and CNN footage of the Rawalpindi assassination. While critics say that she had several shortcomings during her term of office (inaction regarding adultery and rape laws, lack of socioeconomic reforms), the way she pressed on for democracy was really asking for reactionary forces to make a martyr out of her. The spontaneous rioting of the people reflects the dark side of how a nation in mourning can also be a nation clamoring for justice.

My mother said that Benazir Bhutto made a lot of enemies. That's what Time magazine also says. Different camps from terrorists to government conspiracy theorists are said to be under suspicion for her death. While I personally believe that the concept of terrorism is still quite nebulous at this point, the mere fact that someone could inflict that much damage for political/ideologically motivated reasons is enough to warrant a cry for meting out punishment where punishment is due. The perpetrators of such a heinous act are indeed liable -- but so should those who were negligent in their security duties.

In the Philippines, and other countries where assassinations can either galvanize a nation towards frenzied mass actions or fracture an already divisive system, Benazir Bhutto's death also made headlines and triggered a rash of commentaries. I wonder how the same situation with a similarly magnetic, almost demagogic politician, would turn out if it happens here, just before the 2010 elections? Or even the ARMM elections in August 2008?

The best soundbite so far was from the UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown: "Benazir Bhutto may have been killed by terrorists but the terrorists must not be allowed to kill democracy in Pakistan and this atrocity strengthens our resolve that terrorists will not win there, here or anywhere in the world." Wow. Whoever Mr. Brown's speechwriter is, thank you.

My hope and my prayer is for that nation to be able to recover from their shock and grief. For Benazir Bhutto's immediate family, all I can pray for now is grace, so that they can endure, and faith, so that they may believe. And maybe, other little girls who would pick up the newspaper today or chance upon a news channel's live update would eventually make a choice to cower not in the face of terror and live courageously as daughters of their country

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Happy Rizal Day, dear readers!

note: groupmates, i hope this helps. see you tomorrow! happy outlining!

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1 Peru: The "anti-terrorism" legislation and its effects- an unfinished business in the transition to democracy - Amnesty International

Last modified: 12 May 2003

In this report Amnesty International raises concerns that the ruling by the Constitutional Tribunal, stating that several aspects of the 1992 'anti-terrorism' legislation were unconstitutional, wi...

URL: http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/ENGAMR460012003

2 Peru: End of "faceless judge" system - only one step towards fair trials in terrorism cases - Amnesty International

Last modified: 16 October 1997

Amnesty International (AI) is a worldwide movement of people who campaign for internationally recognized human rights.

URL: http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/ENGAMR460381997

3 Tunisia: New draft "anti-terrorism" law will further undermine human rights - Amnesty International

Last modified: 30 September 2003

This paper examines Tunisia's new 'anti-terrorist' draft legislation that is based on a broad definition of 'terrorism'. The new draft legislation may further undermine the nation's human rights, ...

URL: http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/ENGMDE300212003

4 United Kingdom: Briefing on the Terrorism Bill - Amnesty International

Last modified: 25 April 2000

The UK government has issued, for parliamentary debate, the 'Terrorism Bill' in which it seeks to introduce -- into permanent legislation -- provisions which either directly contravene internation...

URL: http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/ENGEUR450432000

5 Terror and counter-terror: defending our human rights - The Wire - September 2006 - Amnesty International

Last modified: 1 September 2006

Amnesty International - The Wire - AI's monthly magazine for people interested in human rights.

URL: http://web.amnesty.org/wire/September2006/Terror

6 Open Letter: Amnesty International's concerns regarding the Terrorism Prevention Bill 2003 - Amnesty International

Last modified: 29 October 2004

In this document, the Secretary General expresses the organisation's sympathy for the suffering caused to people by the recent hurricane 'Ivan'. The letter also expresses Amnesty International's c...

URL: http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/ENGAMR380112004

7 United Kingdom: Creating a shadow criminal justice system in the name of "fighting international terrorism" - Amnesty International

Last modified: 16 November 2001

This briefing focuses on Part 4 of the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Bill, which is entitled 'Immigration and Asylum'. Part 4 lays out procedures for Executive certification of a person as a ...

URL: http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/ENGEUR450192001

8 Kenya: The impact of "anti-terrorism" operations on human rights. - Amnesty International

Last modified: 23 March 2005

This report outlines various human rights violations by Kenyan law enforcement officials during 'anti-terrorism' operations. The organisation is concerned that the Kenyan authorities have failed t...

URL: http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGAFR320022005

9 China: China's anti-terrorism legislation and repression in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous region - Amnesty International

Last modified: 22 March 2002

This report describes the new anti-terrorism provisions in Chinese law and Amnesty International's concerns about these provisions and the crackdown against 'terrorist, separatist and illegal reli...

URL: http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/ENGASA170102002

10 Kenya: Memorandum to the Kenyan Government on the Suppression of Terrorism Bill 2003 - Amnesty International

Last modified: 9 September 2004

In this memorandum, Amnesty International's concerns focus primarily on the proposed legislation's incompatibility with international; human rights standards, particularly the ICCPR and ACHPR. Amn...

URL: http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/ENGAFR320032004

11 Republic of Korea (South Korea): The revised Terrorism Prevention Bill: fear of increased human rights abuses - Amnesty International

Last modified: 10 October 2003

Amnesty International (AI) is a worldwide movement of people who campaign for internationally recognized human rights.

URL: http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/ENGASA250042003

12 Tunisia: New draft "anti-terrorism" law will further undermine human rights - Amnesty International

Last modified: 30 September 2003

This paper examines Tunisia's new 'anti-terrorist' draft legislation that is based on a broad definition of 'terrorism'. The new draft legislation may further undermine the nation's human rights, ...

URL: http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/ENGMDE300212003

13 Appeal for action - PERU: Prisoners still held under old 'anti-terrorism' laws - Amnesty International

Last modified: 30 June 2003

Appeal for action: PERU, Prisoners still held under old 'anti-terrorism' laws,

URL: http://web.amnesty.org/appeals/index/per-010703-wwa-eng

14 Peru: The "anti-terrorism" legislation and its effects- an unfinished business in the transition to democracy - Amnesty International

Last modified: 12 May 2003

In this report Amnesty International raises concerns that the ruling by the Constitutional Tribunal, stating that several aspects of the 1992 'anti-terrorism' legislation were unconstitutional, wi...

URL: http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/ENGAMR460012003

15 Republic of Korea (South Korea): Terrorism Prevention Bill: granting greater scope for increased human rights violations - Amnesty International

Last modified: 11 April 2002

A Terrorism Prevention Bill is expected to be discussed and put to vote in South Korea's National Assembly in April 2002. The proposed Act has raised serious concern in the human rights community,...

URL: http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/ENGASA250032002

16 China: China's anti-terrorism legislation and repression in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous region - Amnesty International

Last modified: 22 March 2002

This report describes the new anti-terrorism provisions in Chinese law and Amnesty International's concerns about these provisions and the crackdown against 'terrorist, separatist and illegal reli...

URL: http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/ENGASA170102002

17 United Kingdom: Creating a shadow criminal justice system in the name of "fighting international terrorism" - Amnesty International

Last modified: 16 November 2001

This briefing focuses on Part 4 of the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Bill, which is entitled 'Immigration and Asylum'. Part 4 lays out procedures for Executive certification of a person as a ...

URL: http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/ENGEUR450192001

18 India: Briefing on the Prevention of Terrorism Ordinance - Amnesty International

Last modified: 15 November 2001

This report looks at the Prevention of Terrorism Ordinance, approved on 15 October 2001 by the Government of India, which gives Indian police sweeping powers of arrest and detention. The report's ...

URL: http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/ENGASA200492001

19 United Kingdom Terrorism Act 2000, media briefing - Amnesty International

Last modified: 20 February 2001

Amnesty International (AI) is a worldwide movement of people who campaign for internationally recognized human rights.

URL: http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/ENGEUR450072001

20 Peru: Prisoners of Conscience: Demonstrators accused of terrorism-related offences. - Amnesty International

Last modified: 29 September 2000

This report focuses on students Gastón Espinoza Fonseca and Alredo Ronald Espinoza Fonseca, arrested while distributing flyers on the 'March of the Four Suyos', and considered by Amnesty Internati...

URL: http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/ENGAMR460292000

21 United Kingdom: Briefing on the Terrorism Bill - Amnesty International

Last modified: 25 April 2000

The UK government has issued, for parliamentary debate, the 'Terrorism Bill' in which it seeks to introduce -- into permanent legislation -- provisions which either directly contravene internation...

URL: http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/ENGEUR450432000

22 Peru: End of "faceless judge" system - only one step towards fair trials in terrorism cases - Amnesty International

Last modified: 16 October 1997

Amnesty International (AI) is a worldwide movement of people who campaign for internationally recognized human rights.

URL: http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/ENGAMR460381997

23 Pakistan: Legalizing the impermissible: The new anti-terrorism law - Amnesty International

Last modified: 1 October 1997

Amnesty International believes that the Anti-Terrorism Act, passed by parliament on 13 August 1997, is seriously flawed as it contravenes several legal safeguards of the Pakistan constitution and ...

URL: http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/ENGASA330341997

24 Peru: Safe release of hostages is welcomed, yet the human rights of prisoners falsely accused of terrorism should not be forgotten - Amnesty International

Last modified: 24 April 1997

Amnesty International (AI) is a worldwide movement of people who campaign for internationally recognized human rights.

URL: http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/ENGAMR460191997

25 Disappearances in the war on terror - Amnesty International

Last modified: 1 January 1970

Amnesty International (AI) is a worldwide movement of people who campaign for internationally recognized human rights.

URL: http://web.amnesty.org/pages/stoptorture-300805-news-eng