A three-member U.N. fact finding Commission headed by Chilean U.N. Ambassador Heraldo Munoz, looking into the circumstances leading to Ms Benazir Bhuttos assassination in Rawalpindi, a city adjoining Islamabad, capital of Pakistan, on 15 April, 2010 declared that the assassination of Bhutto on 27 Dec. 2007 could have been prevented. It blamed the government of then President Pervez Musharraf for not taking sufficient security measures to prevent such incident. The commission has also blamed the police for bungling the inquiry into the assassination for fear of an intelligence agencys involvement.

A suicide bomber, a 15-year-old boy, blew himself up near the jeep that was carrying Bhutto back to her residence in Islamabad after she had delivered a very successful election speech at Liaqat Bagh, a park named after Liaqat Ali Khan, the first Prime Minister of Pakistan who was incidentally assassinated there as well. Bhutto was also not very far from the venue.

Others Involved in the Murder

The report states, No one believes that this boy acted alone. A range of government officials failed profoundly in their efforts first to protect Ms. Bhutto, and second to investigate with vigour all those responsible for her murder, not only in the execution of the attack, but also in its conception, planning and financing.

Ms Bhutto was quite aware of dangers to her life. In October 2007 she survived an attempt on her life when her homecoming rally in Karachi was attacked. At that time in the twin suicide bombings at least 130 people had died. She was returning to Pakistan after eight years of self-imposed exile.

UN Inquiry was Requested

Immediately after the PPP, Pakistan Peoples Party, Political Party headed by Ms Bhutto, came into power in early 2008 as a result of the elections that gained sympathy vote for the PPP over the demise of its charismatic leader the government requested the UN for a fact finding inquiry into the murder of Ms Benazir Bhutto. The UN chief set up the panel in July 2008. In the next nine months the Commission met over 250 people including Mr. Asif Ali Zardari, widower of Ms Bhutto, and current President of Pakistan.

The UN commission was given six months to finalize its inquiry into the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. Its mandatory period was extended by three more months. Later, on the request of the government of Pakistan the delivery of the report was delayed by fifteen days. No reason was stated. During the inquiry a few times Commissions visits to Pakistan were also delayed due to law and order situation in the country.

Reaction of the Ruling PPP

 The PPP is quite satisfied with the report. Most importantly the position of Mr. Asif Ali Zardari, President of Pakistan and current Co-Chairman of the PPP, the office which he shares with his own son who was made Chairman of the PPP in respect to Bhuttos will, has been vindicated. All allegations against him have been set aside. The commission has squarely blamed former Pakistani officials for failing to conduct an autopsy and for evidence lost as the crime scene was hosed down immediately after the assassination.

Farahnaz Ispahani, media adviser to president Zardari has said, The U.N. Commission has meticulously identified the criminal attitude of the previous dictatorial regime that led to Mohtarma Benzazir Bhutto's assassination. According to Ms Ispahani, Mohtarma and President Asif Ali Zardari's position [have] been vindicated. This report will pave the way for a proper police investigation and possible penal proceedings.

Another spokesman, Farhatullah Babar, has said the U.N report will "lend speed and strength to the domestic investigation that is ongoing."

Musharrafs Camp Unhappy

Reacting to the report on Friday 16 April 2010, the very next day the report was published, Gen Rashid Qureshi, an aid to Gen. Pervez Musharraf said that the report was a 'pack of lies' that wrongly implicated ex-President Pervez Musharraf and Pakistan's security forces for not stopping her killing.He insisted that the UN report was based on rumors and that Musharraf was in no way responsible and that 'This chief UN investigator was not the relative of Sherlock Homes.'

Government Comes into Action

A senior official of the interior ministry told Dawn on Monday 19 April 2010 that the government had formed a new, but high-level team, to investigate the assassination of Ms Benazir Bhutto. The Special Investigation Group of Federal Investigation Agency has been assigned the task to fix criminal liability on the assassins and planners of the gun-and-bomb attack on Ms Bhutto. Musharraf government and the CIA had blamed the killing on Baitullah Mehsud, a top Pakistani Taliban leader with ties to al Qaeda. Last year Mehsud was killed in a suspected U.S. drone strike.

Information

A suicide bomber, a 15-year-old boy, blew himself up near the jeep that was carrying Bhutto back to her residence in Islamabad after she had delivered a very successful election speech at Liaqat Bagh, a park named after Liaqat Ali Khan, the first Prime Minister of Pakistan who was incidentally assassinated there as well. Bhutto was also not very far from the venue. 

First appeared in the Suite101 on Apr 18, 2010