The 27th of December is a day that will endure in the national consciousness as one of its worst. It was one of those few public tragedies that translate into quaintly personal ones. Regardless of ones orientation on the political spectrum, the incident stabbed at the very same emotions that bind us all together. Even Lahores trading community, that ancient, immovable object, impervious to emotions, even for their own leaders, pulled down their shutters; not because the city was seeing any riots the way Sindh was but simply because it just felt right. This wasnt a moment to be going about business as usual.
Three years, down the line, business as usual is precisely what the investigations into the murder of one of the most iconic leaders of the world has become. The ruling party has not only made a mess out of the investigations, it has also exhibited awful public diplomacy, making a very poor case to the public for the approach it has adopted towards the issue. Though one can question the PPP relentlessly and take them to task, a cursory glance is also due for the chutzpah being displayed from other quarters. The establishment, its political parties and its inspired activists in the media are carrying on with their time-tested rule of thumb: the only good Bhutto is a dead Bhutto. After hounding Benazir Bhutto all her life, constricting her publicly mandated space by means fair and foul, they are now acting more jiyala than the jiyalas when it comes to thrashing the ruling party by demanding results of the investigations into her murder.
Amidst all of this, however, are some very interesting developments. The all-important issue of why the crime site was washed away before investigation, has yielded its first major development with two senior police officers going into physical remand. A more interesting still development is that the two officers have named senior ISI and MI officials behind the action. All power to the judiciary if the case is followed through till the end and does not fall prey to any considerations other than that of justice.
