What to make of the investigations (or lack thereof) into the assassination of Benazir Bhutto? At the time of the ghastly incident, there was a quasi-military regime at the helm of affairs, one not too enamoured by the leader. But what about now? The slain leaders party is halfway into its tenure and the investigation is dicey to say the least. The criminal negligence that the government of the day had displayed that day, first towards her immediate security and second, in the aftermath was but expected if not forgivable. The prompt hosing down of the scene of the crime, for instance, remains till this day the biggest unanswered question.
Following the elections, the new government could not make a strong enough case in front of the public for the UN investigation. Still, incumbency afforded them their wish. The UN investigation, which really didnt yield much, provided neither insight nor closure. Which brings us to the recently completed investigation by the FIA into the case. The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan has been named in the report as the perpetrators, and its slain leader Baitullah Mehsud has been named as the principal accused. Three of the other accused were also killed in an operation in the tribal areas. Interesting information, however, has been streaming in from other quarters. SP Ashfaq Anwer has broken down the whodunit as far as the negligence of the police was concerned, ranging from the district police chiefs orders for him to leave the area to the formers orders to hose down the scene of the crime. The named police officers should be thoroughly interrogated and even if there is no evidence of malafide, they should be at least brought to task for their incompetence.
Finally, it is both amusing and sad, as always, to see the anti-PPP blocs standard rule in action again: the only good Bhutto is a dead Bhutto. The most vicious criticism of the governments inability to tackle the case has been from the quarter that was particularly nasty to her while she was alive. Now they have hijacked her mention.