Sorrow and rage as Pakistani Canadians gather to mourn Bhutto

- A mixture of sorrow and rage punctuated the traditional Muslim call to prayer Friday as Pakistani Canadians mourned Benazir Bhutto and lashed out at Pakistan's government for failing to prevent her assassination. Anguished, tear-stricken faces were in abundance at a Toronto-area mosque as members of the Pakistan People's Party of Canada embraced before a funeral prayer service "in absentia" was held. Across the country, members of Montreal's Pakistani community also gathered to mark Bhutto's death, while about 100 people attended a memorial in the Vancouver suburb of Surrey. . The raw emotion that saw people spill into the streets of Pakistan in protest Friday was shared by mourners at the Jamia Al-Mustafa mosque in Mississauga, Ont. "I'll never forget Benazir Bhutto," said party member Zari Zafar, her voice breaking with tears before anger took hold. "She's our heart. I can't believe she is not with us. She also laid the blame for Bhutto's assassination at the feet of President Pervez Musharaf. "I say, General Musharraf, you (did) not help Benazir Bhutto. You are jealous of Benazir Bhutto. This is the reason you (did) not give her security." Bhutto was assassinated Thursday after leaving a political rally - an act the Pakistani government is blaming on al-Qaida. The former Pakistani prime minister's supporters, many of them blaming Musharraf's regime for the shooting and bombing attack, rampaged through several Pakistani cities. Mansoor Mirza was among the mourners in Mississauga who shared that suspicion. "He doesn't want elections, he doesn't want democracy in the country," Mirza said of Musharraf. "They killed her and they killed the hope of Pakistani people." Mubashar Rasool, head of the Quebec wing of Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party, said the shock of Thursday's assassination had not lessened. "People are still crying," Rasool said. "It's a sad situation for Pakistan." Rasool said many in Montreal's Pakistani community are ignoring the political divisions that have racked Pakistan to gather in mourning. "There are many parties represented here, and many people have different views," Rasool said after the prayer service ended. "But at this time, we are together, regardless of party allegiances." A more secular political rally is planned for Saturday afternoon in Montreal while another remembrance ceremony is scheduled for Sunday in Toronto. Mourners also filed into a chilly community hall in Surrey, B.C., many stopping to sign a condolence book flanked by two bouquets of flowers and a photograph of the slain leader. Bhutto's death was a sad day for Pakistan and for democracy, they said. "Whether or not you support her politics, her death has struck a chord with all Pakistanis," said Farrukh Alam, president of the Pakistan-Canada Association of Vancouver. Besides Pakistani-Canadians, the memorial drew local politicians, members of Vancouver's Sikh community and the Pakistan's vice-consul general in Vancouver. Though not all in the crowd said they supported her politics, all were grieving Bhutto's death and remained resolute that Pakistan would weather this political storm as it had others. "We may not like each other, we may even kill each other sometimes, but when it comes to Pakistan ... we are one," said association past president Aftab Alam, who compared Bhutto's legacy to that of other political visionary families like the America's Kennedys and India's Gandhis. "Every Pakistani at home and abroad, every other person who understands politics, whether he is Pakistani or not, feels bad about it," Alam said of the killing. The association said they want a full investigation in the killing, but that it should be handled internally. Farrukh Alam said Canada also has a role to play. "The Canadian government can play a humanitarian role and make sure if the election goes through that they are there to monitor it and make sure it goes through in a fair manner," he said. Elections are scheduled for Jan. 8 and current Pakistani Prime Minister Mohammedmian Soomro said the government had no immediate plan to postpone the Jan. 8 elections, despite the chaos and another opposition leader's decision to boycott the vote. Ottawa should get involved in monitoring the elections to ensure they are free and fair, he said. Bhutto was laid to rest Friday in her ancestral village. "We can have a funeral in absentia as well," said Ibrahim Daniyal of the Pakistan Peoples Party of Canada. "This is known as the funeral prayer in absentia." The Salatul-Janaza, or funeral prayer, held in Mississauga didn't mention Bhutto by name but was dedicated to all the victims of Thursday's bombing. At the end of the prayer, a Pakistan People's Party member addressed the audience and called on Canada to help in investigating Bhutto's assassination. "Prime Minister Harper should use his influence to constitute a United Nations committee for free and fair inquiry of murder of Benazir Bhutto," the man said. One young woman said the prayer service had helped her in dealing with her grief. "She was a strong woman, good for her country ... it's really sad," said Sheema Khan, 19. "If you look in the society, the culture, women are not really that outgoing. She was there and she wanted to help the country out." Although initial reports indicated was Bhutto shot by a suicide bomber, the government said Friday that she died from a skull fracture suffered when her head slammed against the lever of her car's moonroof during the suicide attack. Pakistan's interior minister blamed al-Qaida and the Taliban for the assassination and said another key opposition leader, Nawaz Sharif, is also under threat of militant attack. (With files from Les Perreaux in Montreal and Stephanie Levitz in Surrey, B.C.)

[Canada]

Goel family petitioning Ottawa to take on cause of murdered doctor

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Orangeville obstetrician, was. murdered while visiting India. last summer.... also a doctor at Headwaters -- have travelled to and from. India close to a ...

www.ashagoel.ca/archive/Nov12_2004.pdf