I was with Hillary Clinton when she met with Benazir Bhutto in Pakistan in 1995. I remember going to an inspiring school for young women who wanted to become professionals–a fairly rare thing–in Islamabad with Clinton (not sure whether Bhutto was with us), and then having lunch with Bhutto at the Prime Minister’s residence.
I had a brief, but telling conversation with Bhutto that day. I asked her how the country had changed since she was a girl. She immediately railed against the increasing religious orthodoxy. “I used to be able to go out intot the streets wearing jeans,” she said. I asked her why that had changed. “The Saudis,” she said, disgustedly. “The schools they are funding,” she said referring to the radical madrasas. “They are undermining this country.”
It will be a terrible irony if Bhutto’s assassin turns out to have a madrasa-educated Al Qaeda or Taliban extremist. She was an imperfect vessel, at best–her reputation was ruined, in part, by her husband’s corrupt business dealings–but she was a relative moderate in a part of the world that needs moderation badly.
I’ll be interested to hear how Clinton remembers her today.