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Assassination of Benazir Bhutto Who is behind the crime and the ongoing cover up?

Assassination of Benazir Bhutto

Who is behind the crime and the ongoing cover up?

By M.M.Khajooria

 

Benazir Bhutto, the first lady Prime Minister of an Islamic country -a controversial political personality at best of times- became  a national icon  on  achieving martyrdom in the Garrison town of Rawalpindi on 27th December last.  Her assassination   plunged the   nation   into collective mourning cutting across the regions, religions , parties  and  sects  divides . As the news of her assassination spread like wild fire a massive wave of grief  swept through the  length and breadth of the country . Men women and children rushed out of houses weeping and wailing. Pakistanis , emotional people  as they are let their grief  gush out  in full measure unabashed and uncontrolled. Benazir emerged as the symbol of national  unity  in  a country on  at the verge of  destabilization and dismemberment.  She achieved in death what remained a distant dream in her life time. Today friends and foes vie with each other to pay her homage and acclaim her death as  national clamity..

.

 

The  thorough  professionalism   and superb military precision were the hall marks of   the assassination  of Benazir Bhutto. The manner  and efficiency  with  which the  physical evidence  at  the scene of crime    was  systematic  and comprehensive   destroyed left no doubt that  the endeavour  was  integral to the  main operation. Significantly  the task was accomplished sequentially  with  thoroughness which does not  come naturally  to the official agency ( The Fire Brigade)  detailed for the job done. The level of arrogance and immunity from norms was in full play as the task which would itself be a crime under the law was committed    in full public glare. The Video footage showed it all. It particularly  focussed  on a  Pistol lying on the ground almost touching the ammunition Boot  of  , perhaps the sole uniformed man visible at the scene at that point of time. The disposal of the weapon and the identity of the man in uniform is still shrouded in mystery. The recovery of the weapon in whatever condition and identification of the official  could help push for a break through.

 

Lt. Gen. Hamid Gull former Director General  of the ISI said  was shocked  at the spectacle of  people watching  the  hosing down of vital evidentiary clues from  the crime scene which    is routinely  sealed all over the world  "It  is a crime scene and they are washing away all the evidence ! We  need to be asking why the hell was this thing done"?, he demanded An equally pertinent question should be who authorised the destruction of evidence and why? In fact the identification of the source od authority for  this part of the operation could, perhaps  provide an opening that the Scotland Yard team is groping for

 

The tentacles of the ops "Cover up' reached out to the hospital where Benazir Bhutto was taken  after the attack and officially declared dead.    Video footage was available showed  a senior doctor of the hospital disclosing  that when Bhutto  was brought to the hospital her pulse, heartbeat and breathing  had stopped. There was "big injury" on one of her temples and the skull was fractured.  In conclusion he said "when something hard strikes the temple with great speed such symptoms are present . The heart stops causing death. Sherry Rehman , Press Secretary of the PPP, who was with Benazir at the time of assault   also stated  that Benazir had sustained a "big bleeding injury" on the temple . "There was lot of blood in the car" she said. The video footage confirmed her statement..  She was also one of the ladies who performed the ritualistic last bath. "The big wound had not been cleaned and the blood was still oozing there from" she stated.   ‘The big injury', which no one cared to clean  could arguably  be the exit point of the bullet that hit Benazir  if the entry wound is seen in the x-rays again (depending on their genuineness). The Ministry of Interior , however had other ideas. Its spokes person Brig,( retired} Iqbal  Cheema first claimed  that Bhutto was hit by a shrapnel released by the explosion. Within hours he shifted the stand.  " At  the time of  explosion Bhutto was waving to the crowds through the sun roof of the bullet proof car She ducked down and in the process   banged her head  against a protruding Liver fitted in the vehicle  causing   fracture  to her skull and her death" Very convenient.  It implied that Bhutto herself was to blame for the tragedy . In fact the Pakistan establishment has been hyper active in spinning out  distortions , half truths   fabrications and down right lies  apparently as part of    a  cover up operation  Execution of the aftermath of the assassination was, however handled  with gross immaturity  . It lacked the professional skill and finish   and left many faces in red as one fabrication after another was exposed by incontrovertible documentary and witness evidence.

The first sign of the web of lies coming apart  became visible when the Interior Minister distanced himself from the position taken by his official spokesperson fallowing  the release of amateur  footage showing a clean –cut man in black vest brandishing what clearly resembles a gun. Behind is seen another man whose head is covered by a scarf. He was believed to be the suicide bomber. The Punjab government subsequently  issued front page advertisement in newspapers offering a reward of one crore of rupees to any one giving  information leading to their apprehension

 

And now a semblance of truth appears to be tumbling down from the horses'  own mouth. In an interview with the US television network CBS a cornered and somewhat sheepish President Musharraf admitted for the first time that the  martyred  Benazir Bhutto, twice Prime Minister of Pakistan, may have  been  hit by assassin's  bullet  . Asked if Ms Bhutto might have been shot, he answered: "Yes, absolutely, yes. Possibly" Whatever terminology  a cagey Musharraf opted for, the admission was unmistakeable, This rubbished albeit reluctantly, the yarns   spun  out by the Pakistan  Interior Ministry spokesperson, Brig.(R) Chemma .  As it is, there were no takers for  either his "shrapnel  hit theory" or the infamous assertion that   the  lever on the sun roof had caused the fatal injury when she ducked  fallowing the explosion..    The Video footage  available had conclusively established that  Benazir's head was not exposed  in the Sun roof  at the time of explosion allegedly set off by a Suicide Bomber. The manufacturers of the Bullet proof car had categorically stated  that there was no metallic Lever fitted in the car that could have caused  the injury. The forensic experts also discounted  the  possibility  of  death resulting from a strike with the lever

 

Mushaaraf's latest pronouncement has also proved right all those who alleged that doctors in the hospital where Benazir was taken after the attack were pressurised to fudge the reports to fit the Interior Ministry theories.   Both Chemma and Mushaaraf  , however  have not deviated from the primary but totally untenable position  that Benazir Bhutto was herself to blame for the tragedy  by literally sticking her neck out of the Sun roof . Prima facie, this was a crude attempt to exonerate  the Pakistan government of the responsibility for her assassination. In essence they  peddle  a theme   .that is as preposterous  as it is  heartless .   A senior PPP leader, Senator Babar Aiwan responded "I feel that there is a skeleton in the cupboard of the government and that's why they have been changing their stance. From day one we have been saying that she was shot. It was a conspiracy, a plan executed -- we have absolutely no doubts about it."   Asked  by CNN's Wolf Blitzer    whether Bhutto had not been reckless , Mark Siegel shot back  "Don't blame the victim  for the crime.  Mushaaraf is responsible. " .It was to Mark that Benazir had  e-mailed a message shortly after the 18 October last  assassination attempt at Karachi when she returned to Pakistan after more than 8 years self-imposed exile. In her email  she said that she would "hold Mushaaraf responsible" if she were killed in Pakistan . "I have been made to feel insecure by his minions." She wrote. " There is no way  that what is happening  in terms of stopping  me from taking private cars or using tinted windows  or giving jammers or four police  mobiles  to cover all sides  could happen without him"  Senator Joseph Biden  Chairman of the foreign  Relations Committee  and a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination  held a press conference in Iowa in which he revealed  that he had personally interceded with Musharraf  to ask for specific security procedures to protect Bhutto  but the request was ignored.   It is significant that Jammers When  provided were non functional .These were neither replaced nor repaired despite requests  and remained  no-functional on the fateful day too .

 

It is obvious that Bhutto was not provided reliable and standard   security (whatever may be Musharaff's concept of adequate security). Denying  even her request for private security   speaks volumes.  It may also  be instructive  to compare the levels of  security  in place for Mushaaraf  and late  Benazir Bhutto , the most threatened politician in Pakistan at that point of time   . According to threat perception both were on top of the hit list. But then whose hit list are we talking about.?

 

. In any case ,whose responsibility it was to ensure that  the protected person was insulated at the point of embarkation?  When  a person openly brandishing a pistol    and another presumably a suicide bomber  smoothly and without any constraint  gain access within hitting distance of the VIP , the government  and only he government becomes accountable for the lapse.

The Video footage  also gives lie to Mushaaraf's claim that adequate security was provided.  Senator Babar Aiwan, who was with Benazir on the fateful day is on record that only one Deputy SP and  three constables were available on the spot of the  tragedy.

 

Deputy Superintendent of Police Ishaq Hussain Shah, who was on  security duty with Benazir Bhutto on th fateful day (apparently the officer Senator Aiwan was referring to) is currently recuperating  from serious injuries  at the Combined Military Hospital , Rawalpindi. He told daily DAWN that the Walk- through metal detecting gates installed at the venue  of the PPP Rawalpindi rally  on 27th December last had stopped functioning "due to power cut shortly before she was assassinated". Remember, the electricity shut down had also occurred in Karachi on 18th October last just before the  first assassination attempt on Bhutto. Shaw  confirmed having spotted "A man wearing sun glasses standing about three meters from Benazir Bhutto's car  and was firing at her with a pistol." "As soon as I jumped to over power him , a mighty explosion occurred", he stated

 

A jubilant Benazir was accompanied by Senator Babar Aiwan, Sherry Rehman and another person as she walked down with a broad smile pasted on her face. The exit route was absolutely secure. So where was the crowd of thousands of her supporters fallowing  her as alleged by Musharraf? This was yet another figment of Musharraf's imagination. The truth is revealed by Dy.SP Shaw. The officer who was on the left side of Bhutto's vehicle said ‘he saw some people appear from nowhere  and stop the car  while she was leaving Liaqat Bagh" And  very significantly added  "I don't know who they were or from where they came . They were carrying  flags of the Pakistan Peoples' Party and shouting pro PPP slogans. They just appeared on the road" .Who permitted or facilitated access to the   restricted area that was supposed to be  cordoned off? In these  circumstances, one is apt to wonder, Could  the sudden appearance of "some people carrying PPP flags " be the refined version of the failed attempt at Karachi on 18th October?

 

Before she landed at the Karachi air port , Benazir had written to President Musharraf and identified certain persons in authority in the government  from whom she apprehended threat to her life. The then Chief Minister of Punjab, Ch. Parvez Ellahi and the Director Of Pakistan wre prominent amongst them. Instead of  ensuring that they had no role and exercised no authority  in respect of any thing even remotely concerning  Benazir Bhutto  they were conferred greater confidence and authority by the President. President of PML(Q), Chouahry, Shujahat Husain and his cousin Pervez Ellah, the then  Chief Minister of Punjab were   known to have a cosy relationship  with the pro-Jihadi elements in  the defence establishment especially the ISI as well as with Brig. Shah. .The Brigadier had a very colourful back ground. He was reputed to have been the handler of both Osma bin Ladin and Mullah Umar during his stint in the ISI. No wonder the assailants had free passage through the Sind Police-IB outer cordon in Karachi  on October 18th last. But for the vigilance and quick response by PPP security Guards the attempt may  well have succeeded on that day itself

 

Writing in the   daily Jang , Karachi  immediately after the  Lal Masjid episode Aisim Sajjad  warned that "The Chaudhries of Punjab must  be restrained from announcing large sums of money that will go into looking after the children and the extended family of a cleric who engaged in terrorism against the people in his immediate vicinity and the state at large."
"The religious right may be the Chaudhries' original constituency, given their people-unfriendly politics, but offering the worst rightist elements financial support in an election year and under the circumstances is mind-boggling. Terrorism under whatever pretext must be abhorred,condemned and dismissed as an agent of change" he demanded.

" It is time Gen Musharraf realised that many of those awarded ministries and key roles under his tailor-made political dispensation are in effect the religious right's Trojan horses in his administration. The government should be required to make an about-turn, this time not for furthering the objectives of the US-led global war on terror but to save its own people and the state from falling to medievalism in the garb of religion." he concluded.

.

 

 

Abdul Rashid , the then Railway Minister of Pakistan and a close confidant of President Musharraf  told a Pak TV Channel that "most of cabinet ministers were opposed to the Reconciliation package which included withdrawal of corruption cases against Bhutto and paved the way for  her return  to Pakistan. "It was with great difficulty that the President was able to persuade them to fall in line; The most vociferous in opposing the "deal" with Benazir were the Choudhary cousins." Musharraf himself  has conceded  that Benazir returned to Pakistan against his advice. It is by now clear that Musharraf and his Coterie  did not want her o return to Pakistan. When She did  return they tried to trivialise the occasion by frightening   her to confine her activity to  address  the party workers   at the airport,  then take a helicopter ride to the Jinnah Mausoleum, pay her obedience  and quietly go to her home in Larkan The real crunch cam when she insisted on going for a tour of he Punjab. And indeed reached Rawalpindi and fixed a rally in the Liaqat Bagh. This caused panic in the PML(Q) leadership of  Punjab.   If the PPP were  activated  and workers enthused through her rallies their very political survival would be in jeopardy. They could not risk their stolen fiefdom of Punjab being stormed. Hence her House arrest in RawalPindi etc. As she remained defiant , refused to relent and was in fact making waves throughout the country some one had to do some thing about it before it was too late.  Rest is history.

 

The circumstances surrounding the assassination of Benazir Bhutto  and the developments   since her landing  in Karachi on 18th October last stink of  a sinister  conspiracy  to eliminate her by  men in high positions in the governmental and political hierarchy.  AS it is, the history of Pakistan  abounds in cover ups  of  assassination cases of  top leaders . The impressive "roll of honour" include  the first Prime minister of Pakistan Liaqat Ali Khan, Military Dictator Zia-ul Haq,  and Army Chief Asif Nawaz. Unmistakeable signs of  a massive Cover Up operation are discernable. On the positive side ,  national and  international  public opinion and leaders and workers of  the Pakistan Peoples Party  are closely monitoring the progress of investigation and antics of the authorities  The  newly emerging civil society  and  a keen, fearless  and watchful media have already  exposed the lies and half truths the authorities were busy pedalling as part of the cover up conspiracy.   Concern in this regards  openly expressed by the UN, the west especially, the USA, the European Community and  the UK has already forced Musharraf to involve the Scotland Yard in the investigation of the assassination case .Still there is need for utmost constant vigilance  and brutally frank timely response if the  unvarnished and full truth behind her assassination is to be unmasked in entirety

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Assassination of Benazir Bhutto

Who is behind the crime and the ongoing cover up?

By M.M.Khajooria

 

Benazir Bhutto, the first lady Prime Minister of an Islamic country -a controversial political personality at best of times- became  a national icon  on  achieving martyrdom in the Garrison town of Rawalpindi on 27th December last.  Her assassination   plunged the   nation   into collective mourning cutting across the regions, religions , parties  and  sects  divides . As the news of her assassination spread like wild fire a massive wave of grief  swept through the  length and breadth of the country . Men women and children rushed out of houses weeping and wailing. Pakistanis , emotional people  as they are let their grief  gush out  in full measure unabashed and uncontrolled. Benazir emerged as the symbol of national  unity  in  a country on  at the verge of  destabilization and dismemberment.  She achieved in death what remained a distant dream in her life time. Today friends and foes vie with each other to pay her homage and acclaim her death as  national clamity..

.

 

The  thorough  professionalism   and superb military precision were the hall marks of   the assassination  of Benazir Bhutto. The manner  and efficiency  with  which the  physical evidence  at  the scene of crime    was  systematic  and comprehensive   destroyed left no doubt that  the endeavour  was  integral to the  main operation. Significantly  the task was accomplished sequentially  with  thoroughness which does not  come naturally  to the official agency ( The Fire Brigade)  detailed for the job done. The level of arrogance and immunity from norms was in full play as the task which would itself be a crime under the law was committed    in full public glare. The Video footage showed it all. It particularly  focussed  on a  Pistol lying on the ground almost touching the ammunition Boot  of  , perhaps the sole uniformed man visible at the scene at that point of time. The disposal of the weapon and the identity of the man in uniform is still shrouded in mystery. The recovery of the weapon in whatever condition and identification of the official  could help push for a break through.

 

Lt. Gen. Hamid Gull former Director General  of the ISI said  was shocked  at the spectacle of  people watching  the  hosing down of vital evidentiary clues from  the crime scene which    is routinely  sealed all over the world  "It  is a crime scene and they are washing away all the evidence ! We  need to be asking why the hell was this thing done"?, he demanded An equally pertinent question should be who authorised the destruction of evidence and why? In fact the identification of the source od authority for  this part of the operation could, perhaps  provide an opening that the Scotland Yard team is groping for

 

The tentacles of the ops "Cover up' reached out to the hospital where Benazir Bhutto was taken  after the attack and officially declared dead.    Video footage was available showed  a senior doctor of the hospital disclosing  that when Bhutto  was brought to the hospital her pulse, heartbeat and breathing  had stopped. There was "big injury" on one of her temples and the skull was fractured.  In conclusion he said "when something hard strikes the temple with great speed such symptoms are present . The heart stops causing death. Sherry Rehman , Press Secretary of the PPP, who was with Benazir at the time of assault   also stated  that Benazir had sustained a "big bleeding injury" on the temple . "There was lot of blood in the car" she said. The video footage confirmed her statement..  She was also one of the ladies who performed the ritualistic last bath. "The big wound had not been cleaned and the blood was still oozing there from" she stated.   ‘The big injury', which no one cared to clean  could arguably  be the exit point of the bullet that hit Benazir  if the entry wound is seen in the x-rays again (depending on their genuineness). The Ministry of Interior , however had other ideas. Its spokes person Brig,( retired} Iqbal  Cheema first claimed  that Bhutto was hit by a shrapnel released by the explosion. Within hours he shifted the stand.  " At  the time of  explosion Bhutto was waving to the crowds through the sun roof of the bullet proof car She ducked down and in the process   banged her head  against a protruding Liver fitted in the vehicle  causing   fracture  to her skull and her death" Very convenient.  It implied that Bhutto herself was to blame for the tragedy . In fact the Pakistan establishment has been hyper active in spinning out  distortions , half truths   fabrications and down right lies  apparently as part of    a  cover up operation  Execution of the aftermath of the assassination was, however handled  with gross immaturity  . It lacked the professional skill and finish   and left many faces in red as one fabrication after another was exposed by incontrovertible documentary and witness evidence.

The first sign of the web of lies coming apart  became visible when the Interior Minister distanced himself from the position taken by his official spokesperson fallowing  the release of amateur  footage showing a clean –cut man in black vest brandishing what clearly resembles a gun. Behind is seen another man whose head is covered by a scarf. He was believed to be the suicide bomber. The Punjab government subsequently  issued front page advertisement in newspapers offering a reward of one crore of rupees to any one giving  information leading to their apprehension

 

And now a semblance of truth appears to be tumbling down from the horses'  own mouth. In an interview with the US television network CBS a cornered and somewhat sheepish President Musharraf admitted for the first time that the  martyred  Benazir Bhutto, twice Prime Minister of Pakistan, may have  been  hit by assassin's  bullet  . Asked if Ms Bhutto might have been shot, he answered: "Yes, absolutely, yes. Possibly" Whatever terminology  a cagey Musharraf opted for, the admission was unmistakeable, This rubbished albeit reluctantly, the yarns   spun  out by the Pakistan  Interior Ministry spokesperson, Brig.(R) Chemma .  As it is, there were no takers for  either his "shrapnel  hit theory" or the infamous assertion that   the  lever on the sun roof had caused the fatal injury when she ducked  fallowing the explosion..    The Video footage  available had conclusively established that  Benazir's head was not exposed  in the Sun roof  at the time of explosion allegedly set off by a Suicide Bomber. The manufacturers of the Bullet proof car had categorically stated  that there was no metallic Lever fitted in the car that could have caused  the injury. The forensic experts also discounted  the  possibility  of  death resulting from a strike with the lever

 

Mushaaraf's latest pronouncement has also proved right all those who alleged that doctors in the hospital where Benazir was taken after the attack were pressurised to fudge the reports to fit the Interior Ministry theories.   Both Chemma and Mushaaraf  , however  have not deviated from the primary but totally untenable position  that Benazir Bhutto was herself to blame for the tragedy  by literally sticking her neck out of the Sun roof . Prima facie, this was a crude attempt to exonerate  the Pakistan government of the responsibility for her assassination. In essence they  peddle  a theme   .that is as preposterous  as it is  heartless .   A senior PPP leader, Senator Babar Aiwan responded "I feel that there is a skeleton in the cupboard of the government and that's why they have been changing their stance. From day one we have been saying that she was shot. It was a conspiracy, a plan executed -- we have absolutely no doubts about it."   Asked  by CNN's Wolf Blitzer    whether Bhutto had not been reckless , Mark Siegel shot back  "Don't blame the victim  for the crime.  Mushaaraf is responsible. " .It was to Mark that Benazir had  e-mailed a message shortly after the 18 October last  assassination attempt at Karachi when she returned to Pakistan after more than 8 years self-imposed exile. In her email  she said that she would "hold Mushaaraf responsible" if she were killed in Pakistan . "I have been made to feel insecure by his minions." She wrote. " There is no way  that what is happening  in terms of stopping  me from taking private cars or using tinted windows  or giving jammers or four police  mobiles  to cover all sides  could happen without him"  Senator Joseph Biden  Chairman of the foreign  Relations Committee  and a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination  held a press conference in Iowa in which he revealed  that he had personally interceded with Musharraf  to ask for specific security procedures to protect Bhutto  but the request was ignored.   It is significant that Jammers When  provided were non functional .These were neither replaced nor repaired despite requests  and remained  no-functional on the fateful day too .

 

It is obvious that Bhutto was not provided reliable and standard   security (whatever may be Musharaff's concept of adequate security). Denying  even her request for private security   speaks volumes.  It may also  be instructive  to compare the levels of  security  in place for Mushaaraf  and late  Benazir Bhutto , the most threatened politician in Pakistan at that point of time   . According to threat perception both were on top of the hit list. But then whose hit list are we talking about.?

 

. In any case ,whose responsibility it was to ensure that  the protected person was insulated at the point of embarkation?  When  a person openly brandishing a pistol    and another presumably a suicide bomber  smoothly and without any constraint  gain access within hitting distance of the VIP , the government  and only he government becomes accountable for the lapse.

The Video footage  also gives lie to Mushaaraf's claim that adequate security was provided.  Senator Babar Aiwan, who was with Benazir on the fateful day is on record that only one Deputy SP and  three constables were available on the spot of the  tragedy.

 

Deputy Superintendent of Police Ishaq Hussain Shah, who was on  security duty with Benazir Bhutto on th fateful day (apparently the officer Senator Aiwan was referring to) is currently recuperating  from serious injuries  at the Combined Military Hospital , Rawalpindi. He told daily DAWN that the Walk- through metal detecting gates installed at the venue  of the PPP Rawalpindi rally  on 27th December last had stopped functioning "due to power cut shortly before she was assassinated". Remember, the electricity shut down had also occurred in Karachi on 18th October last just before the  first assassination attempt on Bhutto. Shaw  confirmed having spotted "A man wearing sun glasses standing about three meters from Benazir Bhutto's car  and was firing at her with a pistol." "As soon as I jumped to over power him , a mighty explosion occurred", he stated

 

A jubilant Benazir was accompanied by Senator Babar Aiwan, Sherry Rehman and another person as she walked down with a broad smile pasted on her face. The exit route was absolutely secure. So where was the crowd of thousands of her supporters fallowing  her as alleged by Musharraf? This was yet another figment of Musharraf's imagination. The truth is revealed by Dy.SP Shaw. The officer who was on the left side of Bhutto's vehicle said ‘he saw some people appear from nowhere  and stop the car  while she was leaving Liaqat Bagh" And  very significantly added  "I don't know who they were or from where they came . They were carrying  flags of the Pakistan Peoples' Party and shouting pro PPP slogans. They just appeared on the road" .Who permitted or facilitated access to the   restricted area that was supposed to be  cordoned off? In these  circumstances, one is apt to wonder, Could  the sudden appearance of "some people carrying PPP flags " be the refined version of the failed attempt at Karachi on 18th October?

 

Before she landed at the Karachi air port , Benazir had written to President Musharraf and identified certain persons in authority in the government  from whom she apprehended threat to her life. The then Chief Minister of Punjab, Ch. Parvez Ellahi and the Director Of Pakistan wre prominent amongst them. Instead of  ensuring that they had no role and exercised no authority  in respect of any thing even remotely concerning  Benazir Bhutto  they were conferred greater confidence and authority by the President. President of PML(Q), Chouahry, Shujahat Husain and his cousin Pervez Ellah, the then  Chief Minister of Punjab were   known to have a cosy relationship  with the pro-Jihadi elements in  the defence establishment especially the ISI as well as with Brig. Shah. .The Brigadier had a very colourful back ground. He was reputed to have been the handler of both Osma bin Ladin and Mullah Umar during his stint in the ISI. No wonder the assailants had free passage through the Sind Police-IB outer cordon in Karachi  on October 18th last. But for the vigilance and quick response by PPP security Guards the attempt may  well have succeeded on that day itself

 

Writing in the   daily Jang , Karachi  immediately after the  Lal Masjid episode Aisim Sajjad  warned that "The Chaudhries of Punjab must  be restrained from announcing large sums of money that will go into looking after the children and the extended family of a cleric who engaged in terrorism against the people in his immediate vicinity and the state at large."
"The religious right may be the Chaudhries' original constituency, given their people-unfriendly politics, but offering the worst rightist elements financial support in an election year and under the circumstances is mind-boggling. Terrorism under whatever pretext must be abhorred,condemned and dismissed as an agent of change" he demanded.

" It is time Gen Musharraf realised that many of those awarded ministries and key roles under his tailor-made political dispensation are in effect the religious right's Trojan horses in his administration. The government should be required to make an about-turn, this time not for furthering the objectives of the US-led global war on terror but to save its own people and the state from falling to medievalism in the garb of religion." he concluded.

.

 

 

Abdul Rashid , the then Railway Minister of Pakistan and a close confidant of President Musharraf  told a Pak TV Channel that "most of cabinet ministers were opposed to the Reconciliation package which included withdrawal of corruption cases against Bhutto and paved the way for  her return  to Pakistan. "It was with great difficulty that the President was able to persuade them to fall in line; The most vociferous in opposing the "deal" with Benazir were the Choudhary cousins." Musharraf himself  has conceded  that Benazir returned to Pakistan against his advice. It is by now clear that Musharraf and his Coterie  did not want her o return to Pakistan. When She did  return they tried to trivialise the occasion by frightening   her to confine her activity to  address  the party workers   at the airport,  then take a helicopter ride to the Jinnah Mausoleum, pay her obedience  and quietly go to her home in Larkan The real crunch cam when she insisted on going for a tour of he Punjab. And indeed reached Rawalpindi and fixed a rally in the Liaqat Bagh. This caused panic in the PML(Q) leadership of  Punjab.   If the PPP were  activated  and workers enthused through her rallies their very political survival would be in jeopardy. They could not risk their stolen fiefdom of Punjab being stormed. Hence her House arrest in RawalPindi etc. As she remained defiant , refused to relent and was in fact making waves throughout the country some one had to do some thing about it before it was too late.  Rest is history.

 

The circumstances surrounding the assassination of Benazir Bhutto  and the developments   since her landing  in Karachi on 18th October last stink of  a sinister  conspiracy  to eliminate her by  men in high positions in the governmental and political hierarchy.  AS it is, the history of Pakistan  abounds in cover ups  of  assassination cases of  top leaders . The impressive "roll of honour" include  the first Prime minister of Pakistan Liaqat Ali Khan, Military Dictator Zia-ul Haq,  and Army Chief Asif Nawaz. Unmistakeable signs of  a massive Cover Up operation are discernable. On the positive side ,  national and  international  public opinion and leaders and workers of  the Pakistan Peoples Party  are closely monitoring the progress of investigation and antics of the authorities  The  newly emerging civil society  and  a keen, fearless  and watchful media have already  exposed the lies and half truths the authorities were busy pedalling as part of the cover up conspiracy.   Concern in this regards  openly expressed by the UN, the west especially, the USA, the European Community and  the UK has already forced Musharraf to involve the Scotland Yard in the investigation of the assassination case .Still there is need for utmost constant vigilance  and brutally frank timely response if the  unvarnished and full truth behind her assassination is to be unmasked in entirety

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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