Benazir Bhutto: A woman's reaction to another woman's death

By Diane Silver

Here is a moving and tragic account of the death of Benazir Bhutto from a western photographer who was at the scene. This account includes Photographer John Moore's voice as he tells the story of what he saw and his still photos of the rally, her speech, photos of her just before the assassination. Be warned: Some of the photos show the bloody aftermath of the bombing.

I've surprised myself. I've been quite moved by Bhutto's death. I'm not certain why. I live in Kansas, not Pakistan. I've never been within 1,000 miles of Bhutto or her nation, but her loss has shaken me up.

I know Pakistan itself is important to the United States for a variety of reasons, this feels personal. Perhaps it's because a dangerous country has become more dangerous and, thus, threatens the stability of an already unstable world.

Perhaps, though, it's because a woman dared to lead a Muslim country, dared to challenge a dictator and has died as the result. We have so few women leaders that we can't afford to lose any of them.

I know Bhutto wasn't perfect, but she seemed to offer hope for her people. She seemed to be trying to do something good. How can anyone not feel pain given that she died because of that?