Bhutto 'left a vacuum that cannot be filled'

The death of Benazir Bhutto sent shock waves through the Pakistani-American community in Minnesota, but perhaps no one felt it more deeply than the family of Shahzada Ashraf of Owatonna.

He said he grew up with Bhutto in Islamabad, the capital city, and more recently accompanied her on her triumphant return to the country after eight years in exile. The business consultant was with her in October when a suicide bomber attacked her homecoming parade. She narrowly escaped injury.

And on Thursday morning, when he received the phone call from a member of the Pakistan People's Party notifying him of her death, he grieved.

"She was a part of our lives. Every time we went to Dubai, we used to go only to visit her. My wife, my kids, we all are going to miss her. One thing I know definitely in Pakistan ... everybody ... they are all in this one view that this extremism should be stopped.

"She was killed by militants of Taliban. I have no doubt."

Other Pakistani expatriates in Minnesota were stunned, worried and grieving.

"I didn't believe it at first," said Humaira Afzal, who spent the day glued to the television. In the morning, she was watching a Pakistani channel in the Apple Valley home she shares with her family.

Bhutto's picture flashed on-screen, along with "1953-2007." It puzzled Afzal, 26, until she realized its meaning. "I think we've lost a lot, because she was actually the only prominent figure of her kind," said Afzal, who was born in Karachi and spent her childhood summers there.

She compared the appeal and significance of the Bhutto family in Pakistani politics to the Kennedy clan here.

"She left a vacuum that cannot be filled."

Naeem Qureshi of Robbinsdale had been looking forward to the day. His son was coming home from college and Qureshi was excited to pick him up at the airport.

But his mood turned somber when he awakened to his clock radio blaring news that Bhutto had been injured in an assassination attempt. A half hour later, he learned that she had died.

"It's just tragic," he said. "It's sad that someone has to give the ultimate sacrifice to stand up for liberty and freedom."

Though not a Bhutto supporter, Qureshi said he respected many of her ideas.

"I'm not a fan of hers because the period when she was a prime minister was full of corruption, especially her husband," he said. "But she held views that are similar to my own -- she was educated and looking at the overall progress of the country. She was professing that she would focus more on education. That resonated very well with me."

So did her moderate religious views. "She was a good reflection on the values most people in Pakistan have," Qureshi said.

James Laine, professor of religious studies at Macalester College, urged caution in reading too much into what Bhutto's assassination means for Pakistan's future. "I heard a comment from Rudy Giuliani today saying this is another example of how we have a battle with extremists. I'm worried about framing the narrative that way. I think there are a lot of different groups contending for power."

"It's terrible that this has happened, and it may be a real setback for some slim chances of a more progressive and open society emerging. But I think the problems are deeper than just one person."

Allie Shah • 651-298-1550