The spirit of slain opposition leader Benazir Bhutto hung over elections on Monday as supporters vowed to complete her mission through the ballot box. Benazir's assassination in a December gun attack and suicide bombing overshadowed the election and caused its delay until Monday.
"Victory is our destiny and we will change the system. The people's rule is bound to come," said Asif Ali Zardari as he cast his ballot in the southern town of Nawabshah. Polling was briefly halted for Zardari to cast his vote at a primary school in the constituency where one of his sisters, Azra Pechuho, was a candidate for a national assembly seat. Hundreds of his supporters outside shouted "Long Live Bhutto," "Benazir Bhutto is alive" and "We will seek revenge for Benazir through the vote."
Zardari, who became caretaker leader of Pakistan People's Party (PPP) after BB's death, wore a black shalwar kameez, a traditional tunic and loose trousers, with a black jacket and an ajrak shawl native to his home Sindh.
The town took on a festive look for the voting. Benazir's supporters listened to her recorded speeches and party anthems, while vendors sold badges and party CDs. Voting was brisk at polling stations and out of 1,000 registered voters, 400 had already cast their ballots where Zardari and his sister voted, local party sources said. In Garhi Khuda Bakhsh, the Sindh province village where Benazir was buried, people flocked to her mausoleum to beat their chests, shower flowers on her grave and recite the Holy Quran on the eve of the vote. "We have come here to revive our pledge to our leader. We'll avenge her death in a democratic way," Hanif Leghari, 32, a local farmer, said.
Since Benazir's death, many of the poor feel they have lost their champion and are embittered with politics as inflation soars and basic commodities such as flour are in short supply. "She was the only woman in Pakistan who represented the womenfolk properly, raising their problems in parliament," said Israr, 42, voting in eastern Lahore city. In Benazir's native Larkana district, polling was in progress peacefully and large numbers of people were casting their votes, officials and witnesses said.