This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, April 5, 2011 - "Martyr, accused, scandal, savior." All of these terms and more flash on the screen at the end of a trailer for the documentary "Bhutto," which will be screened Thursday at the Missouri History Museum. The film by directors Duane Baughman and Johnny O'Hara depicts the life and politics of Benazir Bhutto, the first Muslim woman elected to lead an Islamic nation.
Bhutto was born in 1953 into a wealthy family, which later became a political dynasty in Pakistan. The Bhuttos have been referred to as the "Kennedys of Pakistan," and their tragedies included the execution of Bhutto's father and murders of her two brothers.
Bhutto was educated in the United States from 1969-73 at Harvard University, and later studied philosophy, politics and economics at Lady Margaret Hall at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Bhutto had wanted to pursue a career in foreign service, but that changed when her father chose her over the family's eldest son to carry his political legacy. After her father's execution in the late 1970s, Bhutto embarked on her own political career, focused on avenging her father and promoting democracy within Pakistan.
"She was pretty much her father's daughter, in spite of being educated," said Sayini Devarajan, a freelance journalist who will participate in a panel discussion following the film screening.
Bhutto's first election victory in 1988 was under her father's Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), making her the first female leader of Pakistan, a country characterized by periods of military rule, political instability and conflicts with neighboring India. She was removed from office in a military-backed coup in 1990. She regained office in 1993, but was removed again in 1996 after accusations of corruption.
After being removed from office a second time, Bhutto left Pakistan and lived in exile for eight years. She was granted amnesty and returned to Pakistan in 2007 as the country's best hope for democracy, according to the film. She was assassinated two months later on Dec. 27, 2007, after leaving a PPP rally in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Her assassination came two weeks before the scheduled general election of 2008, in which she was a leading opposition candidate.
She left behind her family and political legacy, but also questions of controversy. According to Devarajan, Bhutto is on the verge of becoming known as a martyr of democracy, but this title may not be accurate.
However, Devarajan did acknowledge that Bhutto was a woman of substance. "A woman being born in a country like Pakistan, she did do a lot of things for the betterment of her country," she said.
She also said the film should interest viewers because Bhutto had a complex personality, and only time can determine her true legacy.
Erika Miller, a senior at Saint Louis University, is an intern for the Beacon.