Despite being in power for over three and a half years, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) government has not made public the report of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) joint investigation team (JIT) into the assassination of slain PPP chairwoman Benazir Bhutto, leaving a huge question mark on the ruling party’s leadership’s commitment to bringing the perpetrators to justice.
Interestingly, the PPP, as a party, has not yet taken a categorical stance on the assassination of Benazir Bhutto despite three successive reports formed and submitted to the government, one each from the UN Commission, Scotland Yard and the JIT.
Though the JIT report was submitted to the anti-terrorism court a year ago and its excerpts have also been published by the print and electronic media, mystery still shrouds the affair as the report has not been shared with the public or the PPP. Interactions with PPP leaders have revealed that none of them knows the status of the report and why it is not being made public.
Benazir Bhutto’s close associate Senator Dr Safdar Abbasi told Pakistan Today that there were concerns among the party workers on the uncertainty about the perpetrators of Bhutto’s assassination while the case was sub-judice. “The government had claimed to take the party’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) into confidence on the JIT report. However, that was not done and any government spokesperson could not detail the reasons why the findings of the JIT were not shared with the people,” he added.
PPP Information Secretary Qamar Zaman Kaira told Pakistan Today that he had no knowledge of the JIT report’s status. “I am not updated on the issue. Let me get myself updated. I will come to Islamabad on Tuesday and after getting information from the relevant authorities, I can inform you of the reason for the delay,” Kaira said. Even Presidential Spokesman Farhatullah Babar had no clue about the report. “Since this matter relates to the Interior Ministry, I am not aware of day-to-day developments on the JIT report. Let me check with the relevant authorities or it would be better if you contact the Interior Ministry spokesman or the interior secretary,” he told Pakistan Today. Interior Minister Rehman Malik, however, was unavailable for comment.
On July 10, 2008, Pakistan had made a formal request to the UN to form a commission to investigate the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. The FIA, under Interior Minister Rehman Malik, hurriedly established the JIT on August 6, 2009 headed by FIA SIG Director Khalid Qureshi. The second JIT was established for a parallel investigation to the one being conducted by the UN Commission. However, it did not take any steps forward and kept waiting for the findings of the UN Commission. Finally, the FIA report, a 48-page dossier submitted as a challan to an anti-terrorism court of Rawalpindi, said that the Interior Ministry notified the transfer of the case to FIA for further investigation through letter No 1/1/2008/DS(FIA) dated August 6, 2009, and constituted a JIT to be headed by the SIG director.
Additional Director Shoaib Ahmad was notified as investigating officer of the case. Subsequently, FIA ECW Director Wajid Zia, SIG Additional Director Sohail Habib Tajik, SIG Karachi Additional Director Azad Khan and FIA Karachi Assistant Director Ghulam Asghar Jatoi were notified as members of the JIT. Now it seems that the PPP still aims to keep the issue of Bhutto’s assassination alive despite its earlier stance that slain Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan chief Baitullah Mehsud had ordered the killing.
how about the unsolved mystery of hundreds of people being slaughtered in Karachi? !!!
makes no difference dead or alive so w.e.
No doubt that BB was a most precious pearl on the surface of Pakistan,no leader could take birth like her in centuries even.
She herself and prior to that both had decorated forehead of Pakistan after Quaid-e-Azam M.A.Jinnah. The death of leader was an assassination of the nation.
Although, Baitullah Mehsood was the basement of her murder who was also killed. Next to that notorious terrorist there would be the hand of some other ruling heads of then rule.But it requires enough testimony, which is not available yet.If there is sufficient evidence in support of her assessination then the case should be brought to light forthwith.It is true that three and a half years passed away so far by the present PPP rule but despite that nothing has been done which is required to be done on their behalf.
Majority of the PPP office bearers and the worker are looking forward to know factual aspect of the circumstances of her case.The culprits should be punished in accordance with law soon.
She was declared security threat by nuclear Mafia and killed in a cold blooded attack.
Comments are closed.