PRAGUE — As the initial shock of the terrorist attacks last month against Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto fade, it is becoming clear that they were a political boon for her, triggering a wave of public sympathy that extends well beyond her local Sindh stronghold.
Yet despite this, Bhutto is finding it hard to convert this changed public mood into increased political support.
Bhutto, the head of the Pakistan People's Party, needs all the support she can find after returning from exile. Her decision to form an alliance of convenience with Pakistan's unpopular military ruler, Pervez Musharraf, continues to undermine her claim to be a restorer of democracy and champion of the street.