By Michelle Lindsey

A new day has come to Pakistan with the restoration of democracy. My congratulations and my joy are with the people of Pakistan, whom I love, and with their new democratically elected parliament.

At this momentous time, my heart is so full. My emotions are a dichotomy of both profound sadness and also profound joy....as I think of Benazir Bhutto, whom I loved so dearly.

The arrival of this extraordinary moment for Pakistan is the moment and the cause for which she gave her life. Her life and death - her sacrifice and courage - are what made this moment possible.

Benazir wrote to me, in an e-mail, in November 2007:

“I hope many people will benefit from my struggle to restore democracy in Pakistan.

People have an unquestionable desire for democracy, for control over their own lives, for human rights, gender equality, labor and minority rights and for a chance to build a better life for their children. These are indeed the dreams of the Pakistani people and of all people in this part of the world. We appeal to all the people of the world to walk with us on our common destination towards freedom.”

In reading and seeing the reports of these historic days in Pakistan, seeing the joy and hope in the faces of the people - I see Benazir’s face, and her smile, and I feel the hope that her courage, spirit, and vision illuminated in hearts and minds across her country and around the world. Her remarkable spirit and strength; her faith in God; her conviction and commitment to her beliefs and her vision and her cause, are the nexus and heartbeat that made this extraordinary moment a reality.

The hope that she inspired lives on in the hearts of those whose lives she touched. Her courage lives on. Benazir lives on.

The unquenchable, unkillable spirit of Benazir Bhutto is now the heart of Pakistan - and of all the people in this world who believe in freedom, human rights, and democracy - and who hold on to faith and hope, regardless of circumstance. The glow from the flame she lit burns brightly across Pakistan and in hearts around the world. As it will forever.

ZINDA HAI  BIBI  ZINDA HAI.

Michelle Lindsey, of Colorado Springs, Colorado is the founder of  www.SupportBenazir.org

This article was published in DAWN, The Frontier Post, and also in The Rocky Mountain News (in the United States)