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Politics can be very cruel sometimes. Especially in a place like Pakistan, a country where lethal weapons can be as much as cars and motor-bike combined in Jakarta. One of the “toy-gun” in Pakistan has killed Benazir Bhutto, former Prime Minister who now is running a campaign for the next election. Assassination attempt has become a common news in the country. The current military ruler President Parvez Musharraf has luckily escaped three such attempts.
Post-independent South Asian three big countries–India, Pakistan and Bangladesh–have witnessed many such occurrences of political leaders killings took place before. India, a fully democratic country and a relatively stable one, cannot be an exception. Mahatma Gandhi and Indira Gandhi had been shot dead by the Hindu fanatic and Sikh follower respectively.
One may wonder, especially in the case of India, how it happens. I wrote here about the Indian peacefulness and their argumentativeness as a way to solve differences. But when it comes to their leaders, it seems they can’t sort out the differences but to kill them.
Interesting to note, that Indonesian though they tend to talk little, friendly yet easily offended and prefer to go physical to solve the differences, they hardly do that against their political leaders. Never happens in the post-independence Indonesia that a political leaders had been killed by their people. Hopefully, such thing will never take place.
List of Assassinated Prominent Political Leaders in South Asian Countries (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh):
INDIA
Mahatma Gandhi, Father of the Nation
Assassinated on January 30, 1948, by Nathuram Godse, a Hindu fundamentalist.
Indira Gandhi, Prime Minister
Assassinated on October 31, 1984 by her two Sikh bodyguards, Satwant Singh and Beant Singh.
Rajiv Gandhi, Prime Minister
Assassinated on May 21, 1991 by the LTTE suicide bomber Thenmuli Rajaratnam also known as Gayatri and Dhanu.
PAKISTAN
Liaquat Ali Khan, (1951), Prime Minister of Pakistan
Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, 1988, President of Pakistan
Benazir Bhutto, (2007), former Prime Minister of Pakistan
BANGLADESH
Mujibur Rahman, (1975), president of Bangladesh
Mohammad Mansoor Ali, (1975), prime minister
Ziaur Rahman, (1981), president of Bangladesh
December 30, 2007 at 4:31 am
Mas, I thought there was 7 attempts to kill Soekarnoe. And how about G-30-S/PKI? And I still remember the son of Soeharto was accused of killing the judge who sentenced him to prison.
December 30, 2007 at 9:50 am
@Anita:
dont know about that. thanks for the info. the fact remains, however, that Soekarno died his natural death.
The assassinated leaders in the South Asian countries I recorded above confined to head of state figures (PM or president), there were many other killings of political leaders ranging from chief minister, MP (member of parliaments) and below.
December 31, 2007 at 1:32 am
And the installment of her 19 years boy (Oxford typical Bhutto’s education), made me feel a little bit nervous. He looked so young and unready when press session held.
December 31, 2007 at 2:03 am
@noe: well, a political party in the south asian nations (india, pakistan, bangladesh) is like a little kingdom. it’s “inherited” in the sense that the party will collapse when it let others of non-inheritor to take the plunge of leadership.
Congress party in india almost came to non-existence when it’s run by non Gandhi family. it’s rejuvenate again and won the last election after Sonia Gandhi, wife of the assassinated leader Rajiv Gandhi, became Congresh party president.
In indonesia case, may be it’s like PDIP party. Try to overthrow Megawati, PDIP will be a marginal party.
January 1, 2008 at 3:54 am
Tewasnya Benazir Bhutto
Benazir Bhutto tewas akibat serangan bom bunuh diri ditembak ditengah tengah kerumunan pendukung kampanye partai politiknya. Benazir merupakan lawan politik utama Presiden Pakistan Pervez Musharraf. Setelah penembakan terjadi ledakan bom. Begitu dahsya…