Daily Times

Our calendar may be littered with difficult commemorations. Still, every December 27th, we are forced to confront a haunting tragedy that unfolded in Liaqat Bagh, starkly showcasing the persistent failures of our political system.

The assassination of Pakistan’s first female Prime Minister and the obliteration of her courage, credentials and public appeal – which called for an often parallel with Margaret Thatcher or Joan of Arc – went down in the country’s history as a cataclysmic event, spelling a perfect political turmoil. Seventeen years have passed, but instead of healing, we find ourselves grappling with unresolved grief and outrage.

Her brilliant storming of the citadel had turned Ms Bhutto into a beacon of hope in a nation desperate for change. Her resilience and determination inspired millions, shattering the glass ceiling in a political landscape dominated by men. But her life was punctuated by repeated assassination attempts-a grim testament to the violent opposition the Bhutto family faced.

The attack that finally took her life in Rawalpindi was not an isolated incident but part of a larger tapestry of political violence that has engulfed our nation. Her death sent shockwaves through the fabric of Pakistani society, leaving behind a legacy marred by unfulfilled promises and unanswered questions.

Numerous inquiries have yielded nothing-just empty words and hollow investigations. Perhaps defeated by an appalling lack of will to pursue justice demonstrated by successive governments, ordinary men and women have also stopped asking the daunting questions. The long list of gaping loopholes, beginning with a notorious washing of the crime scene, and made all the more controversial after a confession by a key Al-Qaeda commander meant that most of the culprits might still be roaming free: snickering at the very institutions designed to protect us.

Does the public not deserve better than to see the single tragedy that bound the entire country in one emotion go to utter waste?

We must refuse to allow her memory to be consigned to the shadows of history. It is time to confront the demons of our past and demand that those responsible for her death are brought to justice. *