Even before this horrible crime, Pakistani politics were traumatized to a critical stage. Benazir's death has left us with more questions than answers. On the one hand, one did not have to be a soothsayer to predict that her challenge to the militants would result in either a calculated act of terror, or perhaps the work of a splinter group of militants. While her likely opponents like Baitullah Mesaud and al-Qaeda have denied involvement in her assassination, the question is clearly who could engineer such an attack. The attackers knew she would be most vulnerable when her convoy was on the move. Whether the firebrand Maullana Fadlullah from Swat was behind this killing, or others who were sympathetic to al-Qaeda but not necessarily under their control, will hopefully be known in time. For the moment, suspicions run rampant – but one does wonder why Musharraf would get rid of the one politician he could possibly have worked with?

This does not suggest that other elements, like the PMLQ, would not have gained from her death. But lacking the political grassroots support, they would have been hard-pressed to carry out such a crime. Who did it, and why was not security tighter for such a high-profile leader?

The legacy of the Bhutto family, which has held sway in Pakistani politics for over three and a half decades, comes at a critical juncture as each of its icons have met tragic deaths. Now the party’s mantle must pass on, and no doubt Benazir would have wanted another Bhutto to lead with her father’s political will. But the reality is that with her death the charisma has also gone - charisma that held together a party that has never fully answered criticism that is it simply a family-run political movement. Benazir’s voice will try to resonate from the grave through the political will she leaves behind. But the harsh realities of the country and its turmoil may compel its current leadership to seek a future on its own, carrying her placards of martyrdom to the election polling stations.

The implications of this event are far-reaching for Pakistan because it creates a serious vacuum that neither her controversial husband nor her young son can fill. Nawaz Sharif has shown more magnanimity than was expected of himm and in a crucial sense has sought to heal the country; whether he can forge a collective front with Benazir's political party and move for the removal of Musharraf remains to be seen. In the void that has been created there will emerge a number of political figures and it is not clear how this country will function, where leaders are more important than the party manifesto.

For the U.S., Benazir’s death is perhaps the most serious blow. While they backed only the General and Benazir, they would never have thought one of the legs of their strategy would simply get blown away in this fashion. With no reach to other political parties, most of all to Nawaz Sharif, Washington will be hard-pressed to find its way in the coming months, relying solely therefore on General (now a civilian President) Musharraf to steer the U.S.’s geopolitical interests through the changing course of the Indus River. Unfortunately, over the past year the General has become more of the problem himself and is widely hated in all circles of Pakistani society.

Hence, in conclusion, it would seem that Benazir Bhutto's death has not only created a huge void, but has also brought to the front urgent unanswered questions that Pakistanis and its leading figures must resolve. It is perhaps the one moment in Pakistan's history where the death of a politician, albeit an controversial one, gives it the chance to either once and for all change the ethos of its violent society or to continue its traumatized and disjointed journey.