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She offered to
pour me tea, asked about my children
Fakir Hassen
Benazir Bhutto, who was assassinated last Thursday as she left a
rally, had a unique bearing that made her stand out among many world
leaders. I was fortunate to be one of very few journalists who got
the opportunity to interview the then prime minister of Pakistan
when she attended the inauguration of Nelson Mandela’s presidency in
1994 together with scores of other world leaders.
I recall my first impression being
that she must be spending a lot of time on her makeup, as she had
this flawless image that made me think she could easily have been a
movie star herself. But the initial perception of a stern,
domineering politician faded away very quickly as Bhutto enquired
after my own children and spoke about her love for children
generally, although she remained fiercely protective of giving any
details about her own children.
The imposing presence melted even
more quickly as she offered to pour me a cup of tea herself, despite
aides being at hand. Then Bhutto chatted informally, revealing a
great depth of knowledge about the history of South African
politics, and wanting to know whether the South Africans of Indian
descent included those whose forebears came from what is now
Pakistan and how they felt about the newfound freedom from apartheid
rule and democracy here. It was almost turning into me becoming the
interviewee rather than interviewer when an aide reminded us of the
time constraint and we reverted to the original purpose.
Now, as speculation continues about
who was behind the assassination and even how the leader died, her
words seem to ring alarm bells about attitudes towards not just
socialvalues, but even religious prescriptions in a world gone awry
with global terrorism.
(Fakir Hassen is a
Johannesburg-based journalist)
2
January, 2008
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