The eyes of the world are now on Pakistan

IN ONE murderous moment the world was given a shocking reminder of the destabilising brutality of assassination.

The cutting- down of Pakistan's opposition leader, Benazir Bhutto, is a heinous crime by itself. The death of this exceptional woman, who survived a spectacular attempt on her life on her return to the country just a few weeks ago, is a reminder that terrorism anywhere – whether in New York, London, Tel-Aviv or Rawalpindi – is an enemy of freedom.

But it is also shocking in its wider implications. And this is why throughout yesterday world leaders condemned the murder of Ms Bhutto and expressed their concern over the possible repercussions for Pakistan and beyond.

The country is a critical player in the continuing struggle against the terrorist extremism of al-Qaeda and the Taleban. Without Pakistan's co-operation, it would be impossible to contain the infiltration of al-Qaeda militants on its northern border.

Despite government operations against militants, Taleban and al-Qaeda fighters have recently extended their influence in the north-west and launched numerous suicide attacks in the country. Last Friday, a suicide bomber killed 56 people as they prayed in a mosque in north-western Pakistan. Two days later, a suicide attacker killed nine people in an attack on a military convoy in the north-western Swat region.

At the same time, Pakistan itself is on a fragile and tenuous path back to democracy and the rule of law. Ms Bhutto, a former prime minister who returned from exile to lead her opposition party in the poll, said only this week that extremism and terror flourished across the country since General Pervez Musharraf seized power eight years ago in a military coup.

The looming election, on 8 January, in which Ms Bhutto had every prospect of being victorious, was thus seen as crucial to restoring democracy after a six-week state of emergency accompanied by a crackdown on the independent judiciary and perceived government opponents.

Ms Bhutto, whose father led Pakistan before being executed in 1979, was well- versed in the tumultuous politics of her country. She had spent five years in prison, had twice served as premier and had been sacked twice on corruption charges. She ended her self-imposed exile by returning to Pakistan in October. Her party had the largest support of any in the country, and she was its central focal point.

Thus it is that the assassination of this opposition leader – and the forces that such an act could now unleash – could condemn the country to a dark age of tumult and repression. The only "victors", if the political situation does degenerate into violence and street fighting, would be those who wield the most guns and those with the most vicious bombs.

That is the very worst outcome and one that Pakistan must take the firmest action to avoid.

Hand-wringing over hygiene

ACCORDING to latest audits of hand– hygiene compliance, hospitals across Scotland are failing to meet the highest standards to combat infections. Nicola Sturgeon, the health secretary, has now increased pressure on NHS boards to improve their hand-hygiene practices. It seems astonishing – but all too familiar – that a simple matter of hand-washing by doctors, nurses and health staff should require "audits" to "monitor procedures" and chivvying by the Secretary for Health. Washing hands is, of co

If this is what it takes to get hospital staff to wash their hands, perhaps the administration should now launch a pan-ministerial National Hand-Wringing Strategy. This would comprise bench-marking and best practice audits for all government departments covering such areas as teeth-brushing, nail scrubbing, and cleaning between toes, as well as hands. A joined-up Hand-Wringing Initiative would require a quango and an independent regulator – OffHand, perhaps, or WringCom. To complete the package, could not Holyrood introduce a National Hand-Wringing Day, backed by a hard-hitting ad campaign?

Poison's toll of wildlife must be cut

RED kites are magnificently graceful birds of prey. Their features are unmistakable: reddish-brown body, angled wings and deeply forked tail. The species was saved from national extinction by one of the world's longest-running protection programmes, and it has now been successfully re-introduced to Scotland and other parts of the UK. So new evidence of a rising trend in poisoning is worrisome.

Nine of the 11 incidents involving red kites recorded across Scotland throughout 2007 were on shooting estates. Last year, there were just five such poisoning incidents.

The concern among experts is that the red kites are falling victim to the widespread illegal use of poisoned baits across the country, even though they may not be the prime targets. The new figures, from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, have emerged just months after the organisation revealed that 2006 was the worst year in a quarter of a century for the poisoning of birds of prey.

The Scotsman has launched a campaign to highlight the terrible slaughter of these magnificent birds and to encourage the authorities and individuals to do all they can to eradicate this heinous destruction. Every estate owner and manager needs to be aware of their wider responsibility to wildlife conservation and to safeguarding endangered species.