The assassination of Pakistan's former prime minister and opposition leader Benazir Bhutto has left many aghast at the chaos that is tearing Pakistan apart. Wonkette set up a "snark free zone" in response, writing of pictures taken at the scene: "… it makes all the backstabbing and machinations of our candidates trying to plant stupid rumors about drug use and out-of-wedlock babies and all the rest of it seem that much more nauseating and petty to me today."

Boston residents might also feel an extra pang because, for a brief time, Bhutto passed through, studying at Harvard and Radcliffe. Yeah, Boston likes to exaggerate its connections to those who stopped off for school and became names, but Bhutto left a mark on people here, including her former classmates and authors. Paul Flannery at Boston Daily also looks back on the impression Bhutto made here in her youth and on her return trips.

Local author Libby Hughes, who interviewed Bhutto in 1989 for a biography written for young adults, writes on Bhutto's life at Cape Cod Today.

Regarding Boston residents with Pakistan ties, the Globe went to Tahir Chaudhry, president of the Pakistan Association of Greater Boston. Chaudhry sees Bhutto's assassination as a major setback for the country: "We were moving toward democracy, the military rule was going to go away, there were going to be elections. And now we don't know what is going to happen."

Image of the cover of Hughes' book on Bhutto from Amazon.com.