Adil Najam
News is just breaking that former Prime Minister and head of the Pakistan People’s Party, Benazir Bhutto was killed in Rawalpindi in a terrorist attack.
She was gunned down by an assassin who then blew himself up in a suicide attack. This happened at the end of her rally in Liaquat Bagh, Rawalpindi; the same place where Liaqat Ali Khan, Pakistan’s first Prime Minister was assassinated. Major news networks are now reporting that following bomb blasts at Benazir Bhutto’s rally in Rawalpindi, shots were fired directly targeting her. Her husband, Asif Ali Zardari says that one of these shots hit her in the neck and killed her.
According to early BBC reports:
Pakistani former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto has been killed in a presumed suicide attack, a military spokesman has announced on TV. Earlier reports said Ms Bhutto had only been injured and taken to hospital.
Ms Bhutto had just addressed a pre-election rally in the town of Rawalpindi when the bomb went off. At least 15 other people are reported killed in the attack and several more were injured. Ms Bhutto had twice been the country’s prime minister. She was campaigning ahead of elections due in January.
‘She expired’
The explosion occurred close to an entrance gate of the park in Rawalpindi where Ms Bhutto had been speaking. Benazir Bhutto had been addressing rallies in many parts of Pakistan
PPP spokesman Farhatullah Babar initially said that Ms Bhutto was safe. But later he told the BBC that Ms Bhutto had died. Another member of the PPP, Wasif Ali Khan, told the Associated Press news agency from the Rawalpindi General Hospital: “At 6:16 pm (1316 GMT) she expired.”
I, like most Pakistanis, am still too numb with shock and grief to think coherently about what has happened or what the implications of this are for the country and for the world. But this I know, whether you agreed with her political positions or not you cannot but be in shock. Even as I type these lines I am literally shaking. Hers was a tragic life story. So tragic that had it not been real no one would have believed it.
At this point all sorts of thoughts float through the politics of this. Why did this happen? Why was it not stopped? What could have been done to stop this senseless murder? Maybe she should not have come back? Who did this? What will this mean for the elections? What will this mean for the PPP? What will this mean for Gen. Musharraf? What will this mean for Pakistan? But all of these are paled by thoughts about Benazir as a person. The woman. The wife. The mother. The human being. What about her?
I have not always agreed with her politically but there was always a respect for her political courage. I had met her many times, first as a journalist covering her when she had just returned to Pakistan in the Zia era and before she became Prime Minister. Later a number of times in her two stints as Prime Minister and thena few times during her exile. In that last period she toll to referring to me as “Professor sahib” and some of our exchanges were more candid (at least on my part) than they had been earlier.
At a human level this is a tragedy like no other. Only a few days ago I was mentioning to someone that the single most tragic person in all of Pakistan – maybe all the world – is Nusrat Bhutto. Benazir’s mother. Think about it. Her husband, killed. One son alledgedly poisoned. Another son assassinated. Daughter rises to be Prime Minister twice, but jailed, exiled, and finally gunned down.
Today, in shock, I can think only of Benazir Bhutto the human being. Tomorrow, maybe, I will think of politics.
June 4, 2009, Thursday
Bin Laden’s new audio message on Obama’s Middle East visit
Al-Qaida has released new audio message of Osama Bin Laden to the Muslim world on the occasion of the start of President Obama’s visit to Middle East. Saudi King Shah Abdullah Bib Abdul Aziz has rejected and condemned this audio message. Muslim world also rejected this audio message released with the old file video footage. Most of the Muslim world people think that this is a fake and false message. The slain former Prime Minister Pakistan Benazir Bhutto said in her interview that Osama was killed in an attack of coalition forces. I think that it was a true statement of Benazir Bhutto. The latest audio voice of Osama Bin Laden might be recorded by any other person or an audio cassette may be recorded containing various general messages to be used at different times after the death of a leader. The party workers of Benazir Bhutto also recorded her speeches and addresses made at different occasions in public meetings. They often use to hear these messages for getting guidance. If most famous and prestigious leader of the Muslim world King Abdullah has rejected this audio with file footage video drama released for threatening the world means the whole of Muslim world or the majority of Muslim world do not believe such intimidating and frightening recordings. This activity of Al-Qaida proves that the Al-Qaida leadership is very depressed especially on the occasion of Obama’s visit to Middle East. They know that Obama wishes and determines to resolves the issues of the Muslim world in this region sincerely. Al-Qaida has released the Bin Laden message to create disturbance during this process and to motivate the attention of the Muslim world towards them. But now Muslims want peace and harmony not only in the region but in whole of the world. I request the people of the world to not believe such fake and false threatening video or audio messages released by Al-Qaida or by any other extremist group.
By Masood Ahmed Bazmi Malik Qadri,
M.A Economics, B.Sc, B.Ed, LLB-I, Associate Engineer in Electrical, Postgraduate Degrees holder in Islamic Law, Islamic Jurisprudence, Hadith and Tafseer Quran.
?A free lance web journalist from House No.2107/59, Budhal Shah Colony, Taluka Nawabshah, Shaheed Benazeerabad District, Province of Sindh, Pakistan.
Date : June 4, 2009, Thursday
Benazir Bhutto’s inquiry by UNO
The Inquiry Commission of United Nation Organization constituted by the Secretary General UNO Ban Ki Moon is investigating the assassination case of Benazir Bhutto nowadays. The officials of the commission are authorized to collect the evidence and related records from anywhere in the world. France is also taking interest in the case. Shahnawaz Bhutto, the one of the brothers of Martyred Benazir Bhutto was also slain in France. Hence France is also involved in the case. The father of Benazir Bhutto, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was killed to hang by the military dictator General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq the then Chief Marshal Law Administrator Pakistan. All the political parties declare this killing as Judicial killing because the orders were passed unjustifiably and indefensibly by a Justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan on some pressure by the Marshal Law authorities. Other brother Murtaza Bhutto was killed in
Karachi Pakistan when Benazir Bhutto was herself working as the Prime Minister Pakistan. These two major killings are said to be the “State Killings” and prove that there is no security or no law in Pakistan for the persons of Bhutto family or for the high level leadership of Pakistan Peoples Party. Pakistan’s Army was directly involved in the case of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto because it was the Marshal Law tenure of the government. Pakistan army is taking military actions against the terrorists in Tribal areas, FATA, PATA and NWFP province for the arrest of local Taliban leaders. The innocent millions of people of these areas have left their homes and have been shifted in refugee camps. They were experiencing the hours of curfew by army to stay in their homes continuously for several weeks because these areas were completely in control of Pakistan Army. When they finished their food items they left the areas and shifted into refugee camps set up by the government in different peaceful cities in the country. Inter Services Public Relation Department of Pakistan Army has issued a press release recently that the military operation will be continued further for two months at least in these areas. This current scenario is actually related to the Mega Terrorism Activity of Benazir Bhutto’s assassination. 67 suicidal attacks were made in different parts of Pakistan during 2008. More than 1000 innocent people were killed and 2400 were injured in these bomb blast and suicidal attack incidents. 540 incidents of kidnap for ransom were observed in the country. 1016 suicidal attacks were took place in NWFP province in 2008 out of those 37 were proved suicidal attacks. 961 people were killed in these attacks and 1698 were injured. 186 persons were got released from illegal police custody in Pakistan in 2008 out of them 119 persons were got released from Lahore only. 237 persons were sentenced to capital punishment and 36 were hanged in 2008. Last week Iran has hanged three persons in public within three days after the incident of bomb blast terrorism in a mosque where 15 innocent persons were killed. But in Pakistan even after passing several years no offender of the terrorism activities have been hanged publicly. There is very terrible and shocking condition of Human Rights in Pakistan on account of terrorism activities. In my opinion, Benazir Bhutto was assassinated due to security lapse, lawlessness and the presence of foreign Taliban leaders in the country.
By Masood Ahmed Bazmi Malik Qadri,
M.A Economics, B.Sc, B.Ed, LLB-I, Associate Engineer in Electrical, Postgraduate Degrees holder in Islamic Law, Islamic Jurisprudence, Hadith and Tafseer Quran.
?A free lance web journalist from House No.2107/59, Budhal Shah Colony, Taluka Nawabshah, Shaheed Benazeerabad District, Province of Sindh, Pakistan.
Date : June 3, 2009, Wednesday.
UNO investigations of Benazir Bhutto’s assassination
United Nation Organization is holding inquiry of the assassination case of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto. This topic is under discussion by the political persons in Pakistan nowadays.
They are trying to lodge FIR at police station. The FIR (First Information Report) of the assassination has not yet been lodged by any person of the Bhutto family at the concerned police station in Islamabad even passing about 18 months. Mumtaz Ali Bhutto, the uncle of Benazir Bhutto released a press statement in media a few days ago that he would lodge the FIR of the case soon. But he still has not been lodged the police report. Yesterday, another press release was issued by Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz group’s office that PML-N would lodge the FIR of this case. An FIR from the State (Government of Pakistan) was lodged against unknown persons within a couple of weeks after the date of the incident i.e; December 27, 2007. Although in my opinion there is no need to lodge FIR in this case after passing a very long time of 523 days exactly from the date of the incident. The Scotland Yard police team had already investigated the case and published its detailed report in this regard. This Investigation or Inquiry Report can be helpful for assisting the UNO inquiry in the case.
The husband or the son of Benazir Bhutto has also not yet registered case against the offender or the guilty party. United Nation Organization had accepted the application of the Government of Pakistan for holding inquiry of the case. The Secretary General UNO Banki_moon himself announced to complete the inquiry of the case within six months when he visited Pakistan this year. Six months are about to be passed and it is being hoped that within a couple of months the inquiry report of UNO will be released and published. Actually in my opinion, the assassination of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto was also associated with the inaccurate planning of the Election Campaign of Pakistan Peoples Party and the incident was taken place because of the security lapse by police and the other security agencies. Karsaz bomb blasts incident was already occurred in the welcome ceremony of Benazir Bhutto in Karachi where hundreds of PPP workers were killed (assassinated) in October 2007. Realizing the worst situation of law and order, the party leadership of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) would become conscious but they did not care of the lawlessness in the country. They aired, released and got published the twelve days advanced schedule of the Election Campaign Public Meetings from December 16 to December 27, 2007 for different cities at different dates starting from Larkana, Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas and Nawabshah. I was then working as the Sub-Editor/Reporter in Associated Press of Pakistan and was based at Nawbshah by our Government News Agency APP. Benazir Bhutto came to Nawabshah for addressing the Election Campaign’s Public Gathering on December 19, 2007. There was a strict security system was developed by the PPP workers and by the police officials at Nawabshah which I saw when I went to get press coverage of that public meeting. But on the eighth day after her visit to Nawabshah I became very sad and mentally shocked to listen the heartbreaking news on electronic media on December 27, 2009 evening that Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto had been assassinated after holding the public meeting at Liaqat Park Rawalpindi. I became much mentally disturbed and could not sleep for many days and nights after her assassination. Even I could not work properly in the reporting section during my duty hours. I started to think regularly for the Bhutto family’s assassinations. The judicial killing of Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in 1979, the extra judicial killing of Shaheed Murtaza Bhutto (the son of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto) in Karachi and now the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. That was the reason that I was terminated from my job on April 22, 2008. I got my treatment from psychiatrist. I felt myself as a completely fit person when I passed the Web and Internet based test for the post of High School Teacher (HST) held on April 24, 2009 in my district. It was a very tough and difficult test that among thousands of the male and female candidates in my district only six males including me and five females had been secured 60% or more marks and announced as qualified for the post of HST. I secured 64% marks in the test and was on top second position on the test result list on the University Testing Centre Website. I prayed to God that I would be again now join the government job after much mental and economic disturbance due to the assassination of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto.
By Masood Ahmed Bazmi Malik Qadri,
M.A Economics, B.Sc, B.Ed, LLB-I, Associate Engineer in Electrical, Postgraduate Degrees holder in Islamic Law, Islamic Jurisprudence, Hadith and Tafseer Quran.
?A free lance web journalist from House No.2107/59, Budhal Shah Colony, Taluka Nawabshah, Shaheed Benazeerabad District, Province of Sindh, Pakistan.
One year later, I can still get angry at her: Why the hell did you even want to go back to the hellhole of Pakistani security situation when you could have just enjoyed your supposed $1.5 BILLION(!!) in any other place in the world? Wasn’t 18th October 2008 carnage enough, in case you thought of otherwise before landing in Pakistan?
And now, Asif Ali Zardari is on a death row. Leave that country. Let those, who have championed ‘patriotism’ since 1977, take care of this country. Haven’t they done a great job? In 1977 Pakistanis would have killed each other with knives or occasional pistols. But thanks to the patriotic untouchable khakis, by 1988 they were using AK-47. And thanks to another patriotic khaki today they kill each other using RDX, suicide-bombers-for-rent, IEDs….
So Mr. Zardari. You and your party will always be a ‘security risk’ to these khakis and their patriotic elite supporters. Better enjoy your supposed $1.5 BILLION in NYC/London than to leave your young kids without any parents.
Already there are rumblings for a ‘coup’ by General Kyani; he is the actual final arbitrator in Pakistan anyway. So it is better for the ‘corrupt Mr. 10%’ to just leave while he can so that these khakis and their ‘patriotic’ urban Punjab supporters can take Pakistan to new heights.
Another great loss to Pakistan. We lost another Bhutto. Benazir Bhutto, the symbol of Democracy is not among us anymore. May her soul rest in Peace. We are an unfortunate nation to lose Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and then Benazir Bhuttto. Quote of Benazir few months before she was killed….”Whether or not the rulers allow me to take part in the elections, I will return home at any cost, not for the reason that I want to become prime minister…. (but because) I owe to the nation to fulfil my pledge I have made to it.