Benazir Bhutto

I don't profess to know a great deal about Benezir Bhutto's politics, but what I do know is that she believed in democracy and the citizen's right to free speech.

But clearly these are not values held by everyone and so this fact made her vulnerable. And it was this vulnerability that was so dangerous. Incredible then the apparent response of "her people" to this threat. A threat that was realised on 27th December 2007 when she was assassinated.

I know it was Benazir's style to be accessible to the people who had come out to see her, but surely there had to be some concessions to security?

The fact she insisted on standing up through the sunroof of a car as it drove past her adoring fans was obviously far from being safe.........even bordering on the reckless?

Not that I'm saying "she deserved it"........ far from it. She was the ray of light Pakistan was desperately looking for after President Pervez Musharraf's self declared state of emergency.

So what now? The "super powers" are already calling for the perpetrators to be swiftly brought to justice. There is widespread violence within Pakistan that has claimed far more lives than the suicide bomber's blast.

Democratic elections are planned for the New Year. I guess whether these take place depends upon what happens over the next few days and weeks.

Pakistan is generally accepted by the governments of the US and UK as being one of the seats of international terrorism. These governments are of a mind that Al-Qaeda has training camps within its borders to which extremist Islamics travel from all over the World.

So, we all ought to be nervous about what happens as a result of this cowardly act upon a woman who's only wish was for democracy and peace.