fatman17
PDF THINK TANK: CONSULTANT
- Joined
- Apr 24, 2007
- Messages
- 32,563
- Reaction score
- 98
- Country
- Location
Western media ignored Pakistan poll 'rigging': Bhutto niece
HONG KONG (AFP) Benazir Bhutto's niece on Monday accused Western media of irresponsibility in their reporting of Pakistan, saying they disregarded heavy rigging in last month's polls -- including by Bhutto's party.
Fatima Bhutto, herself a journalist, said she witnessed widespread rigging when she visited polling stations in Sindh province during the elections, which saw President Pervez Musharraf's backers heavily defeated.
"We turned on CNN and we turned on the BBC and we were told, Musharraf has lost, it's a sign for democracy, he's accepted defeat quite gracefully.... You've had elections, good job, you've done wonderfully, because the president hasn't won.
"But in Pakistan, the situation looked quite different," said Fatima in a speech at the Foreign Correspondents' Club here.
"To say there was rigging in the February 18 elections is an understatement.... It wasn't just rigging, it was quite open, unapologetic rigging. It was no longer under the table, it was very much on top."
Fatima said the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), led by her aunt until her death last year, had engaged in "unapologetic" rigging to win its landslide election victory.
"They were taking this election one way or another," she said.
Pakistan's polls were originally scheduled for January, but were postponed following Benazir Bhutto's murder after an election rally on December 27.
Fatima said that even before her aunt's death, Western media had presented a distorted view of Benazir, and of Pakistan in general.
"The media in the West have been irresponsible if you ask me when it comes to Pakistan. Hysterical is a good word.... When they have got a story they flog it, no matter what the outcome is.
"For example, when Benazir Bhutto was coming back to Pakistan, the Western press just decided she was it.... They never bothered to ask Pakistanis what they think," said Bhutto, who wrote several articles criticising her aunt last year.
Fatima's father, Murtaza Ali Bhutto, was gunned down in mysterious circumstances in 1996 after falling out with his sister Benazir and becoming a political rival.
Benazir was prime minister at the time, and Fatima has said she holds her aunt "morally responsible."
Fatima's striking looks, strong will and charm have led to comparisons with her famous aunt.
But she said her family connections would deter her from entering politics.
"Dynasty has been incredibly bad for Pakistan... You have a country of 165 million people that has three choices, the Bhuttos, the Sharifs or the Musharrafs," she said.
"To enter (politics) now would be to perpetuate that system."
HONG KONG (AFP) Benazir Bhutto's niece on Monday accused Western media of irresponsibility in their reporting of Pakistan, saying they disregarded heavy rigging in last month's polls -- including by Bhutto's party.
Fatima Bhutto, herself a journalist, said she witnessed widespread rigging when she visited polling stations in Sindh province during the elections, which saw President Pervez Musharraf's backers heavily defeated.
"We turned on CNN and we turned on the BBC and we were told, Musharraf has lost, it's a sign for democracy, he's accepted defeat quite gracefully.... You've had elections, good job, you've done wonderfully, because the president hasn't won.
"But in Pakistan, the situation looked quite different," said Fatima in a speech at the Foreign Correspondents' Club here.
"To say there was rigging in the February 18 elections is an understatement.... It wasn't just rigging, it was quite open, unapologetic rigging. It was no longer under the table, it was very much on top."
Fatima said the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), led by her aunt until her death last year, had engaged in "unapologetic" rigging to win its landslide election victory.
"They were taking this election one way or another," she said.
Pakistan's polls were originally scheduled for January, but were postponed following Benazir Bhutto's murder after an election rally on December 27.
Fatima said that even before her aunt's death, Western media had presented a distorted view of Benazir, and of Pakistan in general.
"The media in the West have been irresponsible if you ask me when it comes to Pakistan. Hysterical is a good word.... When they have got a story they flog it, no matter what the outcome is.
"For example, when Benazir Bhutto was coming back to Pakistan, the Western press just decided she was it.... They never bothered to ask Pakistanis what they think," said Bhutto, who wrote several articles criticising her aunt last year.
Fatima's father, Murtaza Ali Bhutto, was gunned down in mysterious circumstances in 1996 after falling out with his sister Benazir and becoming a political rival.
Benazir was prime minister at the time, and Fatima has said she holds her aunt "morally responsible."
Fatima's striking looks, strong will and charm have led to comparisons with her famous aunt.
But she said her family connections would deter her from entering politics.
"Dynasty has been incredibly bad for Pakistan... You have a country of 165 million people that has three choices, the Bhuttos, the Sharifs or the Musharrafs," she said.
"To enter (politics) now would be to perpetuate that system."
